Jim Jordan (conjure Doctor)
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James Spurgeon Jordan ( ; June 3, 1871 – January 28, 1962) was an American conjure doctor and businessman. Born to former slaves in
eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina (sometimes abbreviated as ENC) is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina, United States. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina inclu ...
, he learned folk healing practices from his family. His
faith healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...
practice, using methods such as
herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...
and crystal ball reading, became well known along the East Coast. This and his other business endeavors developed a community around him known as "Jordanville".


Early life

Jordan was born in 1871 in
Hertford County, North Carolina Hertford County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 21,552. Its county seat is Winton, North Carolina, Winton. It is classified ...
, the first son and fourth of eleven children of parents who were born into slavery. His father, Isaac, was a
sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...
and
lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...
after emancipation. His mother, Harriet (''née'' Hill), who was thought to be of Black Indian descent, was a homemaker and
weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainmen ...
and introduced her son to folk medical traditions. In his formative years, his family sharecropped on the farm of inventor Henry Gatling, who acted kindly toward the young Jordan. He attended a one-room school and was immersed in stories of ghosts and witches. A conjurer uncle taught him herbal medicine and
cartomancy Cartomancy is fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. Forms of cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were introduced into Europe in the 14th century.Paul Huson, Huson, Paul (2004). ''Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Anci ...
in the early 1890s. Jordan worked as a sharecropper in early adulthood while running a small conjure practice on the side. A conjurer cousin taught him
palmistry Palmistry is the pseudoscientific practice of fortune-telling through the study of the palm. Also known as palm reading, chiromancy, chirology or cheirology, the practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those w ...
and more herbal medicine. He sold
love potion A love potion (''poculum amatorium'') is a magical liquid which supposedly causes the drinker to develop feelings of love towards the person who served it. Another common term to describe the potion, ''philtre'', is thought to have originated ...
s and
goofer dust Goofer dust is a traditional hexing material and practice of the Black American tradition of Hoodoo from the Southern United States. It has roots in traditional Kongo religion. Etymology The word ''goofer'' in goofer dust has Kongo origins and ...
early on. At the same time, there were difficulties; he drank heavily and once nearly died when a neighbor slashed his neck while fighting on the way to a bar. He married Adell Cooper in 1900; apparently with his wife's approval, he had many other relationships over the years, including with his wife's younger sister Minnie, and fathered a total of 42 children into his eighties.


Conjuring and business in "Jordanville"

Tired of farm work, Jordan made his spiritual practice full time in November 1921. He opened an office for conjuring in 1927 and also went into other lines of business, opening his first
country store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
in 1925 and expanding over the years into farming, logging, mule and horse trading, and even investing in a
sandlot baseball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. In the 20th centu ...
team called the Como Eagles. His conjuring business boomed after 1937 as he quit drinking, and he took in about annually for a period of fifteen years; "Jordanville" developed out of hundreds of people in his family or employment. He built a good reputation known up and down the East Coast. Cars from as far as New York were often seen parked on the muddy road to his home, and buses brought him patients almost daily. Stories of Jordan's miraculous power were numerous. He bore a crystal ball said to have been produced when lightning struck a cypress tree and believed to give its finder perpetual relief from manual labor; in one of Jordan's most famous miracles, when the ball is stolen by a visitor, the thief's car catches on fire—and is extinguished when the object is returned. Some stories about Jordan highlighted his generosity, shrewdness, and wit as a faith healer, businessman, and community leader. A large part of his later career dealt with resolving marital issues. His enactment of uncrossings led to accusations of
black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...
. Locals respected him, partly in fear of magical punishment. When he occasionally took up legal cases, his reputation was apparently enough to make witnesses testify in his favor.
Medical doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...
s acknowledged that he referred patients to them when he could not treat them himself.


Death and legacy

Jordan died of
colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
in 1962 at the age of 90. Folklorist F. Roy Johnson published a biography, ''The Fabled Doctor Jim Jordan: A Story of Conjure'' (1963), based partly on interviews with Jordan in the last years of his life. A multimedia performance by filmmaker Caroline Stephenson, adapted from Johnson's book, was staged in Winton in April 2013. A historic marker to Jordan was installed in
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
in 2019 by the Murfreesboro Historical Association.


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Jim 1871 births 1962 deaths 20th-century African-American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from North Carolina Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States Hoodoo conjurors People from Hertford County, North Carolina American faith healers