Mark's family has deep roots in the South Carolina low country, but
due to being a Methodist minister's son, he lived all over the South
Carolina during childhood and graduated from Barnwell High
School in 1977. An intriguing list of people from Barnwell County
include:
William Gilmore Simms, 19th century novelist who Edgar Allan Poe
called "The best American writer of this age."
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul; the hardest working man in
Show Business and Soul Brother #1.
Cliff Hollingsworth, screenwriter of the film Cinderella Man
Henry Wallace, a serial rapist/murderer of 9 Charlotte women in the
1990s
Mark is proud to part of THAT diverse group!
Mark's Family History
His maternal grandmother was Nova Bellamy. The Bellamys arrived
in the low country in 1695. They were a prosperous slave-owning
family but lost most of the family fortune after the War Between
the States. Mark's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Bryan. The
Bryans arrived in America from County Cork , Ireland in the 1730s
to North Carolina. Rebecca Bryan later married a man named Daniel
Boone. One of Rebecca's cousins rode with Light Horse Harry Lee
(father of Robert E. Lee) during the Southern campaign against the
British in 1780-81 and established the Bryan family in the
Charleston area after the Revolution.
In the fall of 1779 Daniel Boone led his family and a group of settlers
to Boonesborough , Kentucky. Included in the group was Abraham
Lincoln , grandfather of the 16th president. The Boones and
Lincolns became lifelong friends; in fact, the Lincoln, Boone and
Bryan families intermarried several times. Being kin to Abraham
Lincoln has not always been something to brag about in South
Carolina, since President Lincoln was the most hated man in the
deep South until deep into the 20th century.
Mark is also kin to William Jennings Bryan who was the Democrat
Presidential nominee in 1896, 1900, and 1906. Bryan served as
Secretary of State for Pres. Woodrow Wilson, but is most famous (or
infamous) for his participation in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial
where Bryan was called to the stand by Clarance Darrow to testify on
his views of Creationism vs. Darwinism.
Mark comes from a long line of Methodists. His father, J. R. Jones,
was a Methodist minister, as is his brother, Joel Jones. Mark also
has an uncle who is a Baptist minister. Since there were plenty of
people in his family already preaching the gospel, he became a tour
guide and now he preaches the gospel of the not-so-Holy City.
Current Projects
Mark is working on a volume of North Carolina murder stories
called Tarheel Terror and is researching the life, crimes and trial of
serial rapist Duncan Proctor for a future book. He also continues his
research for his largest project to date: a complete musical history
of the Jenkins Orphanage Band and it's role in helping to define the
Roaring '20s.
Mark lives in Charleston SC with the love of his life - romance
novelist / tour guide Rebel Sinclair - a Bagel hound named Megan,
and two cats named Annabell Lee and Edgar Allan Poe.
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