His faith healing practice, using methods such as herbal medicine and crystal ball reading, became well known along the East Coast.

[3] His mother, Harriet (née Hill), who was thought to be of Black Indian descent, was a homemaker and weaver and introduced her son to folk medical traditions.

[4] In his formative years, his family sharecropped on the farm of inventor Henry Gatling, who acted kindly toward the young Jordan.

[15] His conjuring business boomed after 1937 as he quit drinking, and he took in about US$100,000 annually for a period of fifteen years; "Jordanville" developed out of hundreds of people in his family or employment.

[20] Some stories about Jordan highlighted his generosity, shrewdness, and wit as a faith healer, businessman, and community leader.

[28][29] A multimedia performance by filmmaker Caroline Stephenson, adapted from Johnson's book, was staged in Winton in April 2013.