the book "Our Southern Highlanders" is very good for understanding much of this topic. (i believe it is by horace kephart- could be wrong; it's 3am) also the 'fiction' novel "Christy" that the tv show was based on. it is fiction written by catherine marshall about many of the things her mother experienced in the appalachians just after the turn of the century.
both these books give insight to anyone interested in the roots of people of the area
