On this episode of Our American Stories, in 2016, entrepreneur Fawn Weaver was struggling through one of the most difficult seasons of her life. A disappointing business venture had left her frustrated, and the sudden death of her beloved niece, Brittany, left her heartbroken. Looking for a distraction while traveling overseas, she stumbled across a newspaper article about a little-known figure in American history: Nathan "Nearest" Green, the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey.

His story quickly became her obsession. As Weaver dug deeper into the story of Uncle Nearest, she found something she desperately needed: hope. Fawn shares the remarkable story of loss, purpose, and the unlikely chain of events that led her to uncover one of the most important forgotten figures in American whiskey history.

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