Watch Elijah Pierce: Wood Carver (1974) : Full Movie Online Free Elijah Pierce was born the youngest son of a former slave on a Mississippi farm on March 5, 1892. He began carving at an early age when his father gave him his first pocketknife. As time passed, Pierce found work as a barber and began to carve wood seriously. Through his carvings Pierce told his own life story and chronicled the African-American experience.