Folklore, Dallas County.
Folder contains 18 pages of Alabama folklore and stories compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.Agnes Ware Bisho (0, Folk-lore or Voodoo. The Southern egro is s mystery, even to those who have known him throughout life. Tho' pictured as alwaya laughiog and jolly,...
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Alabama Department of Archives and History
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project Collection |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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Alabama Department of Archives and History |
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project |
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project Folklore, Dallas County. |
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WPA Alabama Writers' Project African Americans--Alabama--Folklore; Folklore--Alabama; Alabama Writers' Project; Dallas County (Ala.); United States. Works Progress Administration |
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Folder contains 18 pages of Alabama folklore and stories compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.Agnes Ware Bisho
(0,
Folk-lore or Voodoo.
The Southern egro is s mystery, even to those who have
known him throughout life. Tho' pictured as alwaya laughiog and jolly,
this ia rarely the case. His alumberous mooda often abow a deep melancholy.
Even when twanging a guitar or ~.~ing a baojp as he strolls along
the highway, with hia cap stuck ~iS hes~o make him look like a " bum~
he may be thinking thougtta that would surr.rise you. Even when graduated
from s University. there ia often an undercurrent of superatitio~which
influencea him at e~ery turn.
A True Incident.
"A young colored girl lived in a town near Selma and cooked for a
cultured family. She waa a good girl and was well-liked. She was engaged/
to marry an industrious colored man named Tom.
oQt~ Saturday night ahe attended a colored daoce. A dusky awain
from the near-by city vied with Tom for her favor. Rivalry ran high.
White corn liquor flowed like water.
The girl aeemed to ahow favor to the town oegro and went out with
him to hia " Fode." Tom atepped out of the daoce-hall)fOllOWed by the
balf-druok cb • egged bim 00." he rusbed over to the car with
a pistol in bie baod and an open razor in hia ~~. Before aoy
one could interfere, be cut the girl's tbrost snd abe aunk to tbe grouod
io s pool of blood.
the I
Tbe now sobered crowd gatbered round the dying girl and in the m,eleI
Tom grabbed the city mao'a car and waa off'
No one wanted to be an • informer", so it waa day-break before
sheriff and deputies were called'
They found tbe abaodoned car and trac s wbicb led to an almoat
impeoetrable awsmp. Indignation ran high. A large poase of officera was ~
joined by eml'loyers aDd white friends of the girl, who aearched the
awamp for a week without aueceaa.
,
•
. :L I
2.
The sbove is not uousual)as crimes of jealousy and passion are customary.
Among primit1v.e negroes a body 18 kepT for three daya, as the
apirit is thougtt to atill hover around. The girl was dressed io pure
white by her mistreas. The childreo, who loved her, placed a white
Gardenia( ~8pe Jeasamine) in her hait. The body was then turoed I
over to the " watchers." They firat covered all of -the mirrors, aa it is
bad luck for the corpse to see herself.
They placed so egg io each haod and two rins between her lips which looked
as if she wanted to speak. " THAT WILL BRI G HER .lURTlERER BACK: the
chief watcher ssid.
After tbree days the girl was buried. 00 the outside of the grav;J
relstives placed the fao she had csrried to the dsnce and the razor
Tom had dropped. Keep-sakes were arranged in neat rows' covering the
heaped-up clay' toys of her childhood; presents given her by the children.
The girl had beeo in her grave twenty-ooe days, with an egg io
each haod aod two pios between her lipa, wheo the fuoeral was preached.!
( This the custom.)
The blsck-robed prescher waa deoouociog the murderer aod daociog
--------------- which he e~rlaioed " waa 00 aio uoleas you croased your feet."
All waa hushed e~cept faiot wails of the mouroers.
•
wembers were stsrtled to see a black mao stumble up the ceotre aiale
to " the mouroers' beoch." His clothes were io rags; hia shoes were
• clogged with prairie mud. His eyes were wild sod staring.
" ~st oight in the Swamp she-come to me-----l was starved and
dying---but I knew her.
" l'se come back-----l killed her-but I loved her. 1 thought 1 could
bring her back to life again.
1 1m Tom ...
How --1 can't-----
•
----------------~------ .
•
( • -----------
j,
When an old negro entera your house, she always insiste on going out the
•
same wsy. If anything rreveots)she makes a triaDgular mark with her foot--to
take away tLe bad luc<Tbe mark is similar to that used in the Uiddle (
Ages to out-wit the DeVil.
------------
I n riding, if a rabbit runs acroee the road, the rerson in the car or wagoD
quickly turns her hat backwsrds--forwards before tte rabbi t has been sble
to cross. 7his chsnges the luck from bed to good.
-----------
Good luck to see a red-bird and quickly make a wish. It will come to
paaa. ------------
A 8tory is -=If told, how true I do not know-------- ---------------
tried to learn the reason aa
A wicked farmer was known to keep tenants on his fsrm indefinitely, altho'
they te~tg him. His neighbors woodered/and
he was/unscrupulous and d1ehoDest.
Finally it was learned that he went to a near-by ~%.I.~.aI
/!rsveyard and collected 8and from around the grave. After it waa dark
be went to tbe house of hia tenant whom he bad beard was thinking of
moving, and sprinkled sand from the fraveyard on to tbe ateps. No darkey
would think of movin/! when be saw the sand ~n the step ne7t morning, \
--------------
A very old colored man ba8 recently died over by Valley Creek in Selma.
he was thought by all negroes in the section to be whet they called
a·Conjur~( Conjurer) U e bad many different methods. Altho' much relieved
a t tie death, they still fear even to 8r-eak of him.
-----------
lame or deformed r-erson is treated with respect, said to • be
II
God,
marked bYA
lt~ '1
Agne s Wa re Biship. A True Incident.
------~--- ---------
o
A strange incident ia recalled by a prominent Selms citizen.
It wss a vivid happening and stirred the congregation of the Old
Jewish Temrle at the Corner of Alabsma Avenue snd I.euderdale street.
lliss Ida Peacock wss playing the organ and Llrs. W.C.Ward snd Lliss Lula
Wise were singing the offertory.
They wstched with amazed eyes the spprosch of two little white lambs,
" mild as sighing ssints" as they came slowly and with mincing steps up
the front aisle toward the altar. Then the two small animals, symbols of
innocence and love knelt with their little heada bowed upon their crossed
feet.
The COD regstion was hushed. Tilose present will never
forget this incident which spoke to them of love snd pesce.
( ---------------
( The explanatioo was simple. Levi Loenigatal, a Selma butcher on that
Sa turday moroi ng wa s drivi ng a flock of sheeep a long Ala be ma Ave nue and
the two little lambs had strayed through the door and up the 81sle of
the Te mple • J
Reference---U1ss Ida ¥eacock
JIiss LuIs \Vise both living in Selma.
Agnes Wsre Bishop.
Summerfield, Dsllss County'
A True story.
The drought had beeo loog aod
Dr. A.H.Kitchell, s promioent divine of Summerfield
called the people of Summerfield to the church to pray for raiD during
the cottoD-fielda and gardeos of this rich sectioo were almost burned up.
Dr. Uithhell, over six feet tall sod with a magnificeot voice
sod presence prayed:
lie prayed for a great dowo-pour of raio. 10 a thuoderous voice he prayed
for raio to aave the crops---rain----much rain. All knelt eod prayed
for reio although Jllllere wes not a cloud io the sky.
Dr. Feir. a beloved physicisn, a emall mao wi th s wesk voice,
rrayed for gentle showers, sof~ gentle raio.
The people rose amid thunder and lightning. A great dowo-pour kept
them in the church for aO hour.
a drought in ooe of the drought cycles.
Wheo Dr. Kitchell, rejoicing, at laat reached his haodsome home.
he foucd that seven chimoeys had beeo blowo down aod several gablea
i oj ured.
A quarter of a mile away. gentle showera had falleo on the
rome-place of Dr. Fair.
The scieotiata of Centenary College neat by explaioed the metter
that Dr. Kitchell'a home waa in the Cyclooe belt and that Dr. ",Bir'a etc e
But during the drought of I936)Uethodiats of Summerfield
remembered aod were careful how they prayed.
-----------------------
From old citizeoa~ ------------------
,.. .... .
Franklill•••
Dalla. County anaodote••••
Th. hi.tory of S.las and Dalla. County i••plo.d with
little .ituationa that bright.n the lor. of that ••otion.
J. protraoted drouth had oau••d Dr• .a.. B. IIItoh.ll,
a prOllin.nt mini.ter ot S"_r"l1le, to a...bb hla oougr.·
gatlon aD4 in"oka diT1na power. to ralie"e the .ituation,
lIhioh ft. ill a oritioal .tage.
Larga at .tatura aD! po••••sing a thund.rous "oioa,
Dr. Illtohell prayed for rain, raill and more rain.
~is aanwat illl'Ooation .s folla.ed by a prarv
trca a Dr. h.1r, a reapaoted physioian who ft8 the physioal
and "ooal otitheala of the minlatar. Yaak1y, he prayed tor
.howers, .ott genUa rain.
The oougragatlon .. kapt ill ohuroh for an hCll1"by
a olOlldbur.t.
Dr. Illtohan returll8d reJoyolngly to hla housa to
find .aven oh1mnaye blown down and saveral gablea injured.
J. quarter of a .11a any, mild ahower. had fallan
on Dr. h.1r'. ra.idance,
Prasant day Kethod18t. at s-erfield
•
ara oaratul how 1Ilq pray. |
| title |
Folklore, Dallas County. |
| titleStr |
Folklore, Dallas County. |
| url |
http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/wpa/id/860 |
| id |
ADAHwpa860 |
| thumbnail |
http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getthumbnail/collection/wpa/id/860 |
| _version_ |
1743797183545606144 |
| spelling |
GSU# SG022773_00581-00599SG022773_00581_00599Folklore, Dallas County.Folder contains 18 pages of Alabama folklore and stories compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s.1936 circa1930-1939African Americans--Alabama--Folklore; Folklore--Alabama; Alabama Writers' Project; Dallas County (Ala.); United States. Works Progress AdministrationTextDocumentsAlabama. Dept. of Archives and HistoryWorks Progress Administration filesSG022773WPA Alabama Writers' Project, Folklore, Dallas County, #3Alabama Dept. of Archives and History, 624 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36130EnglishThis material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.96 dpi tiffAgnes Ware Bisho
(0,
Folk-lore or Voodoo.
The Southern egro is s mystery, even to those who have
known him throughout life. Tho' pictured as alwaya laughiog and jolly,
this ia rarely the case. His alumberous mooda often abow a deep melancholy.
Even when twanging a guitar or ~.~ing a baojp as he strolls along
the highway, with hia cap stuck ~iS hes~o make him look like a " bum~
he may be thinking thougtta that would surr.rise you. Even when graduated
from s University. there ia often an undercurrent of superatitio~which
influencea him at e~ery turn.
A True Incident.
"A young colored girl lived in a town near Selma and cooked for a
cultured family. She waa a good girl and was well-liked. She was engaged/
to marry an industrious colored man named Tom.
oQt~ Saturday night ahe attended a colored daoce. A dusky awain
from the near-by city vied with Tom for her favor. Rivalry ran high.
White corn liquor flowed like water.
The girl aeemed to ahow favor to the town oegro and went out with
him to hia " Fode." Tom atepped out of the daoce-hall)fOllOWed by the
balf-druok cb • egged bim 00." he rusbed over to the car with
a pistol in bie baod and an open razor in hia ~~. Before aoy
one could interfere, be cut the girl's tbrost snd abe aunk to tbe grouod
io s pool of blood.
the I
Tbe now sobered crowd gatbered round the dying girl and in the m,eleI
Tom grabbed the city mao'a car and waa off'
No one wanted to be an • informer", so it waa day-break before
sheriff and deputies were called'
They found tbe abaodoned car and trac s wbicb led to an almoat
impeoetrable awsmp. Indignation ran high. A large poase of officera was ~
joined by eml'loyers aDd white friends of the girl, who aearched the
awamp for a week without aueceaa.
,
•
. :L I
2.
The sbove is not uousual)as crimes of jealousy and passion are customary.
Among primit1v.e negroes a body 18 kepT for three daya, as the
apirit is thougtt to atill hover around. The girl was dressed io pure
white by her mistreas. The childreo, who loved her, placed a white
Gardenia( ~8pe Jeasamine) in her hait. The body was then turoed I
over to the " watchers." They firat covered all of -the mirrors, aa it is
bad luck for the corpse to see herself.
They placed so egg io each haod and two rins between her lips which looked
as if she wanted to speak. " THAT WILL BRI G HER .lURTlERER BACK: the
chief watcher ssid.
After tbree days the girl was buried. 00 the outside of the grav;J
relstives placed the fao she had csrried to the dsnce and the razor
Tom had dropped. Keep-sakes were arranged in neat rows' covering the
heaped-up clay' toys of her childhood; presents given her by the children.
The girl had beeo in her grave twenty-ooe days, with an egg io
each haod aod two pios between her lipa, wheo the fuoeral was preached.!
( This the custom.)
The blsck-robed prescher waa deoouociog the murderer aod daociog
--------------- which he e~rlaioed " waa 00 aio uoleas you croased your feet."
All waa hushed e~cept faiot wails of the mouroers.
•
wembers were stsrtled to see a black mao stumble up the ceotre aiale
to " the mouroers' beoch." His clothes were io rags; hia shoes were
• clogged with prairie mud. His eyes were wild sod staring.
" ~st oight in the Swamp she-come to me-----l was starved and
dying---but I knew her.
" l'se come back-----l killed her-but I loved her. 1 thought 1 could
bring her back to life again.
1 1m Tom ...
How --1 can't-----
•
----------------~------ .
•
( • -----------
j,
When an old negro entera your house, she always insiste on going out the
•
same wsy. If anything rreveots)she makes a triaDgular mark with her foot--to
take away tLe bad luc<Tbe mark is similar to that used in the Uiddle (
Ages to out-wit the DeVil.
------------
I n riding, if a rabbit runs acroee the road, the rerson in the car or wagoD
quickly turns her hat backwsrds--forwards before tte rabbi t has been sble
to cross. 7his chsnges the luck from bed to good.
-----------
Good luck to see a red-bird and quickly make a wish. It will come to
paaa. ------------
A 8tory is -=If told, how true I do not know-------- ---------------
tried to learn the reason aa
A wicked farmer was known to keep tenants on his fsrm indefinitely, altho'
they te~tg him. His neighbors woodered/and
he was/unscrupulous and d1ehoDest.
Finally it was learned that he went to a near-by ~%.I.~.aI
/!rsveyard and collected 8and from around the grave. After it waa dark
be went to tbe house of hia tenant whom he bad beard was thinking of
moving, and sprinkled sand from the fraveyard on to tbe ateps. No darkey
would think of movin/! when be saw the sand ~n the step ne7t morning, \
--------------
A very old colored man ba8 recently died over by Valley Creek in Selma.
he was thought by all negroes in the section to be whet they called
a·Conjur~( Conjurer) U e bad many different methods. Altho' much relieved
a t tie death, they still fear even to 8r-eak of him.
-----------
lame or deformed r-erson is treated with respect, said to • be
II
God,
marked bYA
lt~ '1
Agne s Wa re Biship. A True Incident.
------~--- ---------
o
A strange incident ia recalled by a prominent Selms citizen.
It wss a vivid happening and stirred the congregation of the Old
Jewish Temrle at the Corner of Alabsma Avenue snd I.euderdale street.
lliss Ida Peacock wss playing the organ and Llrs. W.C.Ward snd Lliss Lula
Wise were singing the offertory.
They wstched with amazed eyes the spprosch of two little white lambs,
" mild as sighing ssints" as they came slowly and with mincing steps up
the front aisle toward the altar. Then the two small animals, symbols of
innocence and love knelt with their little heada bowed upon their crossed
feet.
The COD regstion was hushed. Tilose present will never
forget this incident which spoke to them of love snd pesce.
( ---------------
( The explanatioo was simple. Levi Loenigatal, a Selma butcher on that
Sa turday moroi ng wa s drivi ng a flock of sheeep a long Ala be ma Ave nue and
the two little lambs had strayed through the door and up the 81sle of
the Te mple • J
Reference---U1ss Ida ¥eacock
JIiss LuIs \Vise both living in Selma.
Agnes Wsre Bishop.
Summerfield, Dsllss County'
A True story.
The drought had beeo loog aod
Dr. A.H.Kitchell, s promioent divine of Summerfield
called the people of Summerfield to the church to pray for raiD during
the cottoD-fielda and gardeos of this rich sectioo were almost burned up.
Dr. Uithhell, over six feet tall sod with a magnificeot voice
sod presence prayed:
lie prayed for a great dowo-pour of raio. 10 a thuoderous voice he prayed
for raio to aave the crops---rain----much rain. All knelt eod prayed
for reio although Jllllere wes not a cloud io the sky.
Dr. Feir. a beloved physicisn, a emall mao wi th s wesk voice,
rrayed for gentle showers, sof~ gentle raio.
The people rose amid thunder and lightning. A great dowo-pour kept
them in the church for aO hour.
a drought in ooe of the drought cycles.
Wheo Dr. Kitchell, rejoicing, at laat reached his haodsome home.
he foucd that seven chimoeys had beeo blowo down aod several gablea
i oj ured.
A quarter of a mile away. gentle showera had falleo on the
rome-place of Dr. Fair.
The scieotiata of Centenary College neat by explaioed the metter
that Dr. Kitchell'a home waa in the Cyclooe belt and that Dr. ",Bir'a etc e
But during the drought of I936)Uethodiats of Summerfield
remembered aod were careful how they prayed.
-----------------------
From old citizeoa~ ------------------
,.. .... .
Franklill•••
Dalla. County anaodote••••
Th. hi.tory of S.las and Dalla. County i••plo.d with
little .ituationa that bright.n the lor. of that ••otion.
J. protraoted drouth had oau••d Dr• .a.. B. IIItoh.ll,
a prOllin.nt mini.ter ot S"_r"l1le, to a...bb hla oougr.·
gatlon aD4 in"oka diT1na power. to ralie"e the .ituation,
lIhioh ft. ill a oritioal .tage.
Larga at .tatura aD! po••••sing a thund.rous "oioa,
Dr. Illtohell prayed for rain, raill and more rain.
~is aanwat illl'Ooation .s folla.ed by a prarv
trca a Dr. h.1r, a reapaoted physioian who ft8 the physioal
and "ooal otitheala of the minlatar. Yaak1y, he prayed tor
.howers, .ott genUa rain.
The oougragatlon .. kapt ill ohuroh for an hCll1"by
a olOlldbur.t.
Dr. Illtohan returll8d reJoyolngly to hla housa to
find .aven oh1mnaye blown down and saveral gablea injured.
J. quarter of a .11a any, mild ahower. had fallan
on Dr. h.1r'. ra.idance,
Prasant day Kethod18t. at s-erfield
•
ara oaratul how 1Ilq pray.http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/wpa/id/860 |