| Summary: | Folder contains 21 pages of Alabama folklore compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s./
Preeton Klein---Leeco.
o
. Year. and yeare ago,ae the etory goes told by a white oitizen of ~ee
, . •
Co. ,Ala. ,lived a family of wealthy planters. At thie time the mother and
son lived on this large plaatation; of oourse in those days there were no
soreen doors and windows,then every family used the younger alaves,boye as
water boys,the girls to shoo flies off of the table withs bruSh. A girl,
named Naroissus,Who helped in the house and dining room,was a light mulatto
girl and neat in appearanoe so this SOD fell in l've with this mulatto girl
and things finally beo... so bad his poor old mother left home to live with
one of the other children.
Years later \hie white man beoame very ill and requested '0 be buried
in bis front yard When he died,and was. Naroissus married in three months
and made the remark, "lIut of sight, out of mind. It She moved to the Heard
plantation and later eold to .W.Snipea and below is a oopy of the reo'ipt
of one of her ohildren, being sold for. 1,4.00, she for 1000 and the baby for
$400.
POR VALUE RSCEIVBD I DELIVER AnD SELL unTO YR.W. lPES A NEGRO
WOIlAN :BY THE NAUE OF PHOEBIA,ABOUT 20YEARS OF AGE AIID CHlLD (A BOY)IIOT nllED
ABOUT TiO 1lOIIrHS ULD,lI'IIIT:! NEGROES. I T TO BE SOUND IN BODY AllD KIND
AND SLAVES FOR LIYE?AGAINST THE CLAUIS OF ALL 0THEil PERSOUS VE.~,TliIS THE
17th.OF SEPT.1866.
.UO.R.HEARD
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!rh18 bab7 bo:? is an old man now,eighty-two years old,living in Upe l1lta,
Ala.,Lee Co. He has his seoond wite,who was Vannie ~loyd,lived on same f~&,
both are in bad health and barel,. enough to live on and aay give thea slavery
t~, "Us ehow woe ted and had warm olothea,lIl8J' not been ae fine as dey weare
nowdays, but us 'il'Usn't hangry nor oold,our folkB wos Show good tar UB. M us
ohildren _t 0010 in de oold wid oot oor bonnets,ole mistaBII 'od osll UB right
back and pinoh our earll. She never did 10lr our &ODlere tar whip us and maw
l
~WOOld Bay, 'de helllp 18 jest ar growing fer hl8 • JIIIck tooimeaning I'd be
GhDa' Stor1es
• a P. C.X. --Lea Co.
• • hun8 someday oause dey usad grass ropas you know." Ef us had measles
ar eaoh us wus carr1ed ter the b18 housa and slept 1n 11ttla olosats.whut
had badS 1n dem whut she made." 'Vann1s ••id, "1\y maw had su M ts er tw1ns.
an she won I 10 lowed ieer turn her hands ter do noth1n'."
Vannie sa1d. "One day I went to da f1a1d aarly and a caie wos cry1n8 and
follo d me up and down de rows as I wOrked and or1ad all day long.us would
rook IUt and rat baak h1t 'ud oome and Be boy 't'Ihuie wos work1ng wid us "1d,
'I am p1ne ieer :!t1ll dat damn ieh1ng.' 110 don't kJ.:j.l de 'oar thing but sOllllln
sho 1s p1nt ar happen and r1ghie den and there daie oat jaeie opened up sum
Uay w1ngs. jest 1ak er turkeY,and sUd, Whoof .and up 1t rose and fiew 1n oar
oh1mney," "lIo~m us never seed h1t no more." "D1dn't h1t sn1pes?" "Show d1d."
"And er nother ie1me Kisa, I all de t1f:le 11ked ter have flowers on de
eaUn' table SO I woS out p1okJ.ng flowers en sumpen sa1d. 'Uh-huh.Uh-huh.
and I jest kept on p1ok1n8 my flowera en ever t10:e I broke one off h1 t would
Bay Uh-huh.uh-huh and I jeat got ao aoeered ••en hJ.t aa1d,' ell.a1r,' and man,
I drapped dem flower a and flew tar the houae hard .. I ooold fly and ahet the
door ...
" I jeat tell you K18icaaa daie sa1pea plaoa woa iche hanieest place you arer
sged. n
,
'J.lr,sn1pea,You remember when austar woa .1ok?" "I show dO," "We woa
.eU~'roUDd de fire qu1.t lak,she W08 birtiliD'er baby.and er lady woa aetten'
there wid us whut woa g01n' br wa1t on her and I ieell ybQ dam doora woa ahut
Ughie and fore God I BBW .r f1gure oom1ng 1n through that ahat door, I punohad
th1s other oMsn and aa1d,Look yonder you 8ee dat? She sa1d ah.t up you-
'11 k111 your s1ater. ell,I tall you dat thJ.ng k.pt ooming and th1a womaD
je.t .or••••d and tr1.d her be.t tar git up the ohAIm1ay and I wish 1'00 oould
er Baed her wh1te dreas den,h1t mo won't wh1ica no more. Well that blaok
th1ng d1Bsapeared and my s1ater's baby d1dn't 11ve but two .anths ne1ther."
GHOST or
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Sethn Up Party :
le lngram (Col.) 1'.C.Klein---Lee Co.
.
all en nobody 'roon dare had no goats
I
rle how old are you? I'se s~y-five,miss. Is I ever seed er
ghost? 11,mistess.I wus born wid er veil over ~ faoe and er eord too,
and them kind er Dhillon wos born t.ar see things en talk wid de dead bU"
I'se been seeard tar talk wid dem,oause dey moot t.e11 me BUmpeD whut I den'
want ter bew, but I t.e11 :flU tho mistess, I wos at ar "Set.ten Up" party one
night -.hen I wos 'bout fourteen years old, 'bout. er mile en er half frum
home and when I wos going down er narrow path thrll dem woods,er set.ten hen
wid er dozen er more chickens lit up in dat pat.h,a11 fuzzed up and jest
flew all over me and hit. woe in the mido1e er the night. t.oo en ne:ver did
see whur she eum frum ner whur she went.,yea'm she did,nom I didn' have nothing
t.8r drink,hit wus jest real. And I mora dan did f1:f an the faster I
runed t.he more th1nga I seed er cemin' behind me,and me er paesin' goat.s
wid long beardS and I don't. know whut
nei ther.
en I got home my he said, ..L tells yer to cum in fore dark and
•
yer jest etays out till mid-night. en I don' keer ef thinge do take oat attar
yoa.1't
I kin a1waye eee folke aJ.k1ng 'roand ergin in 1ife,whut hae been dead
er long Ume cause I woe Illest. born ter see t.hem kinder things but I ain't
_ver talked to um,no'm,I ain't. naver desired t.ar talk to um. I kin be walk-ing
'roand moet eny time and ell fre h b100d,O,eo plain.
One the I had er bad spell er eicknese and tr13 'thar oum back and stood
by my bad, jeet ae plain e z I see s you now and ahe wue fanning me ,ao'm ehe
didn' say nothin' t.er me but ehe hope git ma 11.
GHOST TALES------ arle !ngram (Col.
, .
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I
: sette~ Up Party
~rle how old are YOU! I'oe sixty-fiTe,mies. Ia I eTer soed er
ghoat'l ell,a1ateBs, I wus born wid er Teil OTer rq faoe and er oord too,
and them kind er obillun Wl1S born ter 88e things en talk wid de dead bU'
I'ae been soeerd ter talk wid dem,oause dey out tell me sumpen Whut I dan'
want ter know. but I tell yer tho miatess,I WDB at er "Sotton Up" party one
night 'Whon I B 'bout fourteen yeara old, 'bout er mile en er half frum
home and whon I wos going down or narrow path thrll dem woods,or Botton hon
wi4 or do~en er more iokeDB lit up in dat path,all fuszod up and je t
ow all onr me and hit B in the middle er the night too en I never did
seo whur she cum frwn ner whur she WIInt,yes'm she did,nom I diAn' haTo noth-ing
ter dr1nJ::,hit wua jost real. ADd I Clore dan did fly en the faster I
runed the more thingB I Boed er comin' bohind me,and me er pasBin' gcats
wid long bearda and I don't know 1lhut all,en nobody 'rollIl dare had no goats
nei thor.
en I got licme my p a he said,"! tells yer to OUID in fore dark and
•
ye JOBt steT8 out till mid-night an I don' koar af thingo do taka out attar
;YOO."
I kin wlJi1s 8ee folks walking 'round ergin in life, ut ha been dead
er long till8 oauae I 8 ~ 8t born ter see thom kinder 1hing8 but I ain't
never talked to UJlI,no'm,I ain't nOTer deoirad ter talk to IlID. I kin be walking
'round m08t eny time and lIIIell freoh bloo ,O,so plain.
One time I had er bad 8pell er sickness snd r:v 'other CUID bank and 8tood
by my bed,je8t aD plain ez I soes yOIl now and &he WilD fanning me,ao'm hs
didn' sa;y nothin' ter mo bllt she hope git me ....,11.
•
• Ala1'np 1lar1 W...0....4e4 111 u Ml441. .1' U !lou. 2
a. 1.1 b_41. at olotha. U.4 111 a .quare t olo'h•
.u'.r \ha Journq .tar..4 \ha tarthar 'beT 4 tbe we..
.... .r.hllT. tar'h.r ...4 tar'bar b.hll14, '11 Mr. DowuU
reaU.. \hq .lp, ha•• 10.' the .la•• wo..... Vanl tor so••
U .. wi'hout .r.11I11 oatohlllC UP. ha ...t Ullol• .r.tt back '0 look
for her.
Unol• .r.ft tOUl14 h.r ooapl.t.l1. ni an4 111ne 111 'ha 1'0&4.
noi able to CO &J1T far\h.r. Abo wh.. Unol• .r.tt broucht Mr. Dowull••
ha uplain.4 ihai .h. vas co1Jlc to ha•• a babT••0 ihq
1 s4l.at.l1 aa4e her.o hoi ootf.....4 414 whai thaT coul4 tor
her. In 4us U a UUle whn. I. a .1rl .... born to hal' 111
th. a1441. at ihlS ro&4. • Dowdell ..,4 Unol• .r.tt aotine ..
D1IJ'•• aa1u th. 11iU. n... babT uP 111 a t ... oloth••
• ha ha4 be.n oarrTlne 111 that b1Z4l••
Mr. Dovull took 'hls babT bun41....4 bouno.4 ii up ...4 cI.ovn
an4 .S"C. "Bl••• ~ l1'tl. fr•• ~t. n1 r. ~ llttl. fr••
whU. ~rl oo.t •• noth111C." ...4 aciuallT kliled ii, prauA.
ha .&14. ihai ha!a4 14 not~ for tM. babT ...4 pull.4 0117
onr Mr. OUft.
lis &&14. "tM. shall be &7 Uttle 4anchisr'. u,n. whit.
an4 b. ra1l&4 111 ~ hous. to _n all &D4 ••m hal', in
Tears woo ...4 io pl.., wiih her now.
".r.I1I11, I tMllIt oil. oil ul4 b. u ••4 1l0a47." ha .&14." as
.h. va. bo.... in tha 1'0&4. but .r7l11lT b. 4.0 for h.r w b. n ...4
1Iar7, ,hat ha flasl17 0011••l1t.4 an4 called hal' 1larT·
.... .r.11I11 va. 110t able io b. oarrlsl!. all, iheT fOUl14 a plan\
aUon 010•• bT an4 wed iha vMh """sr it he ooull!. \aks oars
at tM. wo..., babT ..4 two UU1. bOT. tor aboui two weeks,
allI... •
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aD ...p....ed '" l' hb lllbl.. llefor. he .at 4""". la 100klDc
rOOTer h. n tl0 4 th. or t- ~l. t 1n the botto •
t th1JlldDg DCthll1C of it. he IIoIdII eelf 00 forialll."it hi.
la hll d. and bl aD to b ]llble. In t nl M.
vhen all v.. q111.t bd the .-plt-wit of the 10111. noUo.d a
black cat or.. 1 the hole lD the &1001'. !h. r.acher
AlAn't u.r a word but kept onl "'" on the cd end onl .J'" on hi.
]llb1l and hi. n hi. blade. fhe CIt dole ln a HUle 010.....
lDtent17 ."HU1. "".....l'
~ t. the ....0 .Ull wit one..,. on hi. lIlb1l. bl ln
hond 0 l' 1;11 on t eat but .Ull ...t DCt \0 b.
noUo1nc. • cat !:&Y. a at °r...v.· aDd 'lIDO d n
the • but th ....on a. q111 .. the oat. I a .1&
and cut ott ono ot it'. tr nt ....
fhe I'D t.ll at the nonI. t ••t b t lilian h. looked t r the
eat 1t had All& \rh A tum1nc \0 klelt: the oatI. toot .wq. 10 b. old. hI w.. thwllIe...tl'1l • tor lD.teed of the
cat'. toot. I. lor1nc t Id b.. ot • 0 t'.
wlt. wao ... roU.d it 1D a pl. ot a..... and U U ...
!Iuo nen 110 nt to the h • tor br t.
t· landlor4 W&I I'lalal7 ....."rlled t II alhl, but Itea
w t 4 t a D1 t he ..,."t." repl1e4 thet h. had ...4
a rtlot17 q111lt nlpt wlth the eze Uon ot I wlU 0 t
to .oratch h1a but that h. had • blad. and .....t ott n. ot
U. tront I'''''''
°lltI dU.ol
h••&14. and aMe4 0]17 t
°lbe 't cot\a thi.
b DCt weU.o
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---1' :..._-_. '(jet' ~-
Several years ago in La Fayette. a.,lived a ne.gro woman ~maJsrEstelle
Thomas.
stelle is a great believer in conjUrin~Bhe ,
she lived in Chambers Co. ~
says she was conjured when
Whll......... next door neighbor was a single girl Estelle
harm,she said.
1 this
thought)was trying to her husband wway from ~e~the left side
~ ",~~\,7~ :w.....
gose just itched and itched and that is 'for a woman tha~wa.nts to do
~~
neighbor came over~ III •••&i..sat by the fire and talk-stelle
was combing her own hair and would throw the combings in the fir •
-some bumad and BOms fall on the hearth. -
Several nights after that .and for several nights."hen she went. to the
o.
spell over
I feels hit
done hit unless she
cast
me.
door or out of doors,great f1ashe. of ,;light.1ike 1ightening.wou1d dart across
,";;J-.
her eyes and she would f_1 • just ~~to d ho 1e.r and would
have mad fHs and then be b1ind~ Wb11~ "Yes 'm,l sho do know dat nigger
ms~cause she wanted my husbant1~o·m.I don't know how ehs
S("YrJ-' ~
got _ er my hair and made up oonjure and put on
~ " ~times nowJhit jest makes me have one er dem mad fit
?course I ain't seed her since us moved down here and dats ~ long tir_e -but she still have me in her power end oasts dem spells over 118 still."
~ '1
'"You reoon dat. WU~whut hit wus,oause IS.hs could er put poisoll in my food
~ -:;.-
oause she we in and out er my kitchenJ10ts er times:but no'm she jest
oonjure womsn en she sho got me in dat fix."
"You know dem kind tin oast spe;lls over r ef you steps over ~ticks dey
lays dOwn fer yo~ou never know when dey does it n&ither."
."
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-l'NDIAl'l FOLKLORE
J
Preeton Klein--Lee Co.
This story s told by ~rs.G.O.~ulsby,of Opelika,Ala.,leatned as
her hair wae being ourled when a little girl and told by her grand-mother,
the parties concerned being her great-gra4d parente.
In 1829,coming frcm Putman GO.,Ft.Y1tchell,Ga.four miles from Columbus,
Ga.,crossing the lcwer Chattahoochee River,~.Willis Cox,wife Elisabeth
Moore and three chUdren,acved to abams and booght land from
the Indians and settled in south east.ern part of Lee Co. ,Alabama, between
Dchee and Salem, Ala. , ow, in crossing this river, in the moving,e:tcltllaent
and11i.a , • Cox thinking that his wife Elizabeth had all the children on
the cther side of the river with her,didn't worry, but as daylight apP~Dached
and time to move on,an check op, the oldeet child, illiam,a boY of 4t
yea%e of age was missing;t'was only a short time and little William walked
up se;ying,1hat he had gotten lost from tUe crowd and le;y down under soma
buahes and lll.ept for the night,not being afraid as he knew they woold hunt
for him in the morning and woold not leave him.
This land 1I8S bOUght from a friendly Indian called "Indian Ben,"
and at this t,ime,he lived in a doable log cabin and promisDd U TBoate at
once, bot as tba 8tbry goas,he ~ivsd on in one of the cabin rooms and the
Coxes camped Indian faehioa in the other, but all this tilll8 ~rs.aox lived
in ortsl fear of SOIl8 of the feaily being killed or burned oot,eo soaroely
sapt at all,for lIhe coold, DOt be perlll1aded that Indian Ben wee a friendly
Indian, ahe thinking all Indiane w ebloody murder ra. Attar a week or
ao Ben aoved out to himself and alwaya proved a frlllDd of the vary best kind
to this f ..ilY,calling .Cox--ee for r.Cox.
Latar on ,Cox moved down in the eouth-weat,arn part of Lee Co. ,on
Sogahatchee Creek near If tsaulga Ala. ,at Rocq DDt Church. A 11ttle far-ther
on wea an Indian reaerTBt1on. J.lr.Cox had a trading post for the
Indiana in !:tallapoosa Co.at craeshoe Bend.
Knowing the ndi..a weah1esses ,he woold never aell them firewater,
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FOLKLORE
MOLLY I mIAIl
Preston Klein -- Lee Co .
Durin~ slaver,y time, if a slgve married an Indian o~n. their children
were Dot ~1de slaves, but free to roam 8S the Indians did, such WP.B the
case with Molly Indian.
As a child Molly Indian lived on the plantation of Mr. Willis Cox,
who married Miss Elizabeth Moore and lived ~t Ft. Itchell, Ala., n~ar Bock
Mount Church, in 1829.
The Cox's used Ii tIe Molly in tho big house to keep flies off the
table, with a fly brush. e of strips of c~lored oanere. or oeW80Ruers
strlooed god ulued to stick, to wave ov~r the table. or a nice ~reen switch,
cut from a preen bush. She ~18o remained in the house all ~ to help her
Mistress, wait on her and kepp fresh vater at the water shelves and just any
little jobs the Mistres. saw fit for her to do. Molly lived on with the
Cox8e till she ~s grown, and married a youn~ Indian, to them were borne two
Children, etrie.
l:olly Indian afterwards married a slave-hand on the Cox farm and lived
in a small log hut close by, &s the law was, she beinH an Indian, her Indian
children were not con~iderpd slaves but she always liked for them to be kept
busy and out of mischief so let them be used in the big house as she WAS,
when she was YOUDoit.
~he Coxes had two Frown 80ns, who were very wild, bet on horse-races
and gambled just any way they could ~8t the money and more bssidps, now, they
were deRply in debt and knew not how to pet out. On one occa8~10n ~8 these
little eirls ~ere h~re to keep flies from the table but ere out of the room
at the time, overheard a conTerwation between the two brothers, planni~ to
take these two 1i Ie colored pirls down the river into G~orgla ADd sell th~m
to ~et 80me money for ~p.mblin~.
The children flew home 88 fast pa they could run, to tell their mother
what they had he.xd but the chlldr"n in the "Tcitement failed to hear when
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• UllUJ l!'OIKLORE
I
Preeton Kleln--LeeCo •
Another Indian atory told by J.lra.GIlO.LIauelby.~ Opel1ka.Ala, ,of aOlle
Indians liYing in the neiBftborhooil of her grand-father,
One of the neighbors who moyed into thia oommunity too late to plant
a garden s in'9'1ted to go to a neighbors for some vegetables,ao sent her
two amall ohildSan to this other neighbors aoross a wide creek, with a footlog
orossing,to get the vegetables,and on returning the two children heard
Indians oo.ing and hid under the end olf this log till they pasll8d onJ.,.eight
or ten,and returned,and mile they were there,heard these Indians plsnnins
to massacre the 1IIhole"COtton"f&.llily and did,all but this little boy and
girl who ware hidden under the; bridge, too afraid to 1I0ye,and flnally ran
home to tell what they had heard.
This little "Cotton" girl that went back home and reported on mat she
had heard the IndiBlls plaming was sent to Gold Rill ,Ala. ,later to lift and
has • grand-son li.ing there- now, .' 11ll8ge Jackson.
In this fight they killad Indian Ben's best friend,then this old
Indian kaew that he ould be killed as the Indian A••• then ,was for the ned
in torn try to kill th& kiner,ao one night about aidnigbt, s.cox was awakened
by a Toioe aaying,"Cox--ee,I'. a dead man,I'1I a dead lIaD,cox--ee,so
she was eo frightened thinklng he was saying "Cox--ee,w111 be a dead man,"
and planning to kill her husband and would not lat hill go out to see about
him, but finally understanding that it was the friendly Indian and in trouble
went to him. After disoussing the situation,he told the ndian he must not
do that and he himeelf would go to Columbus QQ" the naarest plaoe to reaoh
the law,to 8at a warrant to arreat this Indian killer,and they did and got
their man,mo as hangad in Ga., with two other man. Re baing the first
Indian In \hie oountry known to haTe been hanged by law instead of Indian
faehion.
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Several yearB ago in La l'!lYe~te,A1a.,lived a negro wo....n by the nalllll of
EBtelle Thomae. •
:ete110 1e Breot bolieVllr in oonjuring,ahe eaye sho wae oonjured when
ho livod in Chambers Co.
Whilo living there,hor next door neignbor woe a single girl and Estelle
thought wae tryi g to got her hueband ww~ from her. thO left Blde of her
Dono juet itohed and itohed and that is itohing for a woman that wante to do
you harm. she said.
After a whUe thia neighbor ° over as ullucl.eat by the fire llnd talk-e
• stell0 wae combing hor own hair and WOllld throw tho combings in the fire,
BOII8 burned and Bome fe11 on the haorth.
several nights after that ,and for vera! nighte,when she wont to the
door or out of doora,grollt flaBhell of light.11ke lightening,would dart acroee
her oyos and she would falll ao funny, Just wanted to run and holler and ~ould
havo suob mad fita and then be blind a while. "Yes'm,1 aho do know 4at nigger
oast er apell over me,oauae e wanted my huaband,no' ,I don't know how She
done hit un1eaa sho got s er my hair and made up eum o~nJure and put on
me. I feels hit eUD times now,hit Jest makes me have one er dem mcd fite,
oouree I ain't Goad her ainoe us moved doY!ll he e and datB er long t1...e er go,
but she still have IIllI in her po r d ° Bte dem ap lls over IllII eti11. n
"You reoon dat wos whut hi 10 WOS,88UBO Bhe oould er put poisoll in my food
oauee ahe wae in and out er my k1tohenllotB er timea,but no'm ahe jest or
in dnt fix."
"You know dem kind kin oaBt BpellB over yer ef you stepB over ~ticka dey
I oonJure womn en ebe ShO got
l~e down fer you ,you never know when dey 40ee 110 ither ."
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