Virginia Folklore Society records (1913-1967; 22.7 cubic feet) consist chiefly of songs collected by the society's fieldworkers in the 1930s under the direction of society archivist Arthur Kyle Davis. Sheet music, folklore, newsletters and photographs are also included, as are recordings of many of the songs.
Regarding boxes 6-10 and 21-24: These boxes contain the correspondence of C.A. Smith and Arthur K. Davis dealing primarily with folksong and ballad collecting. Some of this correspondence is with members of the Virginia Folklore Society and some to miscellaneous individuals who sent in material or had information and/or questions regarding folksongs.
The recordings in this collection include a large collection of the recordings made by A. K. Davis, with the assistance of Fred Knobloch and other Virginia Folklore Society members/collectors on Fairchild aluminum transcription disks. Davis divided the recordings into four groups: A (12 inch disks), B: (10 inch disks), C: (8 inch disks), D: 6 inch disks).
Please note, there are some song titles and lyrics that contain racially insensitive and/or culturally offensive language. In an effort to represent the resource as accurately as possible, library staff have transcribed the title exactly as it appears on the archival material or object.
Material transferred from the papers bequeathed to the Library by Arthur Kyle Davis. By agreement with Charles Perdue, archivist of the Virginia Folklore Society, the material, which was originally collected for the society, is now to become the archives of the Society. It is not to be withdrawn from the library by the Society.
Archival transfer from MSS 9829, the papers of Arthur Kyle Davis, 19 February 1974 comprise series one and two. Series three, accession number Accession 2019-0235, donated by Marc Charles Perdue and Martin Clay Perdue.
Arranged into three series: Series 1: Folk Songs; Series 2: Folk Song recordings; Series 3: Accession 2019-0235
Boxes 27 and 28 do not circulate.
The broad outlines of change and growth in the study of folklore/folklife, however, is reflected on a small scale in the history of the Virginia Folklore Society and its three successive, but overlapping periods of development and achievement. These can be defined as: "The Quest for the Ballad," "The Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. Years," and "Folklore/Folklife: Professionalization of the Discipline."
The Quest for the Ballad: This era began with the founding of the Society by C. Alphonso Smith and is identified with his efforts and those of notable collectors, such as John Stone, Alfreda Peel, Martha Davis and Juliet Fauntleroy, as well as other teachers and members of the Virginia State Educational Association. In the first Bulletin of the Society in 1913, Smith made the pursuit of the ballad explicit and primary. Although he expressed interest in other types of folklore and acknowledged that "[t]he ballad is not the whole of folklore," still this and all subsequent volumes of the Bulletin were devoted almost entirely to considerations of the ballad and its collection in Virginia (pp. 1-5).
Under C. Alphonso Smith's guidance as its first President and later as Vice-President and Archivist, early members of the Society concentrated on collecting oral versions of the classic English and Scottish ballads as defined by Francis James Child in his five volumes of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, published between 1882 and 1898. In the Bulletin for the third annual meeting held November 26, 1915, Smith reported on progress toward the Society's goal of obtaining at least 50 Child ballads in the State and he thanked "all those who have co-operated with us in the effort made to restore our lyric past, and to make it a part of our lyric present."
By 1920, Stone's expansive program had suffered from membership and revenue loss in the wake of World War I. In the Secretary-Treasurer's report for the "Year Ending November 25, 1920," J. B. Ferneyhough noted that after paying $16.80 for paper and printing of the Bulletin, $.65 on envelopes for same, and $1.13 on postage to send them, the Society's balance in the Treasury was $.52. (Report for 1920, Bulletin, No. 8, p. 10). However, the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Virginia took an interest in the Society the following year and supported John Stone's "ballad tours" by donating $500 "for the recapture of these priceless relics of colonial literature scattered through the State." The typescript of instructions written by C. Alphonso Smith to John Stone regarding the field work to be carried out with that support, as well as excerpts from Stone's meticulous accounts of expenditures including his final $.25 charge for shoe polish are of some historic interest in the annals of supported folklore research. Needless to say, the Society's Bulletin for 1921 was gratefully dedicated to the Colonial Dames of America.
Two figures, who were important in the later periods of the Society's history, appeared on the scene for the first time at the 10th annual meeting on November 30, 1923, again held at the John Marshall High School in Richmond. One of these persons was Benjamin C. Moomaw, Jr. of Barber, Virginia, who was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Society.
The second individual was Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. who was, at that time, an Instructor of English at the University of Virginia, where he remained throughout his lifetime. C. Alphonso Smith introduced Davis as the person who will "publish our findings" and wrote in the Bulletin that "I shall turn over all of our ballads to him and he will select, reject, and edit as he thinks best." Davis was elected Archivist of the Society at that meeting. (Report for 1923, No. II). In June of 1924, Dr. C. Alphonso Smith died in Annapolis, Maryland. With his passing, the Virginia Folklore Society entered the second and longest phase of its history.
The Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. Years: Meetings of the Society were held intermittently between 1924 and 1967, with both the purpose and organization of the Society becoming less clearly defined and apparent. There were periods of intensive collecting, recording and publishing, alternating with intervals of relative inactivity with regard to folklore.
In 1929, Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. completed his initial work as editor and published 51 ballads collected under the auspices of the Society in Traditional Ballads in Virginia. Later, Davis wrote a series of articles for The University of Virginia News Letter (April 1, 1931; February 1, 1932; November 15, 1934; and March 1, 1935) describing the ongoing efforts of the Society and urging the further collection of ballads and folksongs. And many Society members did continue through time to actively collect folksongs or other folklore materials and to deposit the results in the Society's archive.
Beginning in 1932, Davis recorded 325 aluminum disks of folksongs and ballads, many of which, had been previously collected from informants identified earlier in the Society's history. These recordings, which were made possible by a $1,000 grant to Davis and the Society from the American Council of Learned Societies, are among the earliest field recordings of Anglo-American folksong extant in this country.
In March of 1934 Davis was able to obtain some funding from the Civil Works Administration, one of the Depression-generated New Deal programs. With that assistance he hired John Stone to collect folksongs and Winston Wilkinson to transcribe music. The project only lasted three weeks, but in that short time Stone managed to add another 89 songs to the Society's archive. Davis also was able to employ University of Virginia student and Crozet native, Fred F. Knobloch, in the spring of 1935 through the student-aid provision of another New Deal agency, the Federal Emergency Relief program.
In addition, Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. served at least one term as President of the Southeastern Folklore Society. Its annual program held at the University of Virginia in April, 1941 included Virginia ballads and folksongs sung by one of Alfreda Peel's informants, Mrs. Texas Gladden of Roanoke County.
In 1949, Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. edited and published Folk-Songs of Virginia: A Descriptive Index and Classification. Otherwise, Society activities appear to have been at their lowest ebb during World War II and for a number of years following. By the mid-1950s, however, Davis, with the help of students George Walton Williams, Matthew Joseph Bruccoli and Paul Clayton Worthington, pursued further collecting possibilities and began efforts to make taped copies of the earlier aluminum disk recordings.
With the assistance of the aforementioned students, Davis also published More Traditional Ballads of Virginia in 1960. In dedicating the book "To the Memory of C. Alphonso Smith, Martha M. Davis, Juliet Fauntleroy, Alfreda M. Peel, and John Stone", Davis gave symbolic recognition--even though belated in some cases--to the passage of an age and a generation in the history of both the Society and of ballad collecting in the old style and tradition.
On March 15, 1963, Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. wrote another article for The University of Virginia News Letter titled, "Folklore in Virginia: Its Collection and Study." Perhaps stimulated by the urban folksong revival that was underway nationwide, he stated, "the time seems ripe to revive the Society and to set its course toward the assembling of the State's miscellaneous folklore." This article prompted a considerable response and receipt of folklore collectanea. With that renewed interest, the Society began again to have regular annual meetings in 1967 and folklore materials began coming into the Society's archive in greater volume. Davis had plans to expand Society activities, including the publication of a journal, and he had made preliminary steps in those directions. Those projects were left unrealized when Professor Arthur Kyle Davis, Jr. died in September, 1972.
Folklore/Folklife: Professionalization of the Discipline: The third phase of the Virginia Folklore Society's history actually began prior to Davis's death, when the media influence from the urban folksong revival and the development of scholarly programs in Folklore at several universities combined both to attract and create a demand for persons trained in such a discipline. In part in response to those particular circumstances and in part due simply to serendipity, several such newly trained Folklore specialists came to work in Virginia and not unexpectedly, soon became involved with the Virginia Folklore Society. With a Ph.D. from the Folklore Progam at the University of Pennsylvania, Charles L. Perdue, Jr. came to teach Folklore courses in the University of Virginia's English Department in 1971 and later became jointly affiliated with both the English & Anthropology Departments there. Shortly thereafter J. Roderick Moore, with an M.A. in Folklore Studies from the Cooperstown Program in New York State, began working and teaching first at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, then at the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia.
The contact between Perdue, specifically, and Davis at the University with regard to the Society was obviously shortlived. Nevertheless, a collaborative effort to revitalize the Society shortly after Davis's death involved long-time members, Ben C. Moomaw, Jr., President; C. Alphonso Smith, Jr. and Virginia F. Jordan, Vice-Presidents; and Fred F. Knobloch, Secretary-Treasurer; along with Perdue and Moore, their wives Nancy J. Martin-Perdue and Elizabeth Moore, Thomas E. Barden, a former student of Davis's, and many others.
The decision was made to separate the Society from its former association with the Virginia Educational Association and to hold regular, annual meetings, independently, each Fall in Charlottesville, Virginia. These were begun in November, 1974, with occasional Spring meetings held in various regions of the State. In 1979 the Society began publication of an occasional journal, with this being the fourth volume in the series of Folklore and Folklife in Virginia.
In spite of its new face, the reorganized Society retained the stamp of an earlier era, which was manifested to a large degree through the personalities and interests of Ben C. Moomaw, Jr., who continued as president of the Society until his death in 1978, and Fred F. Knobloch, who retired as the Society's secretary-treasurer shortly before his death in 1981.
The changes that have taken place in the Virginia Folklore Society reflect changes that have occurred in the field of Folklore generally, and also in other similar disciplines nationally, since 1913. The expansion of definitions of folklore to include material culture; the establishment of graduate programs in Folklore at Indiana University, the Universities of Pennsylvania, Texas, and California at Los Angeles, and elsewhere; and the movement of folklorists, who were trained in those settings and who thus have a broader view of the discipline, into a wide range of public sector positions have led to a gradual professionalization of the field.
Consistent with those directions, the Society was in recent years directly involved in the creation of the position of Virginia Folklife Coordinator. A proposal to create such a position was submitted by VFS Executive Board members to the National Endowment for the Arts, Folks Arts Program, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) in 1988. This venture, which was subsequently funded, was a cooperative one between NEA, VCA, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFHPP). The Folklife Coordinator, Garry W. Barrow, hired in 1989 to develop and administer a statewide Virginia Folklife Program, working under the heading of the VFHPP in Charlottesville. Initially, the Virginia Folklore Society Executive Board acted in an advisory capacity to that program, along with representatives from VCA and VFHPP. The fact that the position was called the Virginia Folklife Coordinator was, in itself, a reflection of the changes, already suggested, that had been occurring in the field of folklore/folklore in the late 1960s to 1970s.
Excerpted from http://faculty.virginia.edu/vafolk/archive.htm.
Folder 1 contains transcripts and notes.
Boxes 27 and 28 in this series DO NOT circulate.
Jack the sailor ; Miss Mary's parrot, 1932-08-04
Kit Williamson, vocals. Performance location: Yellow Branch, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The two sisters ; The two brothers, 1932-08-04
Kit Williamson, vocals. Performance location: Yellow Branch, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The fisherman girl ; 1869 (Sarah), 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The old man that lived in the west ; Far Fanil town, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
William Hall ; Sweet William, 1932-08-04
John Webb, vocals. Performance location: Lynch Station, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Barbara Allen ; Two little devils, 1932-08-07
Texas Gladden, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Jessel Town (The two brothers) ; The house carpenter, 1932-08-07
Texas Gladden, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Broken Hearts ; Samuel Moore and Johnny Doyle, 1932-08-09
Texas Gladden, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Lord Thomas ; Raleigh Truedom, 1932-08-15
Horton Barker, vocals. Performance location: Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Devilish Mary ; The old woman by the seashore, 1932-08-15
Horton Barker, vocals. Performance location: Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
The farmer's curst wife ; The Turkish revelee, 1932-08-15
Horton Barker, vocals. Performance location: Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Barbara Allen ; The silver dagger, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals. Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
Lord Thomas ; Barbara Allen, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals (1st work); Mrs. J. P. McConnell, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: East Radford, Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Lord Bateman ; Little Massey Grove, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals. Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
A hunting song, 1932-11-21
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The drunkard's curse ; The house carpenter, 1933-03-10
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
John of the Hazelgreen ; The soldier boy, 1933-03-10
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
A pretty fair miss in the garden ; The seven sleepers, 1932-11-01
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Dinah and Billikins ; The paper of pins, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
The House Carpenter ; Where are you going my pretty maid?, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
We hunted and we hollered ; The house carpenter, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
The prentice boy ; As I was a-going to Nothingham Fair, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Who will shoe your pretty little foot? ; Salt water sea, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The cuckoo ; Wild hog, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Willdy weaver ; The drowsy sleeper, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
A wealthy young farmer ; Billy boy, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Littl Saro ; Littl Saro, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Lily Lark ; The seventh brother, 1933-04-13
Martha Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Mary Hamilton ; The Devil and the nine questions, 1932-08-09
Alfreda M. Peel, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
The Devil and the nine questions ; The miller's sons, 1932-08-09
Alfreda M. Peel, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Soldier song ; The Turkish lady, 1932-11-21
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The seven brothers or Lord William ; John Willow, my son, 1932-08-04
Mrs. J. B. Crawford, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Wicked Polly ; The dying cowboy, 1933-03-10
Orilla Keyton, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The jealous lover ; The two brothers, 1933-03
Orilla Keyton, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Lady Margaret ; Lady Margaret, 1933-03-10
Orilla Keyton, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The Jewish lady, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals. Performance location: Patrick County, Virginia, United States
The old maid's lament ; Greenfield Mountain, 1932-08-11
Orpha Pedneau, vocals. Performance location: Radford, Virginia, United States
Bow ye down ; The cat and the rat ; My Irish love, 1932-08-11
Orpha Pedneau, vocals. Performance location: Radford, Virginia, United States
Love Henry ; Major Andrew, 1935-08-08
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
The orphan ; The little orphan girl, 1935-08-08
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
The salt sea ; Brother Green, 1935-08-05
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
What sort o' shoes do Satan wear? ; My dear old mother, 1935-08-08
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Wicked Polly ; Miss Mousie, 1935-08-08
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
You waked me up the darkest night ; The blind child, 1935-08-08
Molly Stinett Whitehead, vocals. Performance location: Agricola, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Fair Ellen, 1932-08-08
Sis Sears, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
London's bridge ; Two little brothers from school one day, 1932-08-15
S.F. Russell, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
The house carpenter, 1932-08-15
S.F. Russell, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Sweet fern ; Three nights' experience, 1932-11-11
Virginia Howdyshell, Mary Howdyshell, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The pretty Mohea ; Billy boy, 1932-11-11
Virginia Howdyshell, Mary Howdyshell, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The blind boy's cry ; A parting song, 1934-05-30
Minter Grubb, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
WIlliam Reilly ; The bright sunny south, 1934-05-30
Minter Grubb, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Pretty Betty ; Barbara Allen, 1934-05-30
Fanny Grubb, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Sweet Sally ; The jockey boy, 1934-05-30
Minter Grubb, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Poor old maids ; Sir Henry, 1934-05-31
Fanny Grubb, vocals (1st work) ; Mr. J.S. Witt, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
When I entered in my sixteenth year ; Lovers' farewell, 1934-05-31
Mr. J.S. Witt, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Pretty Polly ; What should make you sad, my darling?, 1934-05-31
Mrs. J.S. Witt, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
The twelve disciples, 1932-08-16
Susie A. Bishop, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
The bold sea captain ; The drunkard's courtship, 1932-08-16
Susie A. Bishop, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Johnny's gone to Hilo ; Haul away, my Johnny O., 1933-05
John M. Hunt, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Santa Anna ; Santa Anna, 1933-05
John M. Hunt, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Blow the man down, 1933-05
John M. Hunt, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
McAfee's confession, 1934-05-31
Charles Lee, vocals. Performance location: New Castle, Craig County, Virginia, United States
The Irishman's dream ; Araby's daughter, 1934-05-31
Charles Lee, vocals. Performance location: New Castle, Craig County, Virginia, United States
Black Jack Davy ; Little Omie Wise, 1932-08-04
Allie Wallace, Vergie Wallace, vocals. Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The lady of the lake ; Bonny Jean ; The old man that learnt how to plow, 1936-05
Nannie Harrison Ware, vocals. Performance location: Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
The state of Arkansas ; Dandoo, 1932-11-11
J. H. Chisholm, vocals. Performance location: Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Lord Thomas ; My dear sweetheart, so fare you well, 1932-08-08
Mrs. J. F. Hodges, vocals (1st work) ; G.W. Palmer, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
The wind that blew over the wild moor ; The fatal wedding, 1932-11-11
Mrs. W.F. Starke, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The little family, 1932-08-11
Myrtle Griffitts, vocals. Performance location: Cedar Bluff, Tazewell County, Virginia, United States
Sweet birds ; Red wing, 1936-05
Eleanor Christian, vocals (1st work) ; Roselle Faulkner, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Amherst County, Virginia, United States
When the work's all done this fall ; The dying cowboy, 1936-05
Lawrence Wilsher, vocals. Performance location: Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Samuel Hall ; Oh dear, what can the matter be ; A burglar bold ; I wish I were single again, 1936-05
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
The three jolly Welshmen ; Mrs. Bond ; The old armchair ; The squirrel song, 1936-05
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Villikins and his Dinah ; The King of the Cannibal Islands ; I had a farm out west ; Clarence Macfadden, 1936-05
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Mr. Frog ; A paper of pins, 1936-05
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Lord Lovel ; The fox went out, 1936
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
The frog went a-courting ; The husking of the corn ; The old gum tree ; Old Bob Ridley ; Mr. Mouse ; Pop goes the weasel ; The worm song, 1935-03-10
Robert Bennett Bean, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
When I was single ; Charlie is a good little boy ; O crackey, O scissors ; The country blade, 1935-03-10
Robert Bennett Bean, vocals. Albemarle County, Virginia, United StatesPerformance location:
The cat came back ; Little old man run through tthe woods ; The bear went over the mountain ; Come, little bird ; Dese bones gwine rise again ; Mary Ann Malinda Jane Jones, 1935-03-10
Robert Bennett Bean, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The ballad of the good old rebel ; Here comes the duke a-riding, 1935-03-24
George B. Eager, Jr., vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
O Roger rum ; Green grow the rushes O, 1933
Lambert Davis, vocals (1st work) ; Charles Morris, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
Green grow the rushes O, 1933
Coleman Williams, vocals. Performance location: Halifax County, Virginia, United States
The bastard King of England, 1933
Performance location: Henrico County, Virginia, United States
All God's children got shoes ; Prepare me Lord ; The gospel train ; Old black Joe, 1933
Gospel Train Quartet, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
The gospel train, 1935
Carter Wicks, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Mabel Clare ; Peter Pinder ; Oh little boy ; I met King Jesus in the clouds ; Mary wept and Martha cried ;, 1932 - 1938
William Elliott Dold, vocals.
Mrs. Molly Stinnett Whitehead and friend, 1932 - 1938
Rabbit trap ; I am but a poor girl, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
I would not marry an old man ; Sweet Willie, dear, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The cruel mother ; Sweet Wildee, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
John Henry ; The wild moor, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals (1st work) ; Mrs. J. B. Crawford, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The boston burglar ; Joe Bowers, 1932-08-04
Mrs. J. B. Crawford, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The Irish girl ; A pretty fair maiden, 1932-08-04
Mrs. John Webb, vocals. Performance location: Lynch Station, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Ye roving bachelors ; The lonesome dove, 1932-08-04
Mrs. John Webb, vocals. Performance location: Lynch Station, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Dickie Jones ; The three little babes, 1932-08-04
Richard D. Smith, vocals (1st work) ; Kit Williamson, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The orphan children ; Pretty Sally, 1932-08-04
Mrs. John Webb, vocals (1st work) ; Kit Williamson, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Dodgers ; I once loved a little girl, 1932-08-04
Kit Williamson, vocals . Performance location: Yellow Branch, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
John Henry ; John Hardy, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals . Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
Pretty Polly ; Weeping willow, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals . Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
My true love ; The miller and his three sons, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals (1st work) ; Eunice Yates, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
George Collins ; The three little babes, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals. Performance location: Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, Virginia, United States
The bad boy ; The butcher boy, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals. Performance location: Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, Virginia, United States
Where are you going, Billy boy?, 1933-01-23
Rosa Lewis Baltimore, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Where are you going, Billy boy?, 1933-01-23
Rosa Lewis Baltimore, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
The old woman all skin and bones ; Run nigger run, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
This resource contains racially insensitive and offensive language. In an effort to represent the resource as accurately as possible, library staff have transcribed the title exactly as it appears on the archival material or object.
My boy Billy ; When I was a young girl, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
Barbara Allen ; The Boston burglar, 1932-11-11
Mrs. W. F. Stark, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The three little babes ; The Jewses' daughter, 1932-11-11
Mrs. W. F. Stark, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
The jealous lover ; Kitty Wells, 1932-11-11
Mrs. W. F. Stark, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Wounded affections ; The Texan ranges, 1932-08-07
Mrs. J. F. Hodges, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Mr. frog lived on a hill ; Shivering in the cold, 1932-08-07
Mrs. J. F. Hodges, vocals (1st work) ; Marion Edna Chapman, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
When you hear the whippoorwhills calling ; I'm going to my new town tomorrow, 1932-08-11
Wayne Crabtree, vocals. Performance location: Cleveland, Russell County, Virginia, United States
Wild Bill Jones ; Loving Henry, 1932-08-11
Wayne Crabtree, vocals. Performance location: Cleveland, Russell County, Virginia, United States
Springfield Mountain ; The Indian chief's lament, 1936-05
Nannie Harrison Ware, vocals. Performance location: Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Villikins and Dinah ; Old Dan Tucker ; The refugee, 1936-05
Nannie Harrison Ware, vocals. Performance location: Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie, 1938-08-05
George Basil Hall, vocals. Performance location: Middleburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
Homeward bound ; Sally Brown ; Whiskey Johnny ; Rio Grande ; A cowpuncher song, 1938-08-05
George Basil Hall, vocals. Performance location: Middleburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
The Ten Commandments ; One morning, one morning in May, 1932-08-15
S. F. Russell, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
Walking on the green grass ; I'll tell you of a soldier, 1932-11-11
J. H. Chisholm, vocals. Performance location: Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The Lion's den ; Pretty Molly, 1932-08-04
W. J. Lewis, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Once I courted a fair beauty bright, 1932-08-08
G. W. Palmer, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Groundhog ; Seven long years, 1932-08-11
J. W. Fields, vocals. Performance location: Lebanon, Russell County, Virginia, United States
The little sparrow ; Little Bonnie, 1932-08-11
Lena Gardner, vocals. Performance location: Woodlawn, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
Pretty Mohea ; Out in the moonlight, 1936-05
Roselle Faulkner, vocals. Performance location: Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Our Goodman ; Old Dan'l Tucker ; Ransom, transom, terbitee, 1936-05
Eleanor Christian, vocals. Performance location: New Glasgow, Amherst County, Virginia, United States
Soldier, soldier ; The ram in derby, 1936-05
Margaret Michie Carter, vocals. Performance location: Carlottesville, Virginia, United States
The black sheep ; Willie, my darling, 1932-08-04
Allie Wallace, vocals (1st work) ; Thelma Tinsley Lee, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The Turkish lady, 1932-11-21
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Edward ; The little sparrow, 1932-08-16
Mrs. S. A. Bishop, vocals. Performance location: Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, United States
The red, white, and blue ; The Spanish captain, 1932-08-10
Louise Forbes, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke, Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Poor Joe ; Rickett's hornpipe ; Hozzleton ; Sailor's hornpipe ; Devil's dream ; Fisher's hornpipe, 1934-05-31
Charles Lee, vocals. Performance location: New Castle, Craig County, Virginia, United States
Johnny row-toe ; The little sparrow, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
My sailor boy ; The dog and the gun ; Daniel in the lion's den, 1932-08-04
Abner Keesee, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
My pretty little miss ; You tryin' to lose me, Charlie?, 1932-08-04
Thelma Tinsley Lee, Merkley Keesee Lewis, vocals (1st work) ; Abner Keesee, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
The house carpenter ; John Hardy, 1932-08-04
Mrs. John Webb, vocals. Performance location: Lynch Station, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Lady Margret ; Old Grumble, 1932-08-04
Mrs. John Webb, vocals. Performance location: Lynch Station, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Wild hog ; New River train, 1932-08-11
Ruby Bowman, vocals. Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
Barney McCoy ; True love's at war, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals. Performance location: Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Virginia, United States
Ship on the ocean ; Go way and leave me if you wish to, 1932-08-10
Ruby Bowman, vocals (1st work) ; Eunice Yates, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
Georgia buck ; The rejected lover, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals (1st work) ; Ruby Bowman, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
The pretty Mohea ; I know a pretty little girl, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals. Performance location: Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, Virginia, United States
I'm going to Georgia ; It's hard to love, 1932-08-10
Eunice Yates, vocals. Performance location: Meadows of Dan, Patrick County, Virginia, United States
Scolding Joan ; The dumb wife, 1932-08-09
Alfreda M. Peel, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Billy boy ; The saltwater sea, 1933-04-13
Marth Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
I'm a broken-hearted fellow, 1933-04-13
Marth Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Give me chickens to eat without any bones ; Pretty Betty Martin, 1933-04-13
Marth Elizabeth Gibson, vocals. Performance location: Crozet, Albermarle County, Virginia, United States
Green Bill ; Old grumble, 1932-11-14
Lucy Perrin Gibbs, vocals. Performance location: Orange, Orange County, Virginia, United States
Rum dum diddledum ; Cremo, crimo, kady, 1932-08-04
Mrs. J. B. Crawford, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
On the banks of the Sweet Willie ; Sherman Valley, 1932-08-04
Merkley Keesee Lewis, vocals (1st work) ; Thelma Tinsley Lee, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Jack and Joe ; Poor old maids ; The jealous lover, 1932-08-04
Thelma Tinsley Lee, vocals (1st, 3rd works) ; Merkley Keesee Lewis, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The ram of derby ; Skewbald, 1932-08-04
H. W. Adams, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Skewbald ; Old Joe Clark, 1932-08-04
H. W. Adams, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Going to Georgia ; Pretty Saro ; My wagon is loaded, 1932 - 1938
Vergie Wallace, vocals (1st work) ; Leta Adams, vocals (2nd-3rd works). Performance location: Campbell County, Virginia, United States
The scolding Joan ; A pretty fair damsel, 1932-08-08
Mrs. J. F. Hodges, vocals (1st work) ; Daisy Pruitt, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
Sourwood Mountain ; Sourwood Mountain, 1932-08-10
J. P. Whitt, vocals (1st work) ; Mrs. W. E. Gilbert, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Radford, Virginia, United States
The merriest girl that's out ; The three leaves of shamrock, 1933-01-23
Rosa Lewis Baltimore, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Parted lovers ; A jig dance ; A rebel song, 1932-08-04
W. J. Lewis, vocals. Performance location: Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia, United States
Three black crows, 1932 - 1938
Minor Wilson, vocals.
Hog eye ; Silver spade, 1933-10
Russell Davis, vocals. Performance location: Greene County, Virginia, United States
Sandy River bell ; Greasy string, 1934-05-31
Ronald Witt, vocals (1st work) ; J. S. Witt, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
Putnam's Hill, 1933-01-01
Rosa Lewis Baltimore, vocals. Performance location: Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Ship on the ocean, 1932-08-09
Sis Sears, vocals. Performance location: Roanoke County, Virginia, United States
I'll tell you of a fellow ; The cuckoo, 1932-08-01
Florence Ogg, vocals (1st work) ; Ruby Bowman, vocals (2nd work). Performance location: Virginia, United States
Waterbound, 1932 - 1938
S. F. Russell, dulcimer.
A pretty fair miss ; Jack went a-sailing, 1932-11-01
Victoria Morris, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Londonderry air, 1932 - 1938
Frank Geldand, piano.
Au clair de la lune ; Cherubino's song ; Connais-tu le pays, 1932 - 1938
Betty Booker, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
The dear companion ; Test recording of Arthur Kyle Davis, Sr., 1932 - 1938
A.K. Davis, vocals. Performance location: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
[Untitled German song] / Green grow the rushes, O, 1932 - 1938
A.K. Davis (1st work).
Post-prandial convivialities, 1932 - 1938
Instructions for using Fairchild Recording Machine, 1932
Test recording at the Sir Walter Hotel, 1932
A.K. Davis, vocals.
Test recording, 1932 - 1938
Materials within the boxes have been maintained in their orginal order. This accession has been minimally processed.
Audio cassette tapes have been removed to a separate storage location. Copies of membership checks have been deaccessioned when noted. Some periodicals and printed material from box 8 have been separated for review.
This box contains a mixture of materials (ephemera, cassettes (filed separately), original and photocopied correspondence, research, and primary source documents, administrative documents, flyers, photographs, and other papers) related to the Virginia Folklore Society at its inception and ca. 1970s-1990s.
• One folder containing personal handwritten correspondence from 1905-1914 of Charles Alphonso Smith, Special Collaborator on the Bureau of Education, professor at the University of Virginia, and founder of the Virginia Folklore Society. The folder also includes several photocopied documents. • One folder titled "VFS: Raymond Sloan Material" holds documents related to the Virginia-based guitarist Raymond Sloan, including photographs of Sloan and Alice Wagoner ca. 1977 and 1950, assorted periodicals, typed texts, correspondence, and two tapes (filed separately): the first is called "Charlie Poole's Stag Song—Talk by R.H. Sloan - also Old Ferrun String Band — (in 1977)" and includes a handwritten setlist; the second is called "Raymond Sloan 7/7/77, interviewed by Kip Lornell." • Extended correspondence ca. 1970s-1990s (especially written by or addressed to Charles and Nancy Perdue). • Virginia Folklore Society Index to the Archive of Folksong Virginia, compiled by Charles and Nancy Perdue. • Virginia Folklore Society registration flyers and concert flyers. • Advisory Committee materials. • Photocopies of original Virginia Folklore Society bulletins • Material related to A.K. Davis, a founding member of the Virginia Folklore Society, including a list of cassette copies of his recordings, a photocopy of his will, and material related to his memorial fund.
This box contains administrative and public-facing documents related to Virginia Folklore Society meetings and website, discontinuously from 1981-2001. It also contains documents related to the creation of the Virginia Folklife Program ca. 1988-1990s.
• Virginia Folklore Society Newsletters, 1981-1988. • Virginia Folklore Society meeting materials (annual meeting invitation and written and email correspondence, 1999, 2001). • Papers related to the Virginia Folklore Society website including membership lists, web server statistics, site map, and printed code. • Virginia Folklife Program proposal and organizational materials ca. 1988-1990s: Project Proposal, NEA Grant papers, job proposals. • Extensive typed materials from 1988 (the Virginia Folklife Program's 75th anniversary) related to the proposal to create the Virginia Folklife Program. • Virginia Folklife Program Report and Funding Request papers from 1990.
This box contains a number of Virginia Folklore Society newsletters, documents related to the creation and publication of the Journal of the Virginia Folklore Society (Folklore and Folklife in Virginia), documents related to the Virginia Folklore Society website, and other Virginia Folklore Society documents and ephemera including flyers and stationary.
• Virginia Folklore Society newsletters, 1974-1980 (beginning with Volume 1, No. 1). • Draft and master copy of the manuscript of the Journal of the Virginia Folklore Society, volume 1, 1979, and 2 copies of the journal (Folklore and Folklife in Virginia, or FFV). Also includes another draft including notes and annotated and revised printouts in a clear soft plastic container related to the Virginia Folklore Society journal. • Web server statistics ca. 1998-2003. • Email correspondence with Virginia state folklorist John Lohman and others, ca. 2003-2004, written and printed correspondence ca. 1998-2001 and ca. 1972-1984. • Flyers, stationary, copyright materials ca. 1984 & 1988, and other miscellaneous papers.
A large volume of materials related to the Journal of the Virginia Folklore Society (Folklore and Folklife in Virginia), all related to Volumes 1-5 (1979-1981, 1988). Administrative and public-facing documents related to the 75th anniversary meeting in 1988, and newsletters dated after that meeting. Documents related to Rosa Bibb, a ballad singer from Virginia.
• Folklore and Folklife in Virginia documents: typed articles (used and unused), order receipts, manuscript copies, flyers ca 1981-1984, copyright release forms, handwritten notes, invoices. Master of Vol. 2 and manuscript of Vol. 4. 2 copies of the FFV journal, Volume 4. • Materials related to Virginia balladeer Rosa Bibb ("R. Bibb" folder); interview conducted by Jim Morrison, Earl Smith, and Enid Good. Good wrote a manuscript titled "An Evening with Rosa Bibb: Ballad Collecting in Charlottesville I" included in the folder. Also includes handwritten notes, index, ballad texts, index. From May 4, 1984. Includes racist material. • Virginia Folklore Society newsletters, 1989 and 2001. • Materials related to the 90th anniversary Virginia Folklore Society meeting, November 15, 2003 (including email correspondence, printed materials, and official invitations). 1988 75th anniversary Virginia Folklore Society meeting materials: handwritten notes, menu, correspondence (written and email), meeting registration forms, etc. Materials and mock-up for 1988 program, flyers, invitations, journal order forms.
Papers related to the A.K. Davis Duplication Project, documents related to Virginia Folklore Society membership, documents related to the creation of the Virginia Folklife Program, photographs of collectors and subjects of the original Virginia Folklore Society, and materials related to Folklore and Folklife in Virginia.
• A.K. Davis Duplication Project documents include annotated indices of 180 discs recorded by AK Davis (1932-34) and of 8 reels recorded by Fred Knobloch (1948) (n.b.: the indices indicate that the recordings were transferred to cassette from their original formats), photocopies of typed descriptions of the recordings ca. 1970-1973, standardized notes on songs recorded in Virginia and North Carolina in the 1970s. • Membership documents include membership application forms (blank and processed) ca. 1981-1987, membership card for the Virginia Folklore Society (in "VFS Archive & Application Materials" folder), Virginia Folklore Society Membership Directories and newsletters ca. 1998-1999. • Material related to the creation of the Virginia Folklife Program including materials ca 1990 and 1987 (in "Folklore Advisory Committee: Current" and "VFS: Folklife Coordinator" folders), also includes 2 manilla envelopes: one of papers ranking each possible head coordinator, titled "Folklife Coordinator Rankings," and one addressed to Charles Perdue with each applicant's application materials. • Photographs of collectors and subjects of the original Virginia Folklore Society, (many in the sm. brown envelope include information each photo on its back). In four small manilla envelopes, ca 1900-1920s (each of the three white envelopes also include original negatives). In 5 large white manilla envelopes, sheets of printed photo-negatives that seem to accompany the archival photographs. • Corrected and final proofs for the Virginia Folklore Society Folklore and Folklife in Virginia Volume 4, 1988 (75th anniversary edition)—3 versions in soft plastic container.
Virginia Folklore Society Membership records and a number of administrative and public-facing documents related to the Society, and an assortment of other Society-related documents.
• Membership records include: "Membership Applications—Old" ca. 1970s, 1988 membership directory, processed memberships 1988-1989, membership lists from 1980-1982 (multiple printed copies) and 1977 (in "Old, outdated mailing lists" folder), membership lists, n.d., directory of members (1997) and of scholars (n.d.), memberships 1989-2002. • Also includes publicity and mailing lists (n.d.), blank Virginia Folklore Society mailing labels, journal orders and invoices (in booklets) ca 1980s, correspondence including "Returned to Sender" Virginia Folklore Society materials ca. 2001, correspondence with Hubert Davis Jr. ca 1980, and assorted miscellaneous papers.
Administrative and public-facing documents related to the Virginia Folklore Society, correspondence between Charles and Nancy Perdue and others, and other assorted Society papers.
• Multiple correspondence folders (1980s-1990s) including miscellaneous correspondence from 1985 onwards, and between Charles and Nancy Perdue and: Wayland D. Hand, George F. Jones, Fred F. Knobloch, Ann McCleary, Mary Anne McDonald, Benjamin C. Moomaw, Carol L. Oakey, Dan Patterson, Lila W. Robinson, John C. Rogers, Raymond H. Sloan, Elmer L. Smith, Margaret (Peggy) Yocom. • Assorted Virginia Folklore Society promotional and public-facing materials including: newsletters ca 1980s-1990s, logo drafts, stationary proofs and final papers, brochures, and an unlabeled folder containing paper documents (including original case labels) for the exhibition: "75 Years in the History of the Virginia Folklore Society," presumably gathered for the 75th anniversary in 1988. • Virginia Folklore Society meeting materials: handouts for executive board meetings ca. 1993, meeting plans, notes, and invitations ca. 1990, and Virginia Folklore Society meeting programs with some notes from 1992, 1994, and 1995. • Assorted photocopies, materials related to Fred F. Knobloch, data sheets including grant awards and names of Virginia-local craftspeople from various regions (n.d.), handwritten membership reports ca. 1970s-1980s, assorted financial documents, other miscellaneous Virginia Folklore Society papers.
Administrative and public-facing documents related to the Virginia Folklore Society, related to membership, correspondence, banking, the archive, the website, and the Society's presence in the UVA archive. Periodicals related to folklore and folklife in Virginia, including the Virginia Folklore Society newsletters.
• 3-ring binder of Virginia Folklore Society administrative materials ca. 1970s-1980s including membership list, newsletter, an Archive Report, newsletters ca. 1970s-1980. • Assorted folders of Virginia Folklore Society documents (correspondence, bank documents, etc) ca. 2000s. • Online printouts of Virginia Folklore Society-centered material: pages from the Society website, the guide to its collection at UVA Special Collections, pages from the Virginia Folklife Program, assorted folklore-topical book records found in Virgo. Some of the Virginia Folklore Society website material is written in code. ca. 1990s. • Assorted periodicals ca. 1970s-1980s, including bibliographies and Library of Congress collection guides and folklore and folklife-specific special topics. Multiple issues of "The Appalachian South: Cultural Heritage—Folklore, Song, History, People," vol. 1 no 1, 3, 4, vol. 2 no. 2, 1966-1967) and of "Virginia Wildlife" vol XXXIII no. 1, 2 and XXXII no. 2. A few focus on Virginia and the Blue Ridge Parkway. • A number of books, catalogued separately.