Phil Price interview with Grady M. Skelton, Bernice S. Skelton, and G.A. Knight

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. The interview begins with Grady Skelton describing how a man talked the pain out of a facial burn. Bernice Skelton explains the procedure of talking the fire out of a burn, then Grady Skelton explains why he has faith in this healing procedure. As proof, Bernice Skelton says her grandmother healed her sisters burns with this method. Bernice Skelton shares a couple of her grandmothers superstitions about how to cure warts and when to plant crops. She then explains how asphidity bags with herbs tied around the necks of children can cure colds and sore throats. 10:40: G.A. Knight describes cures she learned from her African American nanny for warts, corns, and freckles. She then shares a superstition about planting crops by the moon and recalls a story her nanny told her about a snake in her stomach. Knight shares a story passed down in her family about when Yankee soldiers ransacked her grandfathers home; fortunately, the family had hid their valuables near the James River. She then talks about her family moving from Virginia to East Tennessee, where she was born in Etowah. 16:56: At the conclusion of the interview, Knight details cures for open wounds, sprains, and frostbite using soot, onions, and clay. Biographical information about Grady M. Skelton, Bernice S. Skelton, and G.A. Knight has not been determined. Price: '''rhere is a certain belief, uh, that a certain person can talk the fire out of a burn, and I have two people tonight, Mr. and Mrs Skelton, one of whom has had it personally done to him, and I'll let Mr. Skelton,u.h, say something about it, first of all Mr. Skelton, who was it that did this to you?" Skelton: "Oharley Ellison. I was burned one time an, uh, Oharley Ellison talked the fire out of my, uh, uz (W"lS) burned on the face and the head and he talked it out. An' iI, uh, I really believe that it does hep (help) because I~had a lot of pain an after he started to doctrin' it, it, the pain went away." Price: "Mr Skelton, at the time he was performing this, did you have any faith in what he was doing?" Skelton: "I didn't at the time, but, at the time after he'd did this procedure I had faith in it." Price: "Mr. Skelton, where were you burned?" Skelton: "The face, the ers (ears), and the head, with gasoline." Price: "Uh, now where did this take place when he did th is?" Skelton: "In his home, he did it in his home." Price: "Where is that?" Skelton: "In, uh, Haversham Oount--uh, White Oounty. Habersham Oounty and he lived in White Oounty. three miles from our home. Price: "Oan you describe, in any way, what he did?" I liv,'d in It was on Skelton: "Well, the only, the only thing I know, uh, he took my clothes, the part that was under the burned, over the burned aree (area) and, uh, jus' rubbed his hand (rubs side of face) an you could see 'im whispering sumpthin' (something) uh, just, uh, some words that he mumbled. He didn't even mumble 'em out loud but it was jest (just), uh, whisperin'." Price: "You couldn't und8rstand what he said?" Skelton: "No, I could not." Price: "Uh, did he rub his hands over the burned area?" Skelton: "Yes he did. He wuz (was) very careful to make the hands touch all portions of the face." Price: "Uh, you say this was in Habersham Oounty?" Skelton: "In White Oounty is where he lived and I lived in Haber- Skelton: sham County." (Cont) Price: "Do you know where he learned this? Or who he learned it from?" Skelton: "No, I do not." Price: "Mr. Skelton's wife, uh, also has some experience with this, she had supposedly seen it happen. Mrs. Skelton, can you tell a little bit about this?" Mrs. Skelton: "Well, I know that, uh, they just, they say something, uh, to themselves more or less, you don't hear anything they say but you can see their lips moving and you know they are saying something and then I've heard that it's not to be, they can't tell it to just anybody, they can only tell it to one person and it has to be the opposite sex." Price: "Uh, in other words they can only pass this on to one other person?" Mrs. Skelton: "That's, that's right." Price: "Uh, you saidsomething about that it happened to your sister?" Mrs. Skelton: "At one time,my sister, my mother was carrying this pail of hot water and my sister Was real tiny at the time and all e come in from out 'doors and. ran under this. boiler of water that my mother had an it toppled - she was just tall enough for it to hit her head, an, uh, when we took her shoes, I remember my mother takin' 'er;ishoes off, the water just poured down her, and When mother took her shoes off the skin come off of her foot an we were just panicky because she was, uh, burned and my grandmother was doing this to her all this time and.uh, we rolled her up in a blanket and my mother took her to the doctor and the doctor just kinda laughed beCause sh e didn't have any burns that were too bad when we got to the,idoctor." Price: "In other words when they got to the doctor, uh, whatever happened had, uh, had done something so that it was not quite as bad . " Mrs. Skelton: " ... As it appeared to be and uh when they left the house her eyes were so swollen they looked just like little slits and something happened between the time they left and the time the doctor saw it." 2 Price: "And, uh, it was your grandmother that performed this?" Mrs. Skelton: "Yes it was." Price: "And where did this happen?" CC""""""C~~~~~~"~"~~~~~_ Mrs. Skelton: /~,""Thjs was -5l1so in)li'~~::~~am Oounty, up in nort0 ~gia.'~~~~~c~~~~~,~~~~""" " c~ -~/ Price: "You have an uncle, who, uh, learned this from your grand mother. " Mrs. Skelton: That's right. It W1S his mother an she could only teach one person and she taught this one uncle of mine and he is supposed to know how to do it but I don't know what he says or what the procedure is. PriGe'i "In other words they won' t let on anything about it to any body except the one person they are gonna teach?" Mrs. Skelton: "That's right. And they, and they aren't able to tell it, now he won't be able to teach it but to one other person." Price: "Uh, you don't know if he's already done this or not?" Mrs. Skelton: "No I don't." Price: "Uh, Mr. Skelton since this happened to you and Mrs. Skelton's sister, uh, I suppose this would be a firsthand question, uh, do you actually believe that this person had something to do with the, uh, with the healing of this, this burn?" Skelton: "Uh, I, I really believe it hepped (helped) because, uh, the pain, while, while he was doing this, uh, procedure he was going through, the pain got alots easier. It, it really quit hurtin' (hurting) to a great extent. And I, I actually, I'd have to blieve (believe) that it really does, it, it really heps (helps), I really would." Price: "You mentioned something about that when you were that desperate that you just naturally want to cling to something you said you didn't have that much faith then, but, uh, uh, you just were, were, groping for anything, that, that might help. Is this right?" Skelton: "Well, at the time we lived out in the country and, uh, of course, uh, its a pretty good deal gettin" into a doctor-- 3 Skelton: (Cont) Price: "it takes some time, so thats the first thing my mother though t of so she, aD course, picked us, jus I pickpd me up - I was only a child, well, I was about, uh, fifteen, fourteen or fifteen and she just picked us up and carried us, carried me on to this and actually it did hep (help), because I have no ill effects of the, of the burn and the, the thing that makes me believe that the, that i tdoes hep (help) because the pain got better, got a lot easier while he was doctrin' it. "So you have no noticeabLe sCars, uh, as of today?" Skelton: "No, I do not." Price: "Mrs. Bkelton, you saw this happen to your sister an' of course it was a long time ago,do you believe that your grandmother actually had something to do with, uh, helping her?" Mrs . Skelton: "Well, all the time my mother was gettin I dressed to go to the doctor my gr~ndmother was doing this to my sister and like I say her eyes were so swollen that they jus' looked like little slits in her face and when they got to the doctor apparently something had helped because she didn't appear to be burned very bad so afteF that you, you just really sorta believe, because something happ0ned and it just looked like it helped mo me." Price: "So you believe that, that your grandmother did have something to do with, uh,helping your sister?" Mrs Skelton: "Well, yes I do." Price: "Uh, Mrs. S~elton, where are you from?" Mrs. Skelton: "Well all of my relatives live around Clarksville and Talula Falls and up in North G'eorgia." Price: "And they have been there aS,as long as you can remember?" Mrs. Skelton: "Yes,Uh,uh." Price: "And you lived there?" Mrs. Skelton: "I lived at Clarksville." Price: "WhEn did you move to Atlanta?" Mrs. Skelton: "Oh, about,uh twenty years ago." Price: "Mr. Skelton, uh, where are your relatives from?" Skelton: "North Georgee (Georgia), uh, Clarksville, Cleveland, uh, Conelia (Cornelia), and some up as far as Rome, I mean up in Rome, <\nd .White County, and Habersham County, where, are their native homes." Price: "And, uh, they've been there as long as you can remember?" Skelton: "Yes') Price: "Mrs. Skelton you sew you've heard of a way to get rid of warts, would you tell us about that?" Mrs. Skelton: "Well, I've never actually done this or have known of anybody that really did, but I've always heard that, uh, if you'll get, steal somebody's dishrag and then rub the warts and then bury the rag, that by the time it rots the warts will go away." Price: "Uh, do you know, do you remember who you fleard this from?" Mrs. Skelton: "No, I don't, I've just always heard it, and I don't really remember who I he.3.rd it from." Price: "Mrs. Skelton, your grandmother, you say, used to bolieve ", that, uh, she only planted things at a certain time, uh, e:fj'the month, say, according to the moon, do you know any thing about this?" Mrs. Skelton: "No, I don't really know, but I know she always went to the Almanac and she'd look to see where the signs were and she believed that if you didn't plant it when the signs were right, it wouldn't produce like it should, and she al ways went by that, she'd check with the Almanac to see where the signs were and then she'd pl'3.nt accordingly." Price: "Uh, so, so she really did believe in this?" Mrs. Skelton: "Yes, she did. Dh, huh." Price: "lvlr. Skelton, uh, does your side of the family have any thine;--like that?" Skelton: "No, I, I don't--my daddy never did go by the signs,'. (chuckles). Price: "Okay. Mrs.Skelton, you say you've heard from somebody about,puh, curing colds or sore throats, uh, can you say something about this--how it was done?" Mrs. Skelton: "Well, I never really s~w it done, or knew anybody thCj.t did but I've just always heard 'em say if you tie up a litHe acifidity (asafetida) in a little bag and wear it around your neck, it'd keep you from having a cold an' sore throat during the winter." Price: "Rut you've never seen it done?" Mrs. Skelton: "No, I hCj.ven't." Price: "And you don't know who, uh, of anybody that has?" Mrs. Skelton: "N,o, I don't. I've just always heard that." Price: "Uh, Mrs. Knight, Uh, I believe you have a cure for warts, too, would you mind telling us about fuat?" Mrs. Knight:" Well, these stories were handed down from an old colored nanny about 50 years ago and it WaS about the same time as the others. She said you could cure warts by ru bbing 'em with a old dJishrag and the moon had to be dark and then you took it out on a dark night and buried it under a rock that had been in the garden for a long time and tb en just waited fa r iJhe warts to disappe/;\T." Price: "Are there any other cures that you know of?" Mrs. Knight: "Yes, me had one to take off corns you spread the yeast of beer on an aI' rag an you put the rag over the corn and you do this once a day for about 4 weeks ~nd your corn'll di sappeG\r." Price: "Uh, do you remember her name?" Knight: "Her name uz (was) Aint (Aunt) Betty Boyd." Price: "Do you remember where she was from?" Knight: "Well, I think originally she was from the mountains of North Carolina and came across the mountains into East Tennessee this happened in East Tennessee." Price: "Uh. Do you have-well, let's hear some more if you have any others?" Knigh t: "vVell, she, uh, back in those daYS gi rls wore bonnets they didn't like their faces tanned or like they have 'em today, and particular they didn't like freckles an she said when the young girls would have freckles that you took 4 tea spoons - teaspoonfuls of May dew and had to be gathered from corn and to that you added 1 teaspoonful of oil of tartar and mixed it and washed your face with it and let it dry on there and if it dryed on there it'd git (get) rid of your freckles (laughter), which would probably be impo ssible to do." Now, I have the same superstition . Price: "Uh." Knight: "You know about the moon." Price: "Qh, is there anything about the planting of crops ... ", Knight: "Well, there's some superstiti on about - relating to the moon that i offered guidanoe to farm practioes that not only in planting crops but in breeding animals, an in butohering animals an shearing sheep an also for sowing and reaping an all these were supposed to be affeoted by either the dark or the light of the moon "." Prioe: " and uh this oolored lady told you all of these things?" Knight: "Uh, yes, uh she praotically reared me uh when I was a chi.ld an uh told me many stories about things uh an uh, one peouliar thing she told me about her health an later yrs. After uh, she wan't able to work she uh was of oourse was superstitious and ignorant and she had this pains in the stomaoh an she said that sometime in her life that she thought she had gone swimming probly (probably) in a oreek an had picked up a small snake and uh that was the snake was in inside of her uh eating at'er an she had to feed it so often an o'oourse uh we knew at uh the time of her death that she did have oancer of oourse you oouldn't make her believe it beoause she was ignorant and superstitious." Price: "An there was one story about the ..." Knight: "Well this was a little story she always said in spite of her ignoranoe why she uh, oan remember she said a reoession is a period in which you tighten up your belt, a depression is a time in which you have no belt to tighten and when you have no pants to put a belt on then its is a panic." (laughter) Prioe: "Uh I believe there was one also about the Civil War " Knight: "Well now this scllory was handed down from my family uh, my mother was born right after the Civil War and her rela- her people were all Virginians an they were fairly well off people and hh,my,uh, uh, grandfather of course was still alive but at dlITing the war his father was quite old and he walked down thew (through) this plantation down thew (through) the fields, the fence to see the Yankees go by, the story had gotten around that they were goin' by and they killed 'im and uh some Yankee soldiers did an tied him up to the fenoe or hung 'im across the fence rail as the story goes but back up in the big house why they were all busy taking the silver and all the valuable things down to the J:ames River and hidfri.' 'em. -'Knight: "But for yearafter thai); well uh not too many years but (Cant) when they got the house back and put some more furniture back into it an uh, uh it was doing very well, my grandfather was quite old and one day he was gain' through the house and he stumbled over a stool and he kicked the thing an he says we're still too damn rich." Price: "Mrs. Knight, you say these stories came from a colored lady and at the time you lived in East Tennessee - is that right?" Knight: "Yes, we lived in East Tennessee. Uh my family moved from Virginia to Knoxville, Tennessee, ,down to a small town between Knoxville and Chattanooga, called Etowah, an these this uh colored woman was in our family for years and years an she uh had picked up as I said a lot of her s&6ries that came from North Carolina and East ~ennessee." Price: "Well, now, uh, where are most of your relatives from?" Knight: "Most of my relatives are from Virginia, the uh early part of the family 0n then of course uh I came, I was born in 'D.\'mnessee -, and my family's lived there since." Price: "Well, uh, can you remember any further back than Virginia?" Knj.ght: "You mean the stories of the family?" Price: "No, as far as your relatives go, where they're from," Knight: "No ,',I know my father' s people are all Welch. They came from Wales - they were Powells and all Powells are Weloh people. My mothers family was (were) Holts and they are, uh, English. Price: "Mrs. Knight, you say you also remember a cure. whioh is very peouliar, Would you tell us about that?" Knight: "Uh, my husband, when he was a ohild, was playing on a big farm around a barn and was out by a siokle, and uh when he went into the house wi th the plaoe on his leg bleeding and out, his uncle reaohed up into the ohimney and took out some soot and put on it and luokily it healed, he still has the soar, you oan see the soot still in it. And the boys that he was playing with, the oousins, the three oousins, all beoame very uh famous doctors in California, then uh (Cont)of course I've heard the story about uh back in the Knight: country where you couldn't get to a doctor or anything like that where if you had uh a cut you could take a chicken where it was warm and pull the inf,lamation out of it. Also sprains long time ago fore people could get people to the doctor they would take if they had sprained an ankle or had a bruise or anything like that they would get clay, another uh cure is uh uh for frost bite which I know worked one time on one of my children in spite of all the things the doctors did, after we'd been out in the snow all day and her feet were frost bitten uh this woman told me just to take some-- pullout some ashes from the fireplace 'md put some onions-- whole onions in there and get em hot and then jus' take those onions and lay em across her feet and put on a bandage and sure enough, it worked after everything else seemed to have failed. letting us yeiu made 11, ltIS{:ZII"J. and especially the unselt'ishly your time nlordc"",,1:, your this of ea1e.1JJ3r days Sou'ther.n have ,,,,m:,s to used, usthat Indon to use tlrl,s ma,tsrial pe,,?!e who are intsres'ted ean understsnd your will probably not be ttarrt your nama 'to be f%O ""'- t<Ja or ed'II<:"~t:Lorlaol, lJU1;'lJOSe13 so how lire was in but if Thank 1,6 an im:oOl~'t2tl1t time have given to "i' American record a hArltafJ'e any more later and van,t t~ send yem l~ememoor I; RELEASE * By letting us collect ycmr traditions, i'rtories. or songs of earlier dl3.Y5. you have made a valuable contribution preserving L1'lJi understanding Southern history. and especiaLly the history of you::J:! community" Bccause you have unselfishly of you::J:! time to do this$ the Georgia Folklore Archive ","",,/,," protect you::J:! dght to this material by guaranteeing it will not be used for UllSerupu].Ollll commercial By signing this sheet. you are giv1.ng us permission to use this material scholarly or educatioU1l~ purposes so that people who are interested car, understand ho\<l t4aS in the old days. In fact,. YOu::J:! material will probably not be printed. it is, sll,d you don't want. yOu::J:! llame 'to be used. ss.y so ~~ He respect right of privacy" Thank you for the timE you have given to help Ul'! is au important part of American life; you have you remember later and lJant to send write to: By letting us collect your traditions p stories, or songs of earlier days, you have made a valuable contribution to preserving and tmderstanding Southern history, and especially the history of your COIlIrlunity. Because you haye given unselfishly of your time to do this, the Georgia Folklore Archive wants to protect your right to this material by guaranteeing that it will not be used tor unscrupulous commercial profits. By signing this sheet, j'Ou are giving us permission to use this material tor scholarly or edu.cational purposes so that people who are interested can understand how life was in the old dayse In tact, j'Our material will probably not be printed, but if it is, and you donUt want your name '1;0 be used, say so - .re respect your right of privacy. Thank you tor the time you have given to help Ull record a heritage that is an important part of American life; if you haye any more material that you remember later and want to send us, write W! or Gao Fl. ArchiveBy letting u.s collect your traditions, stories~ or songs of earlier days, you have made a valuable contribution to preserving and understanding Southern history, and especially the history of your community. Because you have given unselfishly of your time to do this, the Georgia Folklore Archive wants to protect your right to this material by guaranteeing that it will not be used for unscrupulous oommercial profits. By signing this sheet, you are giving us permission to use this material for scholarly or educational purposes so that people who are interested can understand how life was in the old days. In fact, your material will probably not be printed, but if i'v is~ and you don't want your name to be used~ say so - ~re respect your right of privacy. A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. 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