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This is the first of a two-part recording; it begins with R.E. Faulkner playing Mocking Bird on the fiddle, after which he talks about the man who made his fiddle, Mr. Johnson. He then plays Down Yonder and Been Ner Rabbit. He describes playing at parties when he was young with songs such as Turkey in the Straw, Under the Double Eagle, and Soldier's Joy. Faulkner then plays Black-Eyed Susan. At 8:00, Faulkner switches to the topic of weather and superstition. He starts by telling a humorous story about the inaccuracy of Griers Almanac. He then describes a superstition that farmers used to predict a crop seasons rainfall. Next, he then talks about the Liars Club, where participants competed to tell the biggest lie without being caught. 13:15: Faulkner states that he believes in ghosts and describes an experience he had as a boy. He then tells a ghost story about a Black man who allegedly tried to burn down a courthouse in Carrolton, Alabama; after which a mob lynched him. Starting at 20:35 Faulkner plays Bonaparts Retreat, Over the Waves, Hen Cackle, and Johnsons Old Gray Mule. He then tells riddles and describes activities from his childhood. 31:13: Mrs. Turner plays John Henry, Shorten Bread, Cripple Creek, and Cowboy Song on the banjo. She also recalls dancing at parties and learning to play the banjo. At 36:16, she plays How Firm the Foundation and The Stormer Conductor, which she also sings. At 41:44, Turner switches to playing the piano, and plays John Browns Body, Marchin Through Georgia, Casey Jones, and Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown. Next, at 46:45, Reverend Cox plays and sings Oh Bury Me Beneath A Willow Tree, Knoxville Girl, and several unidentified songs. His mother played the piano, and he learned it around 5 years old. 53:50: Cox plays and sings, Call His Name Unless We Trust Him and explains that his grandfather and great-grandfather, and now his son, are all preachers. 57:31: Mrs. Turner returns; she plays Cindy, Joe Clark, John Henry, and Shorten Bread. At 1:02:34, Turner ends the recording by playing the first song she learned, Sheeps and the Billygoats Goin to the Pasture.
R.E. Faulkner (1895-?) grew up in Bartow County, Georgia. He has a daughter, Jo Sanders (approximately 1938- ). Mrs. Turner (1891-?) was born in Cartersville, Georgia. William Pap Bailey (1880-1972) was a farmer all his life; he married Lou Bailey (1884-1976) in 1900 and they had seven children, Milas Bailey (1909-?), Clark Bailey (1911-1975), Estalena Bailey (1913-1998), Homer Bailey (1914-1987), Ezza Bailey (1916-1996), Elzie Bailey (1925-1989), and Ethel Bailey (1931-1977). Additional biographical information has not been determined.
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Personal names Subject Who Subject Location 3 Corporate names Geographic locations Topics (b /;'11 ()l\ 4 TUNE:: liND TilLES FIn1 THE GEORGIA COUNTRY by )ri ss Linda VHehell Fall 1968 for John Burrison Folklore 300 Int.roduction Visit with I'.,lr. Faulkner Viai t with Mrs. Turner Visit with Pap Baily Pictures Table of Contents page 1 page 2 page 18 page 30 "pagc 74 Tunes and Tales From the Goorgia CO'cmtry My father and I started out on November first to Fed Top 'Jountain, Georgia hoping to find someone Who could give us leads as to possible sources of information about the "old timey" way of life. With luck we were ,iven th" address of lfr. R. E. Faulkner who lives in a trailer just outside of the park. His nearest neighbor is five steps away and is his daughter Mrs. .10 "anders. f1nfortunately, Iiir. Faullmer was not at h,)me on this "aturday, but we did sneak to his daugbter who asked us to return the follordng ,saturday bncause he would be home at this time. In the course of our short conversation with her, ~lJ1rs e ;)anders also gave us two other nossible informants: Hrs. 1'urner who lives down the road and Pap Bailny who lives just outsid" of Plijay. After leaving Hrs. Sanders, we decided te Teake the. 'furners eur next step. They too were not at h0me. So our day ended with no information but some very good leads. !,'rs.';anders is a nice looking woman in her early thirties who was extremely helpful during the week. She called the Turnc'rs and told t.hem of my planned visi.t next Saturday and also manag~d 't.o keep her father at home on a beautiful deer hunting weekend. She also arranged for a guide to take us to Pap Baily I s who lives i.n the mountai.ns of :'.)orth Georgia. ;)0 1 was content with this til next weekend when I eould really begin my collecting. page 2 We arrived at the Faulkner's about 1:30 pm on Saturday, November ninth. ',1'. Faulkner was helping to repair a neighbors car. Vrhen he heard that we had come to see him, he left this job to meot us. A tall, very healthy and active man of 73 walked into the room and greeted my dad and T with a firm handshake. He Gat dovm, rolled himself a cigarette as they are the only kind he will smoke, and we began talking of his life. Mr. Faulkner was born in Cherokee County but gre"\l" up in Bartow County. His father was a carpenter and farmer who bunt the cedar log house V-,ey lived in which still stands to his knowledge. As evidence of his craftmanship, there is a chair Mr. Faulkner's father made out of white oak that. is 85 years old and st.ill good to sit on. Hr. Faulkner himself began working at. the age of cleven when he carried water to the lime kiln. Tn late years, his 1 occu!"lations mounted to tool and dTe maker, machinist, and brick and block mason. Mr. Faulknor is quite an accomplished fiddler as the following tape proves. Even more ama:z;ing is the fact that he plays with only three fingers. The fourth was lost in a savnnill accident. The fiddle he owns was made for him by ',;'1'. Johnson who st.ill lives in Albertsville, Alabama. page 3 Tape I Side I - "[1'. and Mrs. R. E. Faulkm,r, Mrs. Jo Sanders, her three children, Mr. W. A. Mitchell, my father, and myself. Linda That was gondJ Dad There;va go Lin. Linda Now who made the uh i.nstrument for you? Faulkner uh ,Johnson. I,inda !"r. ,Johnson, right? Faulkner yea. Linda Hack in 1960 and what kind of wood did he use? Faulkner He used uh this is maple (points to bottom) eudv maple taken v out of a old church building. Uh it was taken down and built back. Linda yea. Faulkner And this top part (taps fiddle with bow) is out of white pine. Linda That is really beautiful. r Faulkner And it.s made on the blueprint of the Stadivarius. /' Linda Yea. That is really b"autiful. (Conversation between 'ill's. Faulkner and 1. She gave me a rug to sit (m) Fiddle tune - Way DO'Ntl Yonder Lin,ia Would vou li.ke to hear yourself? Faullmor Hmmm? Linda Wbuld :!OU Ii ke to hear what you sounded Uke? (replay) Linda Wha.t aee you goi.ng to play for us now? page h Faulkner WMt would ya like? Linda Anything ya want to play. 0 Dad Play some of your old country favorites. Firidle tune ~ Been Ne'r Tl.abbit ( Linda Is that your special ending? Faulkner Yea, that's my special ending. Linda )U usod to nlay for dances. Where were the dances usually held? Tlaulkner Dh' round among the neighbors homes. That was our greatest entElrtairnnent back when T was a kid. Young fella. Linda Really? Faulkner Have singin' ya know. Linda Oh. Faulkner Dances, course we'd have an old fiddler in there. I, TJinda And you were the top fiddler, huh? Faulkner Well, fer sometimes and sometimes there'd be someone else playin' while I danced. That was our entertainmcnt back in my hoyhood days when there were no theaters much to go to. And I grew UP i.n tbe country where we'd gather 'round first one neighbor's home then another. On Saturday night we'd usually have a Ettle party - we call 'ern parties. Linda -'(ea. "aulkner Course a dance, fiddle:, and . guitar course and that was our orcbestra. J,5 nda Probably sounded real good too. page ;; Faulkner And we had to dance the old fashion square dance. Callin l the steps ya know. Linda Yea. Faulkner Hold hands I round, circle I round and sw:tng your bopasie then gone, couple four and so on so forth. Toinda Did you u32d to call I em? Faulkner I forgot how~ T used to though, yea. Linda Really? That must' ve been interesting. Faulkner TJid you ever hear swing that pretty girl round the world? Linda What was the name of that last tune you just played for us? Faulkner That was "Been Ne'r Rabbit". Linda Pardon? Faulkner llBeen Ne'r Habbitn Linda I I ve never heard of that one. Is that one popular here in your section where you live? Faulkner No. ThaG's one of my old 'avorites from back yonder. Uh we don't play 'round here any more. I don't have anyone to play with. Linc1a "'{ea. Faulkner Kinda hung np the ole fiddle and bow. Linda vou play so good. Faulkner T'm out of practice and I make a lot of foul notC's but Linda No. It sounds real good. Did a lot of p'"'ople sing when ~vou would play sometimes? Do you remember any of the songs? Faulkner Well uh most of those songs that was played back then were page 6 just regular ole what vt8 call ho-down fi'jdle tunes. Linda Yea. Yaulkner Uh that was to dance by. ~)uch as "1'urkey in the Straw" uh "tinder the Double" well we dic1n' t play "Under the Double Eagle" then but :in later years We, did. Faulkner "Soldiers Joy" and "Black-eyed Susan" Linda ah, could I hear tha'~one please? faulkner Well I don't know I'll try it. Linda I rememhor hearing fut somewhere. Paulkner Let me uh (cut off recorder While he tuned rid"le) Faulkner Well I'll try to play "Slack-eyed Susie". Heen a long time since I'''e tried it, try it for you now. Fiddle tune - 8lack~eyed Susan Love my momma Love my pappa lLove myvlitUe Black-eyed Susan. Pl\Qllij Dad That was real real good. Linda That was good. Uh do you sing too? Mrs. Faulkner Love my wife Love my baby Mr. ilnd Mrs. Faulkner Love my bisquits sopned in gravy. Faulkner That's another' verse of it. Mrs~ Ii'aulkner No.. But I remember 'em. Linda A lot of the tunes, huh? page 7 (phone ri,ngs) Linda About who that wrote the almanac? Grier? Faulkner Grier. 1'hat was a story that they'told on Orie... Said he was ridin' through the country, seen a little boy with the sun a shinin' taken out from his plow, rushin' home b::" you know, and Grier asked him as he passed~say son what you ",,)1 takin' off in such a hurry for; said, well it's f,onna rain. He says "Ah, it's not a gonna rainU He says there's not a cloud in sight. Boy says "fe:s it is too" an he's gonna run on home and put his mule in', the barn. And Grier drove on dOiVD the road in his buggy - horse and buggy. He hadn't got far i,t was rainin ' on him. So he turns round goes back up and hunts this little boy up find out what tha- sign was y'cu know. He was supposed to be a weather prophet you know nrier was he'd write the aDnanac. Linda Yon. l'aulkner He asked the little boy what the sign was. Well, he says "I was layin' out there readin' nrier's old almanac. He said it I d be fair so T knows it was gonna rain .. n Irea used to tell that and ('rier used to that r,ri er used to tell it so they say on hi sself. Linda Yea. vou could tell the opDosi te of what he says would happcm. "aulknRr 1'hat' s about the type of weather prophet Tam. Linda You said you still celebrate old Christmas? Faulkner Oh yea. page 8 Linda By how? Faulkner Well T uh don't celebrate it any more than T do uh any other way. However T still begin it on Chr:i.stmas day you know I watch the sign, Usually on the first twelve days uh ya get a picture of what we might think tho weather might be like for the whole year. You know whether it'd be dry or We used to have to watch it. on a.ccount of when you was makin 1 a crop why tho rain was very important to your crops and also sunshine. And the first twelve days predict the weather for the entire yE,ar and anybody who would use this figured they'd get an idea how much rain we'd have durin' the crop season. The;v'd be other signs too if you'd watch fer' em but T guess we' s all a little superstiti.ous. They used to caU it old fogey ;hdeas. Linda What about the Liars Glub you were tel'ing me you were in? vaulkner Oh!that was back used to not have anything else you know for entertainment. And Yle' d have no other way to entertain il,l,f We'd get together ;,see which one could tell the biggcst lie .. Li.nda And you held the reputation, huh? Faulkner Well I told one about a fish that T caught and his shadow weighRd eleven pounds. Linda Uh -huh. Faulkner .'70 uh that was a pretty nice size fish. But the biggest r ever told was when T said r hadn't ever told a lie. page 9 Linda I guess everybody could say that to an extent. Faulkner I uh if you were ever in &unnersville, Alabama, a bridge, they built a bridge where the ferry used to be now over the ? ;:;::-"---1 Tennessee fliver out at Gunnersville goin' towardstGaincsville. Uh one "eller "'aid that he was fishin 1 under this bridge and a, nOl the first feller said he was a fishin 1 under there and c' caught a fish shadow weighed fourt.een and a half pounds I believe. And the fish, the other feller said "Well Twas i fishin' right there few weeks ago and uh caught a lantern," uh what we used to use you know to make lights? Kerosene lantern. '~ays he caught a lantern and pulled it up and says and it was still burnin'. So he turned it UD and looked at the date under it and it was eighteen and seventy- four and that other feller looked a.t him and says '"Nell I'll tell you what I'll do." Says "I'll take off a hundred pounds off my fish if you blow the lantern out." Linda Pretty fair exchange. caulkner 1'hat uh that!s some of, just a sample of some of the things we used to do to entertain ourselves. I.i.nda Did you ever tell any ghost story typ',s? Sit around and tell ghost stories? Faulkner Oh well I never did go j n for the ghost stories so much. Rut I . too much of a believer in that;, Lirl:da You beli8ve -j n ghosts? F'aullmer Well yea I do. If I believe in anything I believe in e;hosts. page 10 Linda Why? }"aulkner Recause the body the body is a Uvin' person and the man is \l'llli the ghost that's alive) not the material man)i1ot the body. " h And it's the inward man thatls a person that's alive and that is a ghost. Linda Have you ever seen one? Faulkner Huh? I,inda Have you ever seen a ghost? Faulkner You can't see it but you know it's alive. Linda Have you ever met one somehow'! Faulkner 'You can only seH the material man .. Linda Have you...... Faulkner T' ve heard. l' ve heard things that was Ul1Elxplainable. Linda Kinda like what? Fauljmer Well we !!loved into this house when we first moved over here from Mountain Gap where I grew, up. Linda 'The ,one your Dad built. rJ'1'-fi. Faulkner ;, lIh my room) my oldest) my sister was at home taken the front room and every night why there was a,you'd hear a racket in there sounded like someone up in the overhead walkin I. Then. it sounded like it was pourin' marbles out. Now this is actually fact and it'd hit the floor and go rollin' across and she didnbt sleep in there but a15Jout one night. And m;\T 'uncle was stayin' with us at that time and he take her room and about two nights and it got him. He came out so my Dad page 11 made us move in there - myself and my brother. And we had no choice but to sleep in there and we hear'd that every night 'bout when we blew the lamps out - them kerosene lamps. Uh sometimes it would vary and so we had,and then my brothor got up nerve enough to explore the overhead and it was a story that the Hoods lived there and a \!r. Hood was murdered in that room. And uh the story was that his wife had shot him. Rut never did prove it. And uh so m'i brother and T got up the cdling and searchin' round in ;[cl~t loft i ~ iI / \" found.j"{wA.<h)"a';:'t, was doin' that rollin'. Never found there you know i r 4JU~~,~ Al up there" and anything but I found an old four barrel pistol up there and T brought the pistol down and it had uh four c'mpty hubs in it. ) Him fire the barre~Jrevolved ,just li..ke the cylindor in any other , '-%""' A,{. pistol. And T never seen one like"before nor since and I laid it pp on the mantle in my Dad's room and that night he heard the racket. And we didn't so the next morning he made me take it and throw i.t in the creek and beHeve it or not I've passed through there at night and hear'd that same racket in that creek where Tthrew it "nd it's a fact whether you helteve t t or not. And T "ever been able to exolain :it to my mind loss it was uh haunt; a ghost that was trytn' to tell 'em the story. I've always bplieved uh Hr. Hood was murdered with that gun and probably his wife was the one that done it and throwed that gun,that pistol in the loft over that room. page 12 Linda There was a house there at one time and then your father built the house .... Faulkner [1]0. When we moved there this house was built. Linda Oh I see. Uh you moved from the house your Dad built into this one. Faulkner Yea. And we bought that place there and moved into this cfJ l.ittle log house was where we hear I d the haint. Linda Yea. Did a lot of people ar01md that area have trouble with haunts'? Faulkner Well no, not too many. I've heard of other hOllses, now. _. "fi There I S one house) uh let me tell.. you this one. In Carrollton, Alabama; uh house winiJow,and that's in Pickens County. And the couttC1/' 1' there I s people'tfrom allover the world to go look at that window pane. I""~c. Uh ther0 was an old nigger Ythat!burnt the courthouse down and uh when they caught him i._" ,,;j tL they tried him and sentenced to hang him. And uh lynch mob. A / they finally a/the lynch mob got him accordin' to the story. Uh do we still got that pamphlet I bout that? Mrs. Faulkner I doubt it When we sold the house and moved into tIlts trailer I discarded all that. Faulkner Well anyway they got pamphlots of' it and vou can see the niggers picture in that window and a even anytime you want to go to Carrollton, Alabama down in Pickens County South Alabama YOl). can seE~ it. Linda How did H get there-the pieture? Faulkner Well 11 !:,his nigger they was uh this lyneh mob was after h','!'\ page 13 and the sheriff put him up in this attic and was ",uardin I him and there come ~storm up. And 11h came a flash of light.. enin' and that nigger was scared and Vias looldn' out the window and uh the mob seen him when the lightenin I flashed and they went up and got him and lynched him. But his picture stood in that pane and they replaced it two or three times but it still Gomes right back. Accordinl to the uh Linda vou mpan when the', rpplaced it ji'aullmer it comeS rIght hack. And they take that pane out and put another one in and the next'day it comces right back. \Hen I've seen it myself. I've seen the image of that nigger's face in there and he looks scared too. That image yOll can go pej\A go inside and in the courthuuse~and you can't see' i t. :~ut you get there on the str2et where they say that mob was standin' when that flash of lightenin' came and you can see that image any time of the day if you want to go there and look. Linda Hmm. How odd. Faulkner Put you can go up inside the eourthouse and 100111 ou'lj, you can't see anything from lookin' out inside. any other old pane. But you get down there Just looks like .<ltw/.r on the ground and you can look up there and spo it. It's not imagination either. It'e real. Linda Hmmrom. Oh you Were going to playa song for me on the fiddle. Let's see "Bonapart's Retreat" that's :Lt. page 14 Fiddle tune - Bonapart's Ho~reat Linda And that was "8onapart's Retreat"? FalLlkner "Bonapart's Hetreat". Linda Which one is your favorite of all the, SOf\gs ;,that: you ",jJlay? Faulkner Oh T don't know. All of 'em. Linda All of 'em? Faulkner T'll play you a waltz now that I, used to play- back then "Over the Waves". Fiddle tune - Ovor the Waves Linda That was beautiful. That was very good. Faulkner That's one of the oldest waltzs that I can think of . Linda Where did you first learn Faullmer a fiddler back in 'bout 1910, back -in those days. Linda When did you start getting interested in playing the fiddle'l I'aulkner Uh I've been interested in it 'bout all my life. But I never could play. Linda Never could~t? Faulkner No never could play Inuch. Linda I thi nk you pIay reaI well. [i'aulkner Oh'T. .. ILlost my main notin' finger there. only have three fingers and it'S hard to play' with. Linda "ouncls like you have fiftyl ;;ounds groatl! Faulkner Here! s one of the old.". }i,'1rs. Sanders Tell lor what happened to yOUT finger. Ylfhat you used to ten us. Faulkner A~teamboat run over i.t. ) page 15 Linda A steamboat ran over it? Faulkner A steamboat run over it. Uh I didn't swim out of the way of it. I'm gonna try to play the ole "Hen Cackle". Linda I've never neard that one either. Faullmer Yea. Well it' oS an old favorite of mine and this i.s the "Hen Cackle". Let me just start thinkin'. (recorder off) 1i'iddle tune - Hen Cackle Linda And that was balled? 1"aulkner "Hen Cackle)' :!;he ole "Hen Cacl~le" and this is one that I'll try to play. I can't play it too good uh "Johnson's Ole ~ray Mule". The guy that made this fiddle composed this one. Xf- Linda lOcally? Faulkner Yea. Fiddle tune - ,johnson 1sOld '}ray Mule Linda That was real good. Dad ,See the way he gets that sound in there see and I know these songs and you know T' ve heard 'em and that's real good. He made that one up huh? -.i'compos"d that and made that song up. T,inda Tiid you ever make Faulkner Do )l:ou mean did I e)[er compose a song'! One or two little ole jigs.. Linda 1)0 you remember any of tbem? page 16 Faulkner Well if T could think. (recorder ofr: He could not remember any of his comnosttions) Unda One of the [rid~~l-;:::,;jis what? Faulkner One of the riddles that Tcan remember is we used to tell when I was a kid; the sixth set awl the seven sprung from Linda No. the dead the livin' came. Can you tell me that one? Faulkner It was a partridge made a nest in an old dead horses head and she laid her eggs and hatched 'em off and uh when they Clime out it was the sixth set she sat on six eggs and she hatched 'em and from the dead head the Itvin' ca",e. Linda 'lea. I never can figure riddles out. Do you remmnber any other jokes or riddles or did you ever get in a riddling session like"" . vaullmer Oh we U80" to when I was a kid. 'l'hat was about all the entertairunent we had when I Was a kid - sit around and tell jokes, riddles, play drop the handerkerchief, uh hide and seek, play that in the country. Great pass time for us back then. Diru1't have the recreationS you have today and that was part of the past time. Specially s0RP in the winter - s:ll:t around and parch peanuts, make syrup We'd tell stories, jokes; candy we called i,t. Pull it, put the peanuts when we get~[~!1;i:i5~;tt'~it peanut brittle. A the same thing though y'ou know. in'it and It was 'bout play such games as hide and seek, :'rOD the hanclekorchief. Course that was when the w,?ather was pretty and we could get page 17 I,;e outside and play. 'jut uh H was goodj:f\m}uh I f'.'<' the ((I had more fun back in them day-s t.han ",' '..vo now. f\ Linda Probably did. DL,yC' d think we Faulkner Cause now it~s too much uh too much to do now days - canlt, gAt aroun(] to doin' all of it. page 18 1,IJe next wrmt to see Mrs.:TUl'ner, an elderly but spry WOine'n of 77 years. She was born and raised around Cartersville and plays the She lives with her husband in a throe room house with chicken coops in the rear of their land. The house is very small and a cozy pot bellied sTIove keeps the entire house warm and comfortable. Next door to Turners is the Reverend Cox, the preacher for the area. A latch made from wood is still used as a lock on the door. The following is a recording of the music and conversation I taped from her and Reverend Cox on november ninth. Tape I Side II - Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Mr. W. A. I'Htchell, and myself. Linda OK, you're going to play ~ little bit of '~Vil(Nfood Flowerw for us. Mrs. Turner If I don't make a mess. Ranj 0 tune - Wi1dwo od Flower Mrs 1'urner I made it a little bit. Linda That sounds good. Do you know some song Mrs. Turner, like , John Henty' '? Banjo tune John Henry. lcirs. Turner If I do a little bit more Linda OK Mrs. Turner Let s see. Maybe you know what this is. Lipda OK, Let's try it. Banjo tune - ShortenfBread Mrs. Turner Know that one? page 19 Linda I sure don't Mrs. Turner "Shorten'Bread" now. Linda Really. BMjo tune -, Mrs. Turner Well, I liked to have forgot that un. Dad You're really good at i~. Linda You really are. Mrs. Turner I wish I was. My fingersmy fingers don't work. See I don't Dad You see you donlt work'em enough. She's real good. Linda Do you sing along alot of times when you play? Mrs. Turner Hlllll1m? Linda Do you sing alot when you play? BtL-\:, Mrs. Turner No, honey I used to. " I don't sing anymore, I just Linda Could you sing for me though? Mrs. Turner If you cut that off I will. No, don't do that I was just kiddin' you. I don't know what can I sing for you. Mr. Turner I don't know. I,inda Which one is your favorite to sing? Mrs. Turner They're all mine. Linda OK, then let's just start at the beginning. (}~,:t.'~~IJ;, lArs. Turner I'll start. I was thinkin' 'bout that little gal, ~~e that:! always wants me to play but I don't think I can sing it too good. Mr. Turner "Mary Fabint1l Mrs. Turner No urn - I don't know that. No I can't do it. page 20 Banjo tune - Cowboy song ,,< Mrs. Turner That's a Cowboy song I used to know that one, but I forgot all of them. Linda 'rhat's the what now? Mrs. Turner Cowboy song. Linda Yea. That's a pretty one. Mrs. Turner But I've forgotten. HIt was pretty. Used to sing it when I pick it. I jest don't take no interest in it now. I like to hear'em, but I never hear anybody sing 'em. Linda Did you play at parties alot? Mrs. Turner Hmmm? Linda Did you play at parties alot? Mrs. Turner I promise I danced more than I played. Linda Really? I can imagine. Mrs. Turner 'cause I wouldn't play I danced. Dad More enjoyment in dancin" Mrs. Turner Boy, I enjoyed that. Linda When did you start playin'? Mrs. 'rurner Oh noney, I just can't remember. Just picked it up you know. Linda Just started plaYin' huh? Mrs. Turner And uh my sister she played and that got me started so I don't know. I was so small. Here's a little one I Know everyone knows it. Banjo tune How firm the Foundation page 2.l Mrs. Turner Know that one? "How Firm the Foundation" that's as old as we are. Linda Was that a religious song? Dad Spiritual. Linda Do you remember some of the words to that one? Mrs. Turner You can sing it. Mr . Turner No I don't. Mrs. Turner ''How Firm the Foundation". He sang to the Lord and pour forth his soul. I used to lmow all of em but I don't know no more now. Banjo tune Mrs. Turner Mr. Turner Mrs. Turner Mr. Turner The stormer Conductor That's something 'bout the boy. Don't you knOYT that "Knoxville GirlIt? No honey I don't know that one. I thought you used to play that one. HI'S. Turner No hl1llll-um. That one I was tryin' to think of that Vlanda always loved to hear was uh 1l1,'he stormer Conductor17 But I don't know if I could sing all of it or not. Linda Can you sing a part of it? i,jrs. TFrner Let's see if T can just think of the first verse. (strllins banjo) It's pitiful. You don't know it do you? Wish T could think of it. Linda Could you sing that little part over again? NTrs. Turner Hmm'? Linda Could you sing that little part over again? page 22 HI's. Turner The stormer conductor passed through the car took tickets from everyone, And finally reaching the side of this Girl he greetly demanded her fare. I haven't no money no ticket to pay, T'll pay you back some day. 11'11 put you off at the next station as he heard this . as he heard this. T'll put you off at the next station Oh, T forget it. And anyhoVl sll'! flaid Please Mr. Conductor don't put me, off of your train For the very best friend that T have in this world She1s waiting for me in vaj~. Expecti.ng to die any moment she may not live through the day. I want to bid Mother good bye si.r, before God takes her aVlay.. I can't do it. I just can't do it. (moves to the piano) What should I play? Mr. Turner Just go ahead and play. I,iJlda" Anything you want to play. [!j~~~~]tune - John Brown's Body Mrs. Turner IJet' s see if you know this one. Piano tune page 23 Linda That Vias "Mine Eyes Have ,Seen the Glory of the Comin' of the Lord" , "Piano tune Linda A.ml that one was what'? 'l'hat one Vias ",John Brown's... " 1;'1'8. Turner It's "rcarchin' through Geol"gia; it's "Pass around the Bottle" that's how they started or "Glory, Glory HallelUjah as Vie go Marchin' In". Linda And the one you played before that Vias "John I Brovm' s 'Jody"? Mrs. Turner Oh, They's the same thing, honey, Linda Yea. Piano tUDe - Casey :!ones Linda 'I don't know. Er. Turner "Casey Jones". Mrs. Turner Thought you knew one. Mr. Turner That's an old one. Mrs. Turner He knows that one. VI'. Turner "Casey Jones" that's right. Dad T hear his widow cli.ed not too long ago, Mrs. Turner (at the piano) No, I already played that one. Piano tune 'irs. Turner You know what that was? Linda I don't know any of these songs, I really don't. What was the name of that one? They're all beautHul, though. Piano tune 1\~rs .. Turner ftWill 'rhere be any ::;tars in my Crown11 .. page 24 Mr. Turner Tf you wanna . if you wanna catch something good on that you ought to get the preacher over here to play for you. Linda Preacher? H.eally? (Preacher Cox comes over and plays the piano) Piano tune Linda What is the name of that one you just played for us? Preacher Just then? Linda What is the name of that one you just played for us? Preacher (sings) I remember the time that He brought me gently I was down in sin and darkness I roamed. Preacher plays and sings. I can't understand the words. Pr8acher Here's a good one, Linda Sounds good. Preacher Them notes wouldn't sound good. T was trying to think of a little song my aunt used to sing. I forgot where I played that at. "Oh Bury me Beneath Some Willow Tree". Linda "'ea, could you sing... Preacher, "'1'. and Mrs. Turner Old timey. Do you remember that one? ?iano tune and song - ah Bury me Beneath Some Willa! ~ Preacher If them notes weren't out of line it'd sound a lot better. Li.nda Could you sing :i.t again so I could get the words down right without playin 1 sing the words so I can get them down right. Preacher ::ing without playin'? Linda Yea. Preacher ah bury me beneath some willow page 25 13eneath some weepin' wi.llow tree And I'll robill i1) and I'll be waiting ~Oll JL A l' ..~ r-~'" ,j{ '"{,''.'f''':') And you'D... 1\ Don't that sound think of me. somothinic~'~prElacher' d /', be singhl'? Linda That' 8 pretty. That's a love song your aunt used to sing? Proacher un-uh. f"rs. Turner You don't know "Barbara All8n" do you, !>fr. Cox? Preache:r No. >:1'8. Turner I forgot that. I used to know every bit of it. Mr. Turner What about "Knoxville Girl"? Linda 'Tea Dreacher LDt 1S see wheN' did T play that. Did you know how to play that on the banjo? },";rs. 'T'urner No. I don't know even Preacher begins to play. Linda lilaybe you can s1ng it'? Preacher plays Linda Could you sing it for us maybe? you play it on that. Preacher Ypu can pick 1t on the banjo, can't you? lSI'S. Turner Not very good. Preacher - plays and s1ngs. I forgot. Let's see, there's one verse I think I know to th1s. Here's what his mother said to him. (Unable to understand) Preacher ilsed to be an old standard - now T can't keep up with it. Linda Where did you learn to play the uh piano? page 26 Preacher Huh? Li_nda Where did you learn to Dlay the piano? Preacher Tlve been playin' ever since r was lbout five or six years old. Linda Really? Did yrmr Mother playaI' your Daddy? Preacher Uh my ilom could playa few old songs. Here's the kind of songs they used to sing. Preacher plays and sings. Preacher Good ole timey singin'. 'Linda Could you repeat the words for me again please? PrP-Hcher Fmmm? Linda Could you reDeat the words for me again please'? Frs. Turner without playin'. J,inda Without playin', yea. That way I could get ' em down. Preacher I,et's see if I can start the first verse. Brethern we have met to wash up and adore thy Lord thy God Pray that/ Pray with all your might and power for the Holy One came down. Oh is that unless the spirit, halt that Holy One came down. Brethern we have met to wash up and adore thy Lord thy God. Linda That was beauti fu1. What's the title of that one? Preacher "Call His Name Unless We Trust Him". Linda lJh-huh. Preacher I can just hear my Dad and Mother singin'. i(y mother died, she died right there in that corner right there in bed. And page 27 took my father on out there and he stayed with me til he died. He was 87 year old I reckon and she was 77. Linda ,Yea. Linda They used to sing a lot of religious songs in the house? Preacher Uh-huh. Yea, we sang. Linda Was your father a preacher also? Preacher No, my granrlfather was a preacher, his daddy was a preacher. And I got a brother old'or than I am's a: preacher. "1'. and Mrs. Turner and l'reach"r Got a son that's a preacher and he's the pastor oyer here on 4[;1 highway Mount Zion Church as go across the prime of the lake the Church sets up on a hUl. Linda Yea, we passed that la st week. Preacher' You should como IIp there next Sunday, be glad to have you. He 1 s the pastor"there. We're remodling the church. Next Spring we \'{\i~t to break i.t up. We got the inside now, feet all in H. Got all expenses paid up l!>ack' 'bout :!i:lOO. Mrs. Turner plays the banjo. Cindy Mrs. Turner Can't do'it. Linda That sounded good. What was the name of that one? f',:lrs. rfurner "Cindy" Linda That was "Cindy"? "'Irs. Turner Yea. I used to play that there whatcha ca1J{it? (fingers banjo) HO\~I s that go? Mr. Turner vou tryin' to play "Black-eyed Susie"? Mrs. Turner Yea. I forget how it goes. page ::e (strums banjo) I can't get that. "itr. Turner You got your notes on the piano so you can cheat. Mrs. Turner She'll go away on up therC' and then T'll start playin '. Mrs. Turner (strumming banjo) He's good on the strings '; ,oHe used to have 'un too. Linda 'lea, ... Banjo tune - Joe Clark Mrs. Turner n'hat' s ole "Joe Clark". L:tnda Hpally? That sOlJnded good. "/rs .. Turner I just can It, :r can I t get, my fingers to wDrk. \~rhen ya comftn' back, T'll play.. U.nda You play 1,eautii'u11y. "irs. Turner Well, ya 111 want "John Henry" again'? I don't know nothin l Linda Yes, yes you do. 1'flrs. Turner 1.lJhat's a good one'! 'Jr. Turner T don't know what you play good. Mrs. Turner T can 1 t, T just can't get j t on my mind. T,inda Which one wa that one you were p1ayin' '] Mrs. Turner Huh? Linda Which one was that one you were p1ayin''f l:!rs. Turner 1'ryin,' to Dlay ",John Henry", but T think I made a foul. Linda 'Yell, I think it sounded good. I wish I could play like that if that's what's bad. 'lrs. Turner I'll give you a little mope "Shorten' Bread" so you won't get hungry on the way home. page 29 Danjo tune - Shorten' Bread Mr. Turner Play "Sheep's ano the Billygoats Goi_n' to Pastuer", I know you know that one. Linda All right, this is the very first one you learned to nlay, right? ;""rs. Turner First one. I'll tell you what it is if yo haven't guessed when I get through. Linda All right. Banjo tlme - Sheep's and the Billygoats Gain' to the Pasteur IJinda Who taught it to you? Mr. Turner Sheeps and the billygoats, can't you walk aHttle faster. Mrs. Turner Ge en that wasn't in there. loon' t know, we just l"arned it when we was small. Mr. Turner That's an ole timey. lilrs. Turner 'flout the devil on the hillside, you know ... Linda Really? Mrs. 'rurner uh_huh. That's what they calliit and we call it "Sheep's and the Rillygoats Goi_G' to the Pasteur". Devil on the hillside throw;n' out moss. Water on the milk No. Devil gatherin' milk and throwin' out moss! Devil on the hillside runnin' like a hoss. ,\~unday, the tenth of Novem~Jer at 1 :OOpm found my Dad and T on our way to the 'landers to pick up mr. Faulknc-n' who was to lead us to Pap -Saily's. On the way up to Papl s cabin, ~'lr. "Paulkner gav(~ us some very interesting views on reltgion. He explained T.O my father and I that Dverything is made up of the ;\l.vster:i.ous Three ... branches, trunk and root - and it is this that'is life. 'These three living elements are ",in 8vc,"ything'that eye beholds. II Mr. Faulkner, who'was once an atheist, believes that the Bible was written by men who 7{ere inspired by nod. In the Bible it is written that "one day is 1,000 years to show no end to the circle of eternity. It :"Ir. f'aulkner cxplained how scientists have proven the Biblc to be true facts. Be said that scientists say the earth was made in 6,000 years. lc,.")].Dce God made the earth in six days and one day equals 1,000 years, then "es, it took 6,000 years. Also Mr. Faulkner said that we arc, living in .'iaturday and that 'n thirty years, 6,000 years will have passed so that the next 1,000 yoars will,be:a day,of,'rest. Tho Lord rested on the seventh day and the week of' the Lord is almost up. I aslC8d him if there were any si.gns and Mr. I<'aulkner said yes that there are "evil and eonventional inventions and in this last day there :; s an increase in knowledgell just as it is written. The devil i,s in us now and we are living in hell. Pecause we are babies until death, we shall all retun to Mother Earth to be born again like Adam. When I asked T,jr. Faulkner about the creation of man, he e.xplained that God put a deep sleep on Adam and took a rib from hi.s side to make wo-man - the weak- ,'Or vessel. Bccanse the second person didn't havo full knOWledge, tho page 31 weaker vessel took the fruit. Adam knew this but chose death to be wH,h his helpmate. Christ was the second lldam and we were born back to Christ. "rr. Faulkner also told me how he used to find water with a divining rod. He told of an incident where h', was trying to find water on his proporty and he found the spot with his di.vining rod. He told the men that forty-five feet down would yeild water. They didn't believe him but forty-five feet later thev found water. A hickory Or willow branch is best to use for this operation according to Mr. Faulkner, because thO'l are li.ght. Another way to tell where there is wateri,s by which side of a tree the most branches are on. Like if the majority of them grow from the north side, then under here will vrater lie. Mr. Faulkner worked at thR ford Plant in 1922 and told me of this slogan: Fight hours work Eight hours play Eight hours sleep Eight dollars a day. The trip to Pap's wa,s quite unusual and oxdting. We passed several log cabins occupied with families and saw two lumber mills go n"ar the EHjay area. We also passed a little spiket coming out of the mountainside which ~:,I:r. Faulkner p.xplainGd was'lr'unkard I s Spring due to the fact that drunks would como to "put the fire out" before going home. We traveled the smallest dl rt roads that twisted and curved throngh miles and mil"s of ilirgin forest. There was snow on the ground by Pap's house and th" sky was promlsing more. After crossing page 32 through the crc":k, we began the drive up to Pap's cabin which he built in 1913. There was smokp coming from the warm firepl;~ce inside anel I noticed a marvelously constructed log (Cabi'i! smok"hou';e to the right. )!'r. Will iam ''Jaily was stand-Lng at the door to welcome us. lie has a grizzly white beard and is a strong, vibrant man of 88. Fis wife Lou was not fceli.ng very well at all that day ['0 she didn't say much. Pap never harl any formal schooling. He came clown from the mountain in 1913 to become a far'ner li.ke his "ad. He li.\'es on 700 acres of land and hardly ever leaves his home. His house gives the illusion of a fortress up on a h:Lll defying all modern conventi.ons. The inside furnishings consist of hand made ,chid:ns, brooms and tobacco plugs, an iron bed and a clock that has been running for 6h years and many other fantastic things. Mr. and Vrs. Haily have been married for 68 years. The following tape is of 'v1r. Baily's life experiences in the old nays. nn the way home from Pap IS, ;"r. 7aulkner explained to my father ann I that 'JIr. ']aily has never been to,;a doctor. He uses old home cures such as: yellow root for stomach aches (boil and drink the juice) rattlesnake root for stiffness mayapple as a physic a mixture of red oak bark, white oak, mayapple and gensein three til(Jes Der day for colns. page 33 Tape II ,':ide I - ':fr. and ))lrs. William :Baily and their son Bomer, Mr. n. E. ;"aulkner, Mr. lH. A. Mltchell, and myself. Linda You were going to teIl me about some of the witch tales you know. Baily The what? Linda The witch tales. Baily Dh yea, uh thp time the witch went down the chhmey ya know and -.... somebody out there and jumped on it and rode it off. Linda How did he do that? Baily Turned him i,nto something - a horse. 1'urned him into a horse and .,mnt out there and rode hi m off. Linda Why did they turn him JiJnto a horse? !3aily And the next morning when they got up he had their hands and fun of briars and the:v'd rode him through the briar patches. I.inda 'Really? Baily They tell me that, T donI t FauIkner That's some of the old tales they used to tell., Baily Yea, they tell me old taIes. You maybe want to know something about mine and what JIve done. Linda Do you know a witch'! BaHy I'm not gonna tell ya everything T' 'Ie done. Linda OK Baily It'd be too much. Linda OK - just anything you. want to teU me. Baily I can tell you about drivin' them cattle and haulin' 'em to market. Linda OK page 3tl Raily In the mud, Linda Uh-huh. Baily :;C8, Linda yea. we ran throngh it. Baily snow, Linda Uh-huh. laily freezin' everything and sometimes you couldn't hardly get a fire at night. Linda vou used to travel at night too? Faulkner Camp out at night. Linda 'Tea .. Baily Me and Mr. Faulkner, let him tell it - he can ask me about that. Llnda About drivin' the cattle? Faulkncor Tell her 'bout how you used to have to uh handle your oxenS on th e roa:-l and how you' d manage to uh get your aplJles and fruit to market and stuff Uke that. Baily Vea and my Irish potatoRs and Faulkner T(ri}3h potatoroG and Baily halllin' the cattle on to 11alton, Gaine sVille, Linda Did ya take Baily Canton. I &:~'(l'\< (l/i,/l..1 Linda Did ya take (uh) your covered wagon? Baily And my coverec] wagon and mud sometimes up to the ax"l in the uh in the wagon. Linda neally? How did ya get it through? Baily Vfell T mean .. p~ge 35 Faulkner Jl.h, pull i~t through. Linda About how many oxen did. you take on a tClam? "aily Two. Linda 'l'wo? Baily Two, and they'd a yoke on 'em. Had the yoke on 'em and I'd harness 'em up to a yolk. Linda fir. Baily, You said you built this cabin here? Baily Yea, I built it. Linda ")out how long ago? Baily Uh J started it in 1925. Linda 1')251 Gha and that's when you said YOU came down from the bills,? In 1913, r,i ght1 T1ai1y T came down from tbe mountains in 1 ')13. Linda And you lived still here? flaily There war; an ~ld house here I was J,ivin' in ya know till I built this one. Linda And then you tore that one down and hunt this '>ne. Bai 11' Ruilt this one 'fore T tore it down. Linda nh T see so'you'd have something to move into. Baily Yea. Linda (pointing to thei'i.re) Mrs. 'laily did you cook over this fire here a lot of times? Mrs. Baily Yah, I cooked over the fire. Linda With a black pot hanging down? Baily Yea, a big 'rouna pot. 'Linda Hight down in there in the mid,jle there? Baily Certainly. "et it right clown on the fire there. Linda Dh T see. Was this kinda :laily Level i,t off to where you could set:; it on it. Set another sti,ck out here in {'rant and you could fry your meat. Linda Really? That must' ve been kinda hard. Rai,ly And the oven. The owon, used to have to put hot Goals here and put the lid up and get it hot. Put you Clome coa].Cl UP under the oven. Let it get hot, put your bread in there and take that on It. Then put some flre on It)cookod an' you got something good. Linda Bet it was real good. Faulkner It was. Linda Do you Uke your stove in there betLer? Baily Yea, but she can't use it though. Mrs. Bally I can't stoop down to cook on the fire now, Dad Um...hmm. Yes. Linda Must've been some real good meals. Faulkner Was some of the best meals I ever ate was open fire just like that. Lil'lda I can imagine. Baily Well, ,.we started out huusekeepin' with just an oven and lid and kettle like just e water kettle to "ake coffee in. Linda Really? Baily And uh done our cookin' right on the fire, here right under this chimney. " .: page 3'1 I,inda Right here in thLs cabin. When you would take the uh 1"uit to Dalton .... Baily ,Marb,t? Linda vea, ub did :;Irs. Baily "tay here? Baily Yea, she stayed at home. l,inda \IVeren I t you scared? "iJailyMos' the time she went with me - 011ce or twice down to nh right down the mountain. Linda y,,rhat did you .sloop on? Baily ;'Yell, we slept on the ground part of the time and that's wh<m we had too much loaded in the wagon. And aftcr when it was about empty enough, then wee stayed in the wagon and had a good cover over us .. Linda Yea, uh you wprR tolling my ",ad you like tho Trish potatoDs bettor than Uw aDples for sleeping on, huh? "any Mea, the Irish ootato8s, it wouldn't hurt them but apples I'd have to lay' em on the ground, sometimes to fix me a pallet on the ground. Linda Yea. Who helped you build this cabin llE>re? Baily Groenway. Linda Some of your neighbors? Bany Yca. Clay nreenway, he helpc,(] me build :Lt. I,inda I see you have a log cabin smokehouse. Baily That's a little smokehouse up there. That's where I keep my pork, hogs, meat. page 38 Lind;3. P,cally? Uh-huh. Baily That's where I keep it. IUght back of this that there. (points to cabin outsicle of the window) Linda Imd so you keep your tobacco in there too? 'Jaily No. I keep my tobacco sown there in another one, Linda Oh, I see. Tn another house. Baily Yea. Linda Oh I see. You were also telling me earlier about some slaves ""," some Negroes that had been set free? Baily Well, there vms one .jest ,'bout as fer back as T can remember. Greenwood. His nam(~ was Greenwood. They call him (~reenwood Linda tlh-huh. Haily P,eople, the Greenwoods up here mmed him, 'fore he was turned loose and 11,,','1 up there and I can remember him from the time I was ;just a little kid. And someone they get up some cattle. Linda Yea. Raily ,\nd T know they caught one and he run arolmd the tree wUh it and lowered his rope (i)and drawed his hands up 'round there and skinned his hands on it. Linda Ohhh. Did you used to watch him do that? Baily Yea. It tryin , to get loose from him you know. He run 'round the tree so he could hold ite-ou",jmNV;) Unda Yea. Baily 'Bout to get away. page 39 Linda Pe must have been very strong. Baily Yea. Linda What do you think about the 8novr this time of year? Is ita little early? Baily Nah. It snovred snovred uh let's see do you want that one about uh the way it snowed that I remember'! Linda Yea. Gaily Tn 1913 it snowed in April then again in !)ct.ober. It snovmd on the green loaves twicdt in one year. Linda Peolly'! Ts tl1at unusual? Baily Unusual. Yeal That the only time I've ever seen. Linda Is it a sign for something. Maybe that it would be a rough winter? Or.... Bany Not that T know of. Linda Or just be cold? 8aily It was just a uh common winter. A common wintcr. Couldn't tell no difference. only it was warm that wintcr before. Then that winter corne and after that Sl1l0W in April and T don't remember just how it was but I don't think it was so)ad. Out it was warm that winter and the leaves come out in "'arch on the mountain up there they all come out in March.. Linda Then it snowed again. Baily And that snow freeze just come and ldlled 'em back. (Some) sprouts as long as your arm had growed out. Linda Hpally? flaily Killed 'pm, come back and killcd 'ern allover. That was the page )10 day the freeze come on '~;aturday nIght and the snow come on Sunday. 'rhe freeze is what killed everything, killed the peaches they turn black, the'! was big a,c, your thumb. Linda He8.1l;Y'? Baily 1'hey turn black and then falloff. Linda Is there any way you can tell when a bi.g freeze is comtn'? Baily No they's just come. Not when a freeze Eke that tt'd kill 'em tf you put a blanket over 'em they'd fre'''ze. Linda Guess it won't help much, hmm? Baily Yea. Ltnda Well, ts there any "'Jay to tell like could you tell i~t was gain' . to snow in November? Baily Did T knovr it was'? r-To It IJinc1a Yea e Baily No. J,tnda Sometimes there are little signs and you can tell. ':'any No T don't really know if it's going to snow somettmcs I think it is and it snows more- than it has in years. (Ehone rings and my Jather anSWers t t. Following conversatton~) Baily Yea. I can make I em. Linda You make bread trays? Batly I can make bread trays. I've never ma,'e one but I' VB seen a lot of 'ern and T know how t t' s made. Linda How did you go about maktn' one? Baily 'Nell, T got tools T can dig "it out and .jest dig it, out of the [ ~] out of the other. Ilinda And have two of I em hat wa.y.. Baily ;';ako two out of one cut. Made staves You made tubs out of barrels too? to Yea. Well, we made staves ~ irlake t\lbs, I did.. Linda Uh-huh. Just like the tubs 'r. Faulkner was telling me about. page hI 'split it open and make two - make one out of one side and ono Baily <.", we oalled 'om staves you lmow. Put hOOps around 'em. Linda T clon.! t understand. ',aily Vou don I t understand it? I,inda It' 8 just a nad ,stal.'cs arc; the outstcle slats yo~see whtm youI ve got a hoop around it to hold 1 em together. Baily ,"are that a hoop w,,' ve got four hoops on They've got two up here no"t to thee top and one or two dO'lm at the bottom. 'em Uh-huh. and I'd call 'em tubs. And I make them big ole ;) _, \ /_~~,/:; ,:i~ '\ !"J,".'1"\(-" ~ \ V._' () hawkses (?) tubs and they'd cal] L)..",--( L\ " j, $If}" I .<->/} ! V\ V -,p- ~'f~'rF '" >', ,I ' And make brandy, Whiskey I' Linda You used to make a lot of brimoy and 'whiskey? Baily Baily I built them things they kept me busy the first year I moved here I made tho whole uh wagon out and Lots I worked and nearly every day' all that from July til Fall. Yea 'V)' out I made the wheels. h of whe"ls, but T never made a few to pull my wagons. Yea I made wheels, made a lot of 'em. Linda Bow 'lid you go about makin I a wheel? page 42 Raily I'd buy the hubs you know, I call 'em hubs, and put spokes in 'em. ' Then I'd make - T'd put the irons on put around 'em. Llnda Yea. ej. Baily 'Round the spokes in "here hard good an' hard. And then I'd take an' add a few sticks to hold it. Split me off' a log. A cut me a rim to put on and put the tire on. Faulkner Called jet a' "feller." Baily Yea. Called it the fellers you lmow. Linda Thp "fellers"? Baily Fellers Linda That's just a nickname? Baily No - that's the'name. , ~aulkner It's the name of the part of the wheel that the spokes fits In next to the tire. Raily Yea, it goes on Linda Oh 1s6e. Baily H goes on the spokes. I,incla Yea, uh-huh. Baily See there like the fi.ngers now when thi s come around. Linda Oh yea. Baily Fits on here and Linda Yea .. Baily And bore holes and ya put~ that on here and put your ar.\'l 'round it. Linda I see you made all kind s of thltli.jl'l. page 43 Baily I used to make all kinds of things and done a lot of work in the blacksmiths shop 'bout So years ago and ho, 50 years ago. Linda Feally? Baily 'orty years ago as T can rsmember. T made over a lot of wheels 'cJ 'em that the p,'op that the blacksmiths (shoul,;)nalwAand they wouldN't stand. And they'd bring 'em in and T' d make 'em Mnda Yea. Baily Saved Linda Along with makin' everything, I see you've made your year's supply of tobacco over here. Baily I make my tobacco, I e;row my tobacco (tJqencc4!'0Cl:-) about every thre") i!l!l four y"ars. Li.ncla Yea and let it ae:e. Baily Keep it then use it) then T make me another patch. Linda What did you say you called the tobacco? You sai d it was? The name of the tobacco? Rally "it 'rhen they called it my Daddy called it F11agan tobacco. the seed of it from a fellow named Flanagan. He got Linda So it vms ,just your own special brand? Baily Yea. It's a special tobacco. There ain't none like it no where much now. It's a regular chewin' cobacco. I,inda Yea. Baily ifou can tell tile way HJI d tie. Faulkner 'fhat'.s pretty. Dad Mmmm. Sure is real clever. page II!( Linda The way it's all braided areund. tV DVI Baily 'Na"" you know T used to be a powerful hunter too. T used to hunt a lot. Bany Linda Really? Up here in the hUlls? ,wrJLOA [J{,Pi ~Oh, waY:Jaek {t\\ere in that little grade}r won't tell you... - oLt T'd often kill turkeys. T' c' kill gobblers you" know. f'~ - Vfild turkeys J,lp thero in the hills her,,? Baily Yea. Wild turkeys back up in the mountains. Linda ;Iust have had good Thanksfivin' dinners. cA (lit,'!! Saily And I run two - broke lawayYand I run two and the last one I run I IJlAyV like to run myself to death and r quit runnin t ,and I wouldn't run no marco Linda Uh-huh. Linda Yea. flatly r don't Icnow. P,aily';hoot and break a vdng. (nidrttt'have- ~)rifle you know and a muzzle loadin 1 gl..m. Linda A mm,zle loa ding? Baily Only kind there was back then unless it was an ole musket they call 'em. (rfWreI went through so much back th"n I don' t ~hin~ I could do that now again.' Linda Goin' after the turkey? Raily Yea. Runnin' them turkeys. Faulkner Ilfe're not hardly as nimble aB we used to be. l3ai ly You can't ... you know one of them things is hard to catch. r'm Saily page 45 tellin' you you've gotta run to catch one. I can imagine. '6 I run down the mountain one time after one _d I shot and broke it's wing. And I bnsted two, busted a hole i.n it"'<il- back there and powder in one eye and I left my ole gun standin' again' a log. n (filnAf}l !Jt-/ I~,,:l,t"l(,/,t. (:f/~>P.~t'!--'ife (;t...+~ f I broke it's wing)he went up a little and back ~"!lt,<l"'bhe.mo_taii'l) . o:jL('Y"d~t" he took down the mountain and I slipped~ <Jfter behind and t\.H tI;e1j (.';;:('1'" watchin' him ~ he went way ']ovm Aand (tlten) went round behind a trc'e. And I kept watcfjin' that tree to see whether he'd come out or not. Well, I never did see him come aut and I was afraid to go back and get my "un though, 'fraid he'd go off while Twas gone. I thought J' d ,just go _ down there and see If he was there and catch him. Got dmm there and Twas easin' o.pound 100kIn' for him and you know I got up close to the tree and he jumped out and I jumped too, scared me so he jumped up and right down the mountain he never went to the foot of the mountain)aB4 hIt the little ole branch.... and log limb. Hp ,jumped tha branc~ . arid him hit that log and fell down under it and I thought I'd catch then. ttr'r jumped on the log he was gain' round the bluff. I tripflecl there right on after him. Missed my handle there on Hit a little bump WJ."r beside him and (tried j the ,,'Un tryin' to catch it, keep up with it. there on the branch) then outrun him. ,,;Wp,m up OJ to get him by the neck and the "h~ rascal ,just tuckpd his heael uncler and k',pt goi.n'. Had another hard race. Linda Out smarted you, huh? ~/ Baily Next time I made a catch at ',em got 'em by the tail. Liked to 4/iftd got under my arm that time,und2r 'ny hand. He ~ when I got 'em .,'- he never moved and when I laid a hold on him, he gave a flounce and liked to got loose from me. But T got 'em. Linda Rrought 'em home huh? "aily Yep, that's the truth. Then the next one I run was when I run myself to death and tried another'l'\ , Linda Yea .. Baily ! I like to run out of wind - he took up -t,he mountain and I h~ to run fast or had out wind me runnin' up the mountain. Linda Yea. Baily And I I d run faster and he went off -'.nto a big ditch und"r some cliffs whero the water had run down and washed out. There was wh"n mOunholes of water he went off in on hand a"nd, I 'f.i\'ii thinkin' "Oeo I gotcha now" that. (k~:i\~J'%;it were pourin' down~' the tains,,ste"p. T get in th"r" after him and her" me and him went right up there and he wet me allover flappin' and gettin I up them bumps and he'd gAt over it eVAryUlne and I said "Well, that won't do." I can I t do that with him flappin' that water all ova:' me you know. f Well, I'd got up in the falls so I could get him. I got on the banks and got me up sam" rocks and throwed at him. Knock his head off, you know. 'Might cut it on the rock and kick him on tbe hea' and fell back and the ole water hit him gain' up on the' banks. !!fell, h" got back in that cold water and I got back in and throwed him out. And felt like fire 8 fire gain' page b7 down my neck <cou know, and he just run me to death. And T yjkQ, rid looked down at him and he's battin I his c,ye; just saddled him 1\ and if I Id waitecl a 1Ht1e bit longer that feller I d have beon gone. But I put my foot on his ole head and broke his neck. And. T said then I Id ne'r8r run B.nother oae and lain' t. TId shoot 'em twice 'fore I'd run '~m. Linda Something real exciting to rem after huh? Baily And I didn't shoot see in , how it took me so long. Faulkner You'd have to load your gun. Baily Well, I'd loaded and shoot and broke his , 0 v'l wing,. "' Then when he run and I sholt at him again. I trackec1him ),l1l and he got out of sight. And T kept a watchin' on the other sido. " :granch "'~')med to go out and went downi nto a thicket and I DeV"r did see him go into the other side and T just tracked him sort of \j\!,{~\_t.",if j\.tr"" kept the woocfi$ti> burnti~nto the)1eaves. I tracked him down there where he ran off in them branches there and there's an ole poplar \,v.!lt.)c/ there in it's root) water had washed. out ~and he was sittin" dovm Cl~ under that. There was III limb ~hangin' down there tha't-a.wayll .' ,F' I I-v""'-.''\.,.J hf-,vd ~ ;lf"'.' )If u,,~ - ;J and. I h~tct,n '"t knowel but I thinks to myself "I' lJ. jest ease (and! " go on \~~~h my paee set ,nd I'll jest' clip his head off. 1>'[ell w<be_vI /1'1'1) i:J+!.Jr\w:.~ 4:CWk-~_ pass t.ha't ~. he jumped out and course I just ~ tj,c'ev,f~JL my gun down and. jes't shot you know and his wi.ngs they went ou't and I thj!lowed my gun down) took aim and that.' s when we had that hard race up that m,mntain. And I run so fast on him he had to chase back Iround me runnin 1 on dovm the hill here. I was Ibout \,(1'\ to catch him. I could out run~but couldn I t hold out as long as he Id out w:\.nd me up there ynu know. page ~8 Linda Turkeys arc') ,just a H ttle faster huh? Baily "Yea. I couldn't, get nb fastnr. faQlkner You'd done all you could. Baily Yea, T had done all I could do all right. I could tell you big tales that way)huntin' for a whole day. Linda Must've had a good time uo there. Baily I' ct trap and hunt both you know. LJ_nda Yea. Oh, you were telling me a Iittle earlier about the gold in the,' stream bacl, there. Baily Yea. Gold, there was gold, dig it, they dug it right down here and back when they was doin ' Uat gold diggin', they'd coin it over hore in Dahlonega. Linda Yea. Baily lend thoy'd make uh they'd dig"the gold up, take it over there and they'd make a dollar out of it. Tf they had enough they'd make two 1\20 pieces and they'd make them one and you one and come on !{:v,-,bt'" CL down til you' had enough to make a _', dollar piece out of it , A ~' and they'd make I em that lNay. Linda Yea. Baily But they took that away before I was big enough to see anything like that. But that's the way they told me they made it. Linda Do you think there's still some gold down :in the stream? Baily Right dawn there, there's gold all doyltl through there. There's one crew, summer hours, T believe~ it was they said)~ got 1600 penny weight. I don't know what a penny weight is. They page 49 got 1600 penny weight down there. And then there was di~gin' done after T was big <,nough to run around and sec :Lt. 1'hey kept comin'. 1'he7' cJ give my Grandaddy a dollar to prospeet Linda Yea. 'ja:Lly and they' ,] dig it an up. 'fhey'd dig it all up down jn there. He let 'em dig and they ga,rehim a dollar. Vou call that an "optionlt yo'u know .. Linda Yea. An "option"? Daily ProspActin'" Linda Did your ~:other and \Cather li"e in this 8rea or were they back up in the hills. Baily Well, yea they lived back on '4IrrJJ> i the mountain further " out than whepe I was. They lived in what was called Hickory Flats. Linda Hickory Flats? Baily Church hOllse on up there. Linrla nh yes. Baily And uh T was raised here at Hich Mountaj.n back up , bout five miles back up here. Five or six miles back up here. Linda Yea. ,So you' know this mountain by heart, hmm? ,J 1''.....",) Baily vea, 19oes) all the way from here almost to Dahlonega. Linda nid your Dad ever keep any slaves or hel"O runaway ,:lalr,s of any kind? Baily No, my folks never did have any. Linda Did they ever meet any runaway slaves may')e as they were tryjn' to get away? Do you remember any? page 50 ',aily I don't know of any that was t,ryin' to [let away. I,ly Grandaddy said there was a nigger girl uh who was workin' right up there '(Ii VTJ/i,R \ove9 the creek ri.ght along side the road. There come a feller . Nu alonf' and sold her. J believe the Prader' s tlh own',,} 'n owned c~ {\ this place here. He'd been and he sold her said that ole nigger gal was cryin' and sold her. Linda 1,Vas this before they were set free? Baily "'lea, I fore the:>"C was turned loose and a . Linda She was just walld.n I dmm the roaci? Ha:Lly No they come and bought her from the Fraders. [ihe was a workin' out up down there next to the creek. Linda nh yea, we're her parents there too? 'aily Yea. 1'hem people sold her and that feller bought her. He was comin f through huntin t up som8 niggers. Baily Take down to grow eotton. Faulkner They bought and sold slaves just like they rl.o horses today. Baily Just same as sold horses. Linda ;'ounds kinda cruel. Baily It is. Linda That cloe!, over there, you said it's been runnin' now how many years? ='aily Let's see we bought that clock in 1904. That's about 50... Unda 19041 That's 611 years. page 51 Baily :',ixty-four years. Faulkner ,C_~ixty-four years now .. '<aily Uh-huh, yea. Faulkner That ole thing keeps rii5,ht with itself. Dad Yea, keeps runnin I .. Faulkner 'Nind it one tj,n18 a week. Linda Baily Is that all? Yea, just wind it oJk ~bme a week. h, Linda n's a beautiful clock. Where did you buy it? Just somewhere in the city? ~jaily Hor Daddy bought it over in uh Gain8sville.. Cost T believe two dollars or something like that. Linda That is really beautiful. Baily Oh I could have sold it fer a whole lot of money, but I wouldn't sell it. Linda I don't blame you. It's a beautiful, beautiful clock. ",aily VFoll, it keep" good time. Linda Yea, why get rid of it? ilaily I worked on it once to get it regulated. Homer That was more to pay than it i s now and you'll pay i~lOO. Faulkner There's plenty of people that would give j\lOO for that clock. Homer l1ichard Brookshire down her" cut his wood last week had a big ax he was bettin 'on. He bought that for two dollars and a half. ,Said now they WilS so high h" wouldn't buy one and I says traell, they're cheaper now than they "las then. No, says "How much do you make a c:aid "'I"!811 you can buy s:lx for the 1,0"" <I day1 II/and I i "I page 52 price of interest. Works still keep comin'''. c3aily Worked for fifty c nts a day when that clock was bought. Baily !'"out twcclvc hours a day. Linda VThere did you rirst work? Baily Hmm? Linda Where did you first work or have you always been a farmer? Baily I I ve worked for myself and neV(cr have worked for puplic works ttd,A all my life. And that's what got people away from the cmmtry fit, here. When they opened up the Jin8s down here at Copperhill, DucktoWTl, and people got to workin' gait" down there in little spells and they'd get a dollar and a half a day when you only got fifty cents a day here. And they'd go do'm1 there and work and come back here and make themselves a little crop you know. A lot of 'em did. Finally they kept getUn' bigger and then they got to mavin' clmm there and UP here to Dalton and Calhoun, h1arj,etta and all these places and back where there was factories and they could get money. You see you couldn't get no money if you was just workin' fifty cents a day. Baily That's what got 'em out from this country here. It was thick settled here when I was a little kid. LiiJda Heal1y1 Baily Why they'd come a here in this church house on page 53 Sunday.. Linda Uh-huh. 'aily The meetin' house we'd use for meeti,n' was full up with people from Hickory flats and people settled in all through there. Linda Did you have big dances too? Baily Hmmm? Linda Did you have big dance.s in the church on ,sunday night? Baily No, they wouldn't have them dances at all. Is that what you said, dances? Linda They wouldn't have dance s? Baily No. Didn't have no dances. Linda Why? Baily Bad benches to sit on but they wouldn't dance. Faulkner What he's talkin' 'bout in the church they didn't have no dances but in!. the country..... Baily Oh yea, they'd have big time.s y'ou know. Faulkner They'd gather at one anothers homes and have dances. tz,O!~.st~ Baily Yea. I used to go watch 'em play out to (wes) fication (?). I remember back when I was a little feller and a feller over ! j' here name ,John P:terce, they cal]0(j.'I~m and he was busy swingin' 'round you know. Just give me a s1Jing and plum fell into the v,jJe," bed and we just laughed. And like he turn lo',se and went _ the " bed. Linda Did you play at these dances? Baily Bmm? Linda Did you play at these dances like Mr. Faulkner played a fiddle? Baily ,';omeone else played. riel1 uh some of 'em danced. They' cl play the fiddle and dance. Linda Do you play the fiddle? Baily No T never did play the fiddle. Linda "0 you remembor any of th' old songs you used to sing? Baily Yea, I Imovr lots of I em ohey used to sing. II:inda Could you sing me some? Baily The oldest song J remember back when I wac; jm;t a kid was ',J- dp;;t', IIAmazin l Gracfi tt Y~e used: ~,l.. Linda Really? I've never heard that one., ,Could you sing it for me please? Baily They sing that yet. r;:~ I seemed like I heard somebody sing that one on the radio not long ago. Homer Ecar that pveryday.. Baily "Amazin' c.race".' Thi"Y had lots of songs. Faulkner We used tG have what wo call the Clld Christian Harmony four note book. Bsily The four note book. Linda Really? Faulkner Yea. That was before the seven Dotes came into use now. 1.Ye use four notes. Linda That was the "Fa-so-la" singing? Faulkner "Fa-so-la" singing, that's right. They still have a group over here that si.ngs it. page 55 Linda Where is this? Faulkner Ticanetley Church. J...Jinda That I s the one lNe passed, yea. Haily 1'here's still some in there that sings yet, I beli eve. They have a singin' in there nearly every August. They come back and them people was raised over there you know. Linda Yea. Baily A lot of them live there now and they come back in August. Linda And sing some songs. Baily 'Bout the fourth ,Sunday in August. Linda Is it just that time? Baily It's the Chureh that eomes a little off the road. All you do is eross that ridge at that Church right up there. You ean see it from the roae. Baily If you notice, that's 1'icanetley right there. Linda vea, I pemember l:!r. Faulkner pointing it out to us. I remember it was an unusual name. Do y.ou remember how to sing any of the songs? Baily It's every fourth Sunday in August oncet a year. Linda Can you sini: any of the songs? 8aily No I don't sing. Linda Do you know any of the verses? I'm sure you sing. Baily No I don't sing. Linda Not at all? What about "Barbary Allen", did you ever hear of page .% "Barbary Allen"? Baily Bmm? Linda "Barbary AD en", the song. Bai.ly "Barbary Allen"? Yea, I hoard it. Linda Vou know that one? Baily No, coulcln't sing it. Faulkner "Barbary Allen", that's an old love song. Linda Do you know how to sing it? Faullmer T don't remember the words of it. Baily I don't either. e I ai.n' t hC,;lrd that one i.n along time. t Been years sincei\ heirI'd that song. I used to hear it. Faulkner I ain't heard that thing in thirty years. Been a long time since I heard it. Linda What about some of the songs you used to sing at church. Do you remember any of' those songs in the "Fa-so-Ian singing? Faul1,{ner Yea. In the "Fa-so-Ian singin'. Yea., I don I t ~emember the words of 'em. One of 'em was "T'm Dying Mother Now". (begins to sing) I am dYi'tM&::Tother now.. Please ~~ up my achin' head. Turn ov"r my pillow once again And kiss my fevery cheok. I am dying Mother nOW For I am so weak. Linda That was good. That was real good. And thi.. s was one of the songs you used to sing in church? Faulkner That was one of the old Christian Harmony songs. T"inda Do you remember some more? Faulkner Well, I can't remember now it's bo'm so long. page 57 Homer You ought to come here when they have their singin'. You can hear some of 'emo Baily You cab hear it 'bout next August, T believe it is and when you come up here, you 111 hear a lot of good singin'. Linda Vie saw some real pretty churches on the way. Batly And that's the first Sunday in August up here. Linda Oh, the first Sunday up here and the fourth Baily That's their lIomecomin'. They come from lots of places way ('oJT tc, over. , Used to ] ive right here and they come over. h Linda Heally? Baily 'l'hey come from Chattanooga, Ohio and some from up here. Faulkner Pap, tell 1 er 'bout some of the ole! log rollin 1 s we used to give back in these hills. Linda \'Iha t are they? Baily vou know we roll logs and carry I em. We'd get four men, sometimes six men and carry' em on sticks all up sometimes there'd be three on one side and three on the other side and we'd carry the logs on sticks. Unda On sticks? Baily Yea, hand sticks we call 'em. Put I em under the logs one on one side. T used to do tha t all the time just regular. But after T moved down here there wasn't but one la, rollin'. Just one after I moved off the mountain. Linda HeaHy? And that was down over... Daily 'lea, that was back up the mountain there. And there wasn't but p2.ge 58 one v,hen I moved dowrn here and that was the first year I moved hrore, I think, 'bout the next ;';pring. Homer That's been about 55 years. Baily I roll 'em with my cattle and get my steers to haul with ... haul (,1;1:Ft my Irish potatoes. I - roll 'em with 'em. I put me a chain A Around it an I wrap it around :Lt side and not have to make a 10g Sl <1 U' to twenty for them log rollin I s. Linda Uh-huh, yea. Paily People would Ibile logs and I'd put my chain 'round that and put them oyer on the back of the log pile and put me some skids down and make them as the log rolls the chain would roll the log over on the nile. Linda Batry vea, that'.! be a good way. And I wa s pull in I 'em on up one time and and they didn't stop when I told 'em to qUick enough and the log come on over and it come over. I made 'em, I jus't made lem pull it back around the logs and put it back again. Linda 1(ea. Baily Th!ey didn't hardly get it up there, but they did. Linda Finally. Baily Made me sorta mad they wouldn I t stop when T told 'em to. Linda Yea .. Baily My steers most the time when I speak to 'em they stop. NuQ Faulkner TheY'dhlines on 'em and they was free and they obeyed his commands. Linda Yea. Faulkner And when he'd t.ell 'em "Cee" or "rlhoa, come here buck", they'd meant. !-1al1y Yea.. "Gee backll , 1l1Nhoa backtf , llWhoa come u, ..... Linda What do those terms mee,n? naily They'd come this way (indicat.es toward himself) when you'd say If/lhoa come" and when you said '"Nhoa back" t.hey'd go over on that side (indicates his right. side). Linda Uh-huh. Baily You could learn 1 em "Gee" - "Gee'" s l.Jke t.o the right and "Haul" is to the left. I used to plow my own - T plowed with some of the best ox~'/IS I've owned two in my life. Two of the best things to plow as I've about ever plowed. Faulkner Them steers whenever you had 'em trained, they'd mind (f~~ 1'1/1 better than a kid. ijJIV'''_ Baj],y And one good thing about 'em when I was workin' l' d,rather have 'em on a farm than have mulc;s or horses because if I had anything to do I could stop 'em and I could go on worldn' long as J wanted too and t!'ay'd stay back. !!Jule and horse, something like that was as mean a get a devil in 'em and directly their gone. Linda Vea. Baily Them ole steers would stay there. Faulkner Wouldn't move a leg they was glad to get the rest. Baily They'd get lei,V rest while you was workin , at something. And chew their cud you know page 60 I drove 'em out here one night T was gain' back into the mountains and it was so dark I coulcln' t see the road, hand 'fore mo) nothin I. I jest set in the wagon let them go as tl1ey please and they carried me right on j n horne. Linda Heally? nU8SS they 80rta have a sixth sense .. Baily J went to Cartersville one nightland one day and went allover Cartersville sellin' out my Llad and T camped out this side of Cartersville. 'Fore vm went in there ,:L!,d camped just',utside (I,' f'.~l,{Ji!iA} and went all 'round through there ~~nd when I started out there was Lou's '':lrother and my brother-in-law was wi.th me on clown in Cartersville, and they lived out on the other side called uh uh POSS\lJrl Trot .. not I'os,mm Trot uh but Pine Log but they called it Possum 'J'rot. And we started out they said we' s goi.n' th,e wrong way, we're gain' the wrong way. And I said "N a don't you never say a word they'll carry us right plum back to wherc we stayed I ast night. They'll carry us back. '" Well after we got way out of Cartersville they got outside Cartersville they'd say why they believe we are p:oin I back the right way. Vtent just the way we went throu.gh there and they come out 'bout the same place. And when we got back there it was late at night and we camped. They got back to that place they ,just run right off the road with the wagolll. And they do that When the sun went down them cattle vmule 8:0 out on the side every place - every camuin' place they'd come to. They'd side out and yOU'd have page 61 to make 'em go on. l'lut they ,just go to ~'.t fast as they could, (( {i''fl'\f!. GrJ tc,jr,,;tJ,j]jL. lea:;;Be_:th~;'knO~v-i-tr-waf1a,Jgoodplace to camp and they'd move rigl:it on in. Pullithe wagon out to camp. Boy - I love to work 'em after 'when T got some good ones. Faulkner They have more intelligence than they ever had credit for. Baily Yeae- Linda That's true. Baily And I was pretty good to mine I nevor would beat on 'em. Homer Someone claims that one went 1500 miles to come home. steer over there 'went Faulkner Tell'er 1500 miles~,o come ~"Sk home~. '1 _"j)i,- 0','W},lAl'1 '1-",~.4.t,"",' J)NuJ 11{UL Ilkc.~', k, , how you used to split boards, to 'JuiJ.d houses. ''lai.ly Yea, build houses. Linda Did you make this Babin out here? Baily Yea, I built that. Linda How did you dci that? 'laily I cut my logs and hauled 'em down here) pulled 'em down here 'with my team of mules. Linda Oh th' mules this time. Haily Pulled 'em down thel"e and notched 'em, notched 'em up myself. Linda Uh-huh. How did you notch 'em~ Baily With an ax, choppin~ ax.. Linda Is there, a style to tha t? Bail'! You can see how I cut it and how they're put together. Linda Well I know I heard somebody talkin' 'bout the styles of the ends of 'em, like a dove tail and half dove tail. page 62 Baily I notched 'em up both ways and round. We used to build houses MAlf we'd ~ the logs - they's ab01iCcight inches thick. Ilnd I call tha t a (love tail notch. Cut it square down here and level it off like that and square down there. Then you cut this one back here this way to let j t hit right on that. ,Just hold right down on it with a dove tail. Linda Oh yea, I see. Did you put some sort of a something in it like a mud to keep it toc;ether'! Baily Uh, nothing. Linda It just stays together? Baily You bet it stays, you can't tear it dowl!1. ~'aulkner They'd dab the cracks with mud. here it's right down over yonder. the bottom's :cotten out. It' 8 been 1913. Been there 'bout"" years. Linda Long time. It's about to fall downf" ti'll)( If~;t therc,-I buiJt ~t~_ in Faulkner But it won't fall down. They'll l"an over but they won't fan do,'ffi. They used to dove tail their logs after they trrri~,a+ll hued 'em. Then bore a hole down and drive a pin - little pins out and pin 'em. 8aily And that was in the wall plate up at the top. Where they was finishin' up - I done that. ;,inda'lid you do that to this one out here'! page 63 ;,aLly No. Linda '!That about ~our house here, how did you build it? Baily I 1).80d frame for it. It 1 s out of frHme .. faulkner ',awed lumber. ~Iaily Sawed lumber around this house here is twelve feet long. It's what you call a story and a half. Sixteon feet's a two story and this one is twelve feet. There's pretty good room up in the top. Linda Sorta Uke a littlil: attic. ',aHy It drops down on the stairway. Linda I knoVl )~1r. Faulkner had a pretty eEciting t.ime with the house they mo"ed into. He was telling me about a ghost he ran into up there. Did you ever run into anything like that? A ghost, a r.launt? Baily No, T never did hoar tb<'m. T thought T h"ard one but T ahf3ys run around and found out what it was. Linda Like when? Baily Hear something else I'd think I heard one. Linda V!hen did you hear a sound you thought was a ghost? fiaHy Oh I don't know used to hear that a lot when I was a boy. They teU me all kinds of tales and I could hear lots of things. Linda What did they ten you? Baily They'd ten me about Haints, about seGin' somebody that didn't have no head - about see in' somebody that didn't have no head. Linda Did they give any reason'l T mean like maybe his wife had killed page 6lj him or ROmut.hing. Baily I just. ima,;ined after I got. big enough t.o know anything about them they seemed to stop. When I was just a little boy I stayed with 'fen here and he'd tell me about a bear. T was about four or five. T staved here with you know, his wife died. And my grandpa and he was isS .t};;' MF&. 'J'wig~lived right a widder out on a branch here and he'd get me to ride the cow out for her to milk in the mornin'. And 1" d take her up thern and ole man Twig's was gain I out therf~ one ni.::ht and there was something come up there from the branch and come into the road there and they !just corne and ldnda met up and it jumped the branch and uh he came down here or send some of 'em down here after my grandpa to go down there and look at its tracks ano see what it was been 'n racki.n' in that. mud you know before it jumped the branch. While I was all alone and T wa s just H'little bugger too. And they told!me big bear tales all the time and Twas scalO'ed of bcars. And he looked out and says it was bear tracks. No, nary another time would I carry that cow UP there. And I could see that bear once in a while in the bushes and I'd ho11er and squeal and It' d be a stump - a black stump. I could jest see it you know for a long time, T was scared to get out. He'd tell me a bunch of bear tale s you know hisself. Yea, I was jest a little bugger and I'd meet him here and held tell me. Li.nda INhat kind of benr storles did he tell you? Baily H(~ said that thc,re wa:o t.wo felIers or three went out to camp page 65 and they stayed all niGht and the nnxt mornin' t.hey divided out and one feller went. one way and t.he ot.her went. another way. He carne up on this lit.t.le bear layin' on a log playin' wit.h a plum. And he looked all around and he couldn't see that. older one no vThere and he shot. t.hat lit.t.le 'un. And when he shot. it. he squalled and looked 'round for a tree to climb. And when he shot it., it. squalled and here corne that old one right down the mountain, right at him. And he took up this t.ree and ran up:> to the top, just a big sapling tree and run up to the top. And 1\;",\ the top broke out with him and when the top come back down and " scared th,' old bear and it run back up the hill and he got on JJlJiQ" back up the ~ 'fore it got hill1 back. Oh that jest scared me to ,leath. Linda J can imagine. Baily Jest a little ole bue;ger. Homer He made you wash the dishes, didn't he Pap"! Baily Yea, he said "illow if you don't take the cow you've got to wash ,n the eli shes. T told 'im T' d was 'em. I wouldn't carr),' the cow and you know he'd have the water so hot it'd burn me. He'd hot the water. Have the water hot and pour it in the pan. T know T can't stand the water, it burns me. l,itGo on", he said, "you have to wash I em in hot water to get 'em clean. f~ Linda So you'd have to wash 'em in hot water whi_le he'd take the cow out. Baily "ea. And I'd wash ()jslws, wouldn't carry that cow back. Linda nid you ever run into any ghosts? page 66 Homer ~o I never seed one. Linda 11id you ever hear any stories about them? Homer i-Teart d a rew stories but I never did much believe in 'pm. ':\,rany as T heard about the church and T walked through it at n~;ght. Tj,nda 'rht"J church? Eomer Yoa, up in the cemetary, the graveyard UP there ~ There's a trail ri ght through it you know. Linda Well, are there supposed to be ghosts:in the cemetary up there? 'Jaily Say, T clan' t care how mean you are to me when you're dead T ain't scared of you. Linda Saily Pardon? No matter how mean you arc whem(you' re dead J you. '" ~,;.;t ain't scared of Ie I.inda Cause you just don't exist any more huh? 3aily You conldn' t hurt me after you dies. Linda T think T might scare you pretty bad. '~8.ily fTO you couldn It. Faulknror T heard a story 'bout two guys gain' to steal some sheep. One of 'em was gain' to wait in the eemetary while the other went down there on the side of the mountain and got in his neighbor' 8 pasteur to get the sheep. He went down and caught the sheep, throwed him on his shoulder and wac comin' back up. There' 0 been somc guys cutc.in' timber over there and one of 'em rolleo a log over his leg and broke it. And uh broke his leg and he had him on his shoulder and they had to go page 67 right by the cemetary and he carried him to where he could get 'em into a wagon and ca.rry him to the doctor. And this guy who was his buddy wac: gain 1 to steal the sheep was goi.n' to help h:im carry it, was over behind the tOH'bstone. And this guy come along with that guy on his shouldIJrs who'd broke his leg. He stuck his head around and he thought thi,, .~wr was his buddy who'd gone to steal the sheep and he said "Is he"at?" And the guy says "Fat or lean, you can have Him." 1. And he throwed him down and took off. And that ,guy with the broken leg got up and out:)'un him. rn 0)\1 tift' not fer f'rom . n'd claclay l1adn' 1. walked none l"rj sevePl year s one now T'lltell rellers. They went a-fishin' and uh there'.,} fA. ?,d!}iu/-v' been a grave dug right fresh and '~ lived clown and eouldn' 1. waJ-k. And they sent on", of kev\!1 these fellers out to ge\. a sheep while they was uh di.vidin' vJ\-j . the fi sh. Aftd the one that caught th-.. fish uh they'd fished the ehqreh house and his (y\tIN",t tI}) vrtt/,j and "h",.h1\'" I rheumatism 1'11 teU one. You taId ,,' '.I (I of 1 mn T ',e 1 ieve rthese ) ~ };" naily they'd caught the fish,and they was down in that grave dividin' ~.#.N'.J.~ 'em fish and he'd say "Now you t""tirb this one and l'll take that t-\J!\Y'-\:= one. YouLtake this one 'and I'll take that one." and this boy come along and h.e .he...~.r...ct 'em and it scared him and he rlJ-n down ~j1 tlo llAI yI ~)~. ~,,~~ I---Q c,lN'Jf"~ d!f" to his daddy;ll4:l!:L,re ha<'\n' t waJked tn ~ years;,he said "Dackly, i'!'.l\.i"'A''''''P;,'UV;\ , "IS God and the Devil =~~ up there in the cemctary dividin T the (jead.. " tlAh," he says "if you don't Ilyou know that ain't true * It 1\IIt sure is" he says '. ., 'I'~ nc beli.eve ;;;" YOU~~rlook dOVlri]~nd see." He said page 68 VJQQQ IIYou know T can't go .. l! "Well, HI he says "T'll carry you".. ~_ he got on his back and he carried him up there vou know. He 11 ~ tG. '1\ i'A.--.-ii',,, <~;";.., heard 'em."You~ thlS 'un and I'll take that 'un". Hp heard 11\" " 'em countin', he wanted to get a'little c10~rl and he got UP h and he wanted to see :i.D the grave. rrhev dug it, they was gonna bury somebody there. So he got up) he kept wanUn' to get closer . tJ 'y-eKI ~ I Iii so he could se~. 'em and 'f" r8c!r6a he got up close enough ....... one ~\!.tlfJ""yji :[t of 'em seel!! "im down in the grave where they was dividin' fish. . b. And he looked'up and he says "Is h" fat'!" He says "Fat or 1ea.n take 'em as it isl" And he saiel they split up and run as hard as he could and his daddlr caught up and beat bim back. I gue ss tba t would've scared me. Linda That was a good one. <aily He thought they'd he looked up and he tbought that fellCl'1 had come with the sheep., Linda ,rea, naily c,.ays "Is he fat'!" and he savs "Fat or lean take . " He throwed him down and away he went. Faullmc'r Thought they were gonna divide him UD I guess. BaIly Yea ... clivi din , the ... in there dividin' the dead. And that was about as good a ghost as I ever heard. J?au1kner I went possum huntin 'one time a.nd me and two more ni~"gers. ( We got over in the deep h4l1er over there and I WRS just a boy and them I happened to thj~nk ni.ggersis superstitious and it was these nigger, boys and :L t was their dog out there and page 69 T didn't havo no dO!!Se They had some good possum and coon {!v',,~ 1 1(1, dogs. And I told I ern to bring I em down~ we go possum huntin I. Do we got over in th is holler and there was a cove 'IX just like "'oin' up~and them clogs turn their bristles up and comin I runnin' to us and their bristle:: all turned np and the oldest ni'f;ge:; boy I'bout twelve he says "Dis is Friday J-J..}j}{ r night shor'. l,jeet lmowed them dogs would tr~': haints". ~{ And they got haLl of their dogs and started out/<there. And T said "Wait, lets go on up the holler and see what this is." And we went' ad up and we saw something white looked like eight or ni.ne feet hi ,gh. It was comin I this 1Nay then it would go back and OV8r that a way and this way. Course that'fas my imagination. T had a owlhead 38 in my pocket and I pulled that thing out and I told it'd better speak if it was just sm:'eone tryi,n' to pull a prank or Twas gonna shoot. No one replied. PiAi't; So I ",ho:0't down on that thing six times as fast as I could and it never phased it. 1'hen we all took ofr. Linda Didn't stick around huh? Faulkner Vie didh't stick around. So the next da,,\' me and my ')rother) he was with us) uh jllst a bit younger than myself, we deci.dcd we'd go back in that cove there and see if we co ulrl see what it, was. ;':0 we loaded the pistols and shotgnns and went back., t.Af'"f1"',1.....c,, rJ""1"of.(.. ~1,,,t) And right 'bout where we thought :Lt was, we started g&'i1T' and '. Ii' \}"p, , T fmilld i. t. There it was-ae lI&ld dead,hi.ckory stump and fire had been on it and burned it and the ashes was white. You know how on hickory the ashes will be wh:Lte? And while we went on page 70 up and inspected nh. -the tree, Tid hit:j.t every timp .r..... shot,<Jll with the 38. That's what it was a burned hickory snag. F\ut we -.imagined that thing a comin I at us and it scared the dogs /-;'1" too.. They Y'l'1n up on ~\and realized they 'HaS on it I guess o \Ve never did get thf?ll1 nigger boys to bi'.ing their do:::::s back on Friday night .. J5ncla 1Vhy are they 8uperstjtj.ous about Friday, do ;you knovr? "',{{W. '1'! ;h""Avi-f\. Faulkner 'l"!rctt-' s""et!,UBe the dogs tro" haints on Friday nights. Linda" They do what? c'aullmer '''foulc! tree haints, spooks. Linda rfree? Faulkner That's right, tree 'em. Dad Hun 'em up a tree .. Linda nh, I see. And the\1 djdn I t want to get caught with one up a tree huh? faulkner \10 t1".1ey rJidn't. want their dogs tr"ein' haints cause they was afraid of fern .. Linda What other kinds of superstitions do they have? I didn't know they were that superstitious. Homer They used to carry old rabbits 1'eet" Faulkner "Yea, U18Y used to carry old rab'Jits 1'Gct to keep the witches o1'f. Carry a rabbits 1'oot in their pocket. IJinda Were there a lot. of witches in thts area? Homer Never have seen one. \~ight 1ve r;ettin I to thinkin 1 any thi.ng. TrJ1agination would run away. Fa1.Jlkner You C()1Jlrl 1 Pl'-, -'it Y'l1n ,qway lHhether you believed...... page n Homer You talee some people you lenow were sick.' , S0lncthine; bad wrong with I em, they'd pop up ann die. Imagination wouln run 3way with I em and there' s was nothin! wrong with you. naily Hmm? , p"'...... No 1: don't ever ..... '1' newer did beliove 9R'S", I've always heard of I em but I n('~vcr did believe tn I em. Linda Did you ever know of anyon!'~ that nut a hpx on anyone p-IRc or he~,' signs of any kinc1? Faulkner Cause a spell to come on I ern. Baily Yea, they claim they put spells on ll8m.. ~1hey never did put a spell on nIP. Nah, I've been here a good long while but tht~y never have put no spell on me. I take spell s, but they ain't no vritches. Linda lid you ever know of anyone that had a spell on him? Baily HmrmJI? Linda lid yrlU ever know of 3nyone that had a snell on him? naily No T never di d see nobody with a spell on him. It ve heard of I em tell about hypnotizin l peopl,;. I,:inda Yea.. The witches hypnotize people? naily And there's a feller over there J believe was un painter lived . L~~~ back :Ln DaVfson and a feller come along and they was talkin' 'bbut f' l1ypnotizin' and they kept talkin I and he kept talkin I 'round to BW "ohat, pa:'mt'er you Imow, h." got, l1'1 s m'l.dn 0 .f.f.' hJ'.m. "'n1c he got tryin' to put his eoat on for b:ots. They had him doin' all kinds of things. And then Kinsey used to live over here. Wife page 72 Hsed to ten about it said it used to tickle her his name was Alec~ He was the postmaster.. And a feller come along and wanted to knew if he had some money 'in his Docket. And he said no, I thJnk be said he didn t t have rone. And he said !IiNhy :\fou have. tf And hn said lfiNell put your hand in you pocket and see I'"',,{ if you have some .. " {,;O he; put his hand in that pocket '&Q-~:L_j", he had some <m~ sure enough. -he--~ And they talked on a little while and he says "You .&;;~! got no money :in your pocket. II And yea he felt in his pocket and he didn't have none and it tickled her you know. He kept talkin' to him there and had him so bad tangled up. That tickled her. She use,d to tell me about it. Linda Didn't know if he had any money in his pockClt. Paily That feller got lLim bewUrlffI'ed Game way. Tickled her to see him bewildered that ,my. "he said it sure did. Linda "r. saily, what year were you born? '3aily 1879, March the twelfth. Linda .Long tiE18 ago, hnnn? Ba:i ly Yea, ben si"veral days .. Linda Several clays. Tell me do you know much about how to predict the weather? For your crops and thi.ngs? Like when it's going to rain and thines like that? Like Mr. Faulkner was telling me that the first twelve days of the new year Raily Yea, ther was tWEllve rulin' days and it was th" twenty-fifth of pecember and the la st rulin' day was the fifth Of' January, the last seven days of the old year and the first five of the new vear. page 73 Linda Yea~ i-laily You could tell what was camin ' .. Linda And on th sixth t'lat was EttIe Christmas? Baily Yea, and most of 'em counted Chri_stmas as the first rulin' day. Linda Yea .. "aily 'then went on up to the first of the new year and that made seven days in the last of the year. Linc)a 'Tea, onp week. 'la~Uy And there's seven months in the year that had 31 days in it. Linrla Yea. Paily And there' s five months tha t have 30 days and once in a while we'll have 29, every four yellrs 29 days incebruary. Twentyeight for three years and then the fourth we'll have 29. L:i.nda "I(ca. : 5 : .: . :iTr. Faullm"r with his hand made fiddle. page 7h , 85 y"ar okl chair made by Mr. F'aulkn"r', Dad. : : '(~r. and I1r1rs. Turner and grandson. page 7rJ I"rs. Baily and Mr. Faulkner. . The s fireplace.
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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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