Linda Lanier interview with Reverend Forest Traylor Jr., Dorothy Traylor, Barbara J. Lanier, John Holmes, Bill Emmett, Bill Havens, Don Buchanan, and Jim Lanier

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Discriminatory language against African Americans is used in stories that start at 8:30, 27:00, and 43:20. In this recording Reverend Forest Traylor Jr., Dorothy Traylor, Barbara J. Lanier, John Holmes, Bill Emmett, Bill Havens, Don Buchanan, and Jim Lanier tell religious stories and jokes. Forest Traylor and his wife Doroty Traylor start, subsequent interviewees are not named. Many of the stories and jokes take place amongst rural communities in the south and in the mountains, although a couple take place in Atlanta, Georgia. Some stories highlight differences between Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterian congregations and reverends, others include Catholics and priests as well as Rabbis. Several stories cover race relations in the South. At 9:54 one of the interviewees tells a humorous story about a priest and a rabbi who work together and are friends. The rabbi confesses to eating pork and the priest confesses to having sex; the rabbi says sex is better than pork. In another story at 14:19, a priest and a rabbi compete to outdo each other, and the priest feeds the rabbi pork chops. There is a story at 27 minutes about the integration of churches in the South. In it a Black man goes to heaven. St. Peter asks about the status of integration, to which he responds it is progressing well in schools, colleges, and even churches. He says that he attended a White Baptist Revival Church and felt welcome, but implies that the preacher drowned him. The second to last story of this recording, which starts at 53:20, is about a White prisoner and a Black prisoner. The White prisoner finds religion and wants to spread the gospel, deciding to help an angry Black man. After he dies, the Black man cries at his grave saying he was the only Jewsus that I ever knew. Forest Lamar Traylor Jr. (1918-1987) was born in Davidson, Kentucky, to Forest L. Traylor (1891-1975) and Brodie Priest Traylor (1893-1985). The family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he later worked as a salesman before enlisted in the army as a private in 1941. He married Dorothy Reese (1919-1997) in 1942 and they had a daughter, Linda. Traylor served as a Presbyterial minister and later moved to Macon, North Carolina. Barbara Lanier (1929-2020) married William Radine McGee (1928-2012) in 1948 and had three children, William R., Claudia Vogt, and Ted, and move to Orlando, Florida. There is no transcript for this recording. 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. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.