Linda Cowen interview with Ellis J. Brittain, Calvin O. Bragg, Herbie Lee Eller, Leonard Holt, and Ethel Hays (part two)

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. This is the second part of a three part recording; in this part, Ellis Brittain continues his recording of the Coweta County Courthouse Group Singings in Newman, Georgia. In the audio, the chorus, led by a leader, sings folk songs in the fa-so-la styles, also known as shape-note singing. The transcript notes that Brittain learned fa-so-la singing when he was 13 or 14 by accompanying his father to singing performances. Ellis J. Brittain (1893-1972) was born to William Tom Brittain (1870-1959) and Emma Francis Huff (1868-1904) in Culvin, Alabama, where he lived until 1895. He and his family, which included four siblings, then moved to Carroll County, Georgia. He married Vela Crawford Brittain (1890-1964). In 1922, he moved his family to Atlanta, where he worked for Pullman Company until 1927. He died in Whitesburg, Georgia. Calvin O. Bragg (1928-1987) was born in Jefferson County, Texas, to Charles Wilson Bragg (1889-1963) and Lillie Dora Parham Bragg (18941978). He was raised in Madison, Georgia and lived in Decatur. He married Donna Geneva Scoggins Bragg (1931-2013). Herbie Lee Eller (1921-2008) was born in Clarksville, Georgia, to John Gordon Eller (1868-?) and Lear Addis Eller (1900-1999). During World War II, he served as an aircraft technician in the United States Armed Forces. He married to Elise Welch (1930- ) on September 15, 1947, and they had one daughter, Leila Eller (1943-2004). Leonard Holt (1911-1979) was born and raised in Cobb County, Georgia, with four siblings. He married his first wife, Roma Tempi Clark (1915-1985), in 1934. They had one child, Joyce Holt Johnson (1941-1997). With his second wife Ethel Odene Hulsey (19261991), he had five children: Wylene Reed (1944- ), Sheila Henderson (1946- ), Ronald Holt (1948-2017), Sharon Medley (1952-2017), and Scarlett Holt (1952- ). He died in Marietta, Georgia. Ethel Hays (1891-1973) was born in Newton County, Georgia, where she lived the rest of her life. She had nine siblings and was a home-maker. Additional biographical information has not been determined. 1. Inf@rm'lnt' s n!lrrte - Mr. F.llis J. Brittain. date- Third Sunday in Octeber, 1968 time f cell"cting- 10:00 A,M,- 11:30 A,M, hew I cw1e t .. meet my inf,i,rmants- A neighbor livine; n<llxt doer t@ my great aunt had a brether-in-law, Mr, Brittain, wh he th,rnght know how te sing fa-sEl-lR sengs, He gav;i tat, Mr. Brittains name and tr.le.phrn number and W<t then c,mt,wted him, 11, Histerical/d,nscriptive sketch f the aroa- This was unabl., te be cebtained sine,;; th,~ thirty te f@rty p.iepl"l in th& greup ciam<l! frem diff,,rent parts ef Ge@rgia and other Seuthern states, Mr, Brittain I s ancestry can be traced te England, mao pinpointing my informant 1 s Ctllllnunity- This is on the fc,llwing page, 111, Bi@graphical/ descriptivs sketch: appearia.nc<>- Mr, Brittain is a tall man with grey hair, He wears glasses while singing ..nd lo,o,ks rather stt1rn and has little te say, when bern [age] - July 3, 1893. where bern- Heard ceunty, Georgia. where grl'IW up- Until the age ef two, and en<t-half he lived in Culvin, Alabama. In 1910 they moved te Carrell county, Geergia. In 1922 they moved te Atlanta. way ef life when ~rwing up- He grew up en the farm and in the tewn. c@mmunity- 'l'h@ singing was rec0rded at C@wet:.i. c0unty, C>urtheuse, Newrn,n, Ge@rgia, Mr, Brittain and his wif<' liv,;, th,,ugh, at 299 Fergusen street, N,E,, Atlanta, Ga,, 30307, do,scriptien @f C0urth,ms11- 'l'hmre is a pictur,i, f@llewing the tran sr,r1.pt. ccupati@ns-.as ,.,r. Brittain said, he h'ls"fellewed censtructien'' r.nd ,u,rked fer the Pullm9.n ue, sinoe 1927 ancl. fr .. m wnich he is new re t ir.,d, rv. ~lace of collecting: state- Geergiet county- Ueweta t,,wn- Newnan directions f"r finding heuso- V, ~ranscript @f the folklore: Roel number sn;,, and tw@. R@el nurab"r en11: 195-215 fi:,irst :i.ing, beginning in middle ef song_\ 229-233 \~11c,md s@ng, beginning in middl@ f sen~\ 234 ~r,rnp: \u.nintelligibl talkin~ 235-239 Leader: All right- w0 1 re germa eilng-uh-first >1nd sec end verse \11.nin telligibl@ talking~ .. 240-269 ~l'hird song, people nu,ving mik~J 269 J:~reup ris@s f,>r prayer by ll!ader} 270-288 Leader: "Our Fathttr ,and 111ur llod- Fa.th@r we thank 'l'he f@r th .. bl-.,ssingll! which thu Lunitelligibl@].' Father W"J thank 'l'he /ynintelligibl!\ We thank 'l'he@ !{i.nintelligiblej Fllther we thank Th \i'.inintelligibleJ 289- fi:ieepl<1 are seate~j 291- llreup: [unintell igibl,, talkingj 296- Leader: One sabney-ene \.ann,mncing n,:,xt sens_~ Pers en frm ,q;reup: One sebney-ene. 296-339 [,:;eng number l 7i) 340-349 \.trfllup: \1ininti,lligible talking_\ Leader: On@ twenty- sv1.1n l:ir@up: [unint,;lligiblt> tcalkingj r~rsn frem greup: One twenty-seven l:ireup: (imint~lligibl.@ talkir1gj 350-382 [::oeng numbdtr 127J 386- 392 l:ireup: iiinint.,lligi bl" t lilking,\ 393-399 Group: \practicing singing\ 395 J:'er8<1>n in gr ... up: One thirty-fiv,ie, 396-400 r.iiosen in i\'r,rnp: i's,.,ys s@m@th:lng unintiDlligibly which steps s:lngin~. 400-436 \~eng numb.,.r 135j 4;3 7 -463 Gr 1111p: 454-455 456 457 458-460 461 \~nlntelligible talkingj Let 1 s sing Fifty-seven lr9up: Lunintelligible talkin~\ Leader: Fifty-seven Group: 1unintelllgibl<11 t1,.lkin~,\ P11rs@n in greup: Fifty-six is lunintelligib~e 462 - 51'.0 )Seng numb"r 57] 521- 543 544 565 566-618 619-641 641-642 650-708 709 Gr,mp: \unintelligible talking;] Pers@n in gr;,up: Sixty-3o&V!lln L,u.der: Alright- numb@r sixty-seven, Group: fi.mintelligibl" talk in~/ Number sixty-seven. [Gr@up stiarts t., 8ing but lo interruptci/ Leader: We'll sing VGrsien six )Scmg number 6i] ~ " Greup: /tin:int,.lligibl" tal%ingJ Let's s:lng-uh--tw,mty-<!light -b1;tt<>m @f p:..g@. \?11mg number 28) Gr,mp: Lunintelligibl<10 talking_\ Chairman: Brether-- /u.nintelligible1 Brth<tr Jasper Harper. G111airman ann@uncing next 1-.iade~ Mr, E.J. Brittain: \Sp,rnking te grGupJ This Y"ung lady up h-;ire is Mis:"! Cewan fr.im Atlanta ,md she's a g@ing t .. -uh- G111>rgia State c .. 11eg@- she heHlrd abeut chis sing d@wn here \j.mint">lligibl' my wif~ the ether day teld her abut it ,md 3he wanted te m'l.ke a rsc@rding- sh@ c,.lle,d m@ up last Wel!ik se she I s dewn here t,Jday. [unlnt<!elligibl<llj I hepe she gets a g@ed r0c~rd [unints.11 ii,;i blej 729 Chairman: Jasper Harper Leader: I mighty glad te be b"-ck here \unintelligibl~ I'm glad te be h@re (unintelligible]. Glad t@ ""'"' ya 111 t;ie. Thirty-five, 740 Chairman: Brother H;iyt C,J1.c,;gle fun:tntelligibl!\ G::eeup: Ll,mint@lligi blej L,rn.der: Pago thirty-five 745-791 [Seng number 35) 792 Leader: Sixty-ene, Gr@up: {,;.nintelligible tnlkin!ll 802 L@Hdsr: Sixty-.. ne, 803-869 (eng number 6t\ 870 Person in greup: \unint@l l igibleJ 871 Chairman: Mr, C&ggl@ 8'72-\37 4 Greup: j"~nintelligible tllllking) Reel number twe: 001-009 [end ef s ,eng\ 010 Leader: Eighty-ene 113-039 040-041 042 043-070 071 072-075 076-111 111-113 114-1111:J 118 120-149 150 Poraen frem group: Eighty-one (Seng numb@r eighty-en~ Gr<1up: funint.-1 ligible talking) On@ hundred 1.song number 100) L<!! ader: Three thirty- fJiX Grup: \unintelligible talkin~ LSeng number 336) Chairman: Miss Airs te be f@ll@wed by Mr, O.M. Heater, Leader: Twe O three Peirsim in grC1mp: Twe O three Greup: [u.nintl ligible talk in~\ Persen in group: Twe hundred and three [Sng number 203) Gpeup: )unintelligible talkingJ Leader': One eighty-six Greup: f:mintlligl.ble talking} 154- 192 193 194 195-196 197-202 203-235 \1mg number ene sighty-sixj Ch&J.irman: Mr, H@ster- Mr. O.M. Hester Chairman: T<1> be fellew@d by Mr, Walker Neal Leader : page four sixty Greup: /uninta1lligible talkine;\ Pers@n in greup F,mr $ixty Persen in group: Feur hundred imd sixty Gre-up: \ii,nintt>lligible talkinaj Persen in greup: Four sixty Puraen in greup: Some ef eur Seuth Ge~gy friends Otho11rs in ;:,;r up: \unintelligible talking[ leng number 460 - talking at first f seng is lady ,md man wh .. were sj_tting near ene @f the mikee~ 236 Chairman: Brother Inman f1em Fitzgerald Ge .. rgia f_unintelligible talkin!sj Pers .. n in greup : Tw@ sixteen [unintelligible talking) 241-280 ~ng number 21~\ 281 Chairman: 285 Leader: I den 1t knew if I can stand up er net. [Htt is a very old m_,an;J Persen in greup: Yeah- if y@u can 1 t we 111 get yeu a chair ,a_nd let y"llU set dewn, 286 Chairman: Te be fttl.lemsd by Leela Wright 287-288 Greup: )_11nintelligible talking} 289 Persen in group: One hundred and six. 292-317 leng number 125\ 2llB-.Bl9 Leader: 1''eur hundred eight, P@reen in greup: F'0ur hundred eight Greup: \~nintelligible talking) 331-377 L:311ng numb,ir 408\ 378 Grcmp: fii-nintelligibl,; tol\ci~\ 379 LeQder: 384-442 451 Fur thirty-f@ur \.,ng number 43~\ Three hundred and "ixteen. 455-513 )]11ng number 316\ 516-518 Chairman: Mr, Blackburn t111 be f@llewed by Mr, L,G, Hardin 519 Leader: 576-583 584-632 633-637 638-645 [unintelligibl_e\ nin11ty-s@Ven [unintelligibl;) Shue like this 11ne, Persem in greup: Y 0 ah, \i5,mg nurnber 97) Greup: [i1nin tel ligible talking) Leader: Thr11 frty-three Person in gr11up: How's that? Pers en in group: /ianeth@rj Three f11rty-thr11e Person in Gri,up: j:ilntherJ Thre'11 ferty-thr@<) Greup: f:i,inintelligibl11 talkin.g.) [eng number 34~J Chairman: Mr. Hardin te b,, f11ll@w11d by Gr1,.dy Aderh<11lt Leader: Ah believe we d~ne sing leng eneugh witheut singing number ene f11rty-fiv11 fi:inintelligible}, 646 647-649 650-698 700-701 One frty-five Group: ):;inintelligible t<ilkin.g1 leng numbor 1451 Lead8r: Twe O eix. Two O six '720-'789 '793 794-798 800 809-857 [,mg numb@r 206) Chairman: Mr, Ad~h@lt Leader: Twe hundred and sixteen Person in greup: fj.n .. therj Twe six:tel!ln? Pers en in greup; [iinetherj Yelilh Person in gr@up: iu, .- Forty-ene / Psrsen in greup: /an111thr\ 0 F11rty-ene !Seng number 41-inc .. mplet1111} Where, when and fr<llm whem he l@iarned th@ mater:l11.l- Mr, Brittain learned fa-se-l>t singing whim he was bstween 13 and 14 years "'ld when hlll went with his fathfir to '3inginga, 1, Infrmant I s rrnm'il- Calvin O, Bragg, aat - Fall, 1968, time f c~ll cting- 4:30 P,M. hw I cam@ til m,Mt inf0rm,mt- M:r fth.,r asked n. rn,,.n wh was in a band with Mr. Bragg if h knv1 any fiddl rs and the m,,n sugg,u1t@d Mr. Bragg. Th@ mm.n ask@d Mr, Bragg i.f h" W<l>uld mind pl ... ying s@m@ @f th fiddl tun11s he kn w f@r m@, Ono Sunday flft@rn@,..n M,, Bragg c@.lld ;rnd Rsk@d if he c@uld cm~ @Ver and that is wh,m I mott him, 11, Histeric11.l/ dscriptive '3kwtch ,;f the, area 111. Mr, Br;;,.gg liv11s in D<iicatur, G,rnrgla but was brn in Jeff<ers@n, T@xias and raisd in Madisn Cunty, G@@rgi~ . I, ther,i,f@r<!, felt that a histerical ~k tch f each f ths ar as was irr l vant te Mr, Bragg's fiddling, He is f German and Irish :u1c@stry. miap pinp@intinr-; my inf@rmant I s c@mmuni ty- B:i gr ;;phic :al/ d 9Cripti V@ :sl{tch: appear,mce- A picture @f Mr, Bragg :l:< at the nd @f this secti@n, wh n b rn l~gJ- Spt. 27, 1928, wher<!I b@rn - J.~ff@rs,,n, Texas, wh r<11 grew up- Madis@n c@un ty, G@rgia, w,;,.y @f lif wh n gr@wing up- Ha warkad ,rn th@ farm as a b@y, c@mrnunity- S315 Til11@n Cir,, Dec,Rtur, G@.irgia, maj@r facts abimt lifa [&ccupati.,n'r During 1950-51-52 h" played th guitar in Hank Williams b,rnd, In 1954 -5b he play@d @n V/.S,B, At the1 pr,o,s<i!nt t:i.m<!l h<1 plays ar,,und f,i,ur ,,r five nights a w@@k with a s;r@up called th@ S@uth,;,rn R0ib@ls 'l.t such pl!acos as the C@nyers Am rlcan L@gi@n, th@ R@s r@m and \:;hit Maverick. Iv, Plac f call ctlng: st,i.te- G @rgi!l. ceunty- Fult,m t<>wn- Atl,mt v. Transcript ef the folklore: Reel number three: 004 Mr, Galvin O. Bragg: This "'n is Sc,~_cl.i!:r_s~_.Tcty. 005-018 [Seldiors J@y,j 021 Mr. Calvino. Bragg: Ole Joe Clark. 022-037 i:cne Jee Clark\ 041 042-064 Mr. Calvin o. Bragg : Bile the Cabbage:f~ )~ile the Cabbag!I 069 Mr. Calvin O, Bragg : 070-089 Arkanirn.w Traveler. ~rkan:saw TraveleB h,;w and from whom Mr, Bragg learn,;,d t play the fiddle. He taught himself by listening t the radie and r@cerds, His uncle played th<11 vielin and alse helped him. 1. in.formant 1s name- Mr,. I-Ierhy Loe Fi:ller date- Fall, 1968 time or colJ.cc ting- S :00 ? ,;,. how I came to meet 1ny informant- Professor Burris on gave me his name, 11. Historical/ descriptive sketch of the area Cobb county- ci-1eroke8 villages in Cobb, while fairly numerous, were small. ')rofitable fur trade Rncouraged m:1n7 t,raderr;;, :iredorninantly Scotch, to visit the Indians, and a few t.o set un usrmanent tradinr; posts, In 1B38 a!l but, one Cherokee, Old Sope, was removed from the county. Small boys found him a mine of interesting inf,Jrmation on hunting, the war oath, and Indian dances and songs. Around 1B33 pioneers bep:c1n s0ttlinr: the count:r.fi.ye They traced their ancestry from North and 3outh Carolina, and VirE.inia. Life in town consisted of church attendance, school recitals, commencements, traveling minstrel and dramatic companies, band concerts, an occasiona 1 c ire us, foot races a.round the square, cotton sales, train arrivals, oances and moonlight rides to Kennesaw J',~ountain. Farm life consisted of nlantinri;, workinf: and harvesting crops, takinp; care of the cows, hOR;[:3 and chj_~kens, :1reparing firewood, drawing watRr, cooking, washing, n1a.ktnrr, c2.nclles, sewing, baking, blacksmi.thinr; in a steady round of duties. On 3nnday, the entire family attended church for reliG'ion, recreation ~1.nd dinner on the 0 rounds. The women had quiltings and the men house-raisin.gs" Slavery and the Civil ,var were part of the history of this rer1:ion. Mr. El1er 1s grandnarents lived in Towns County, Rabun County and Mocassin Creek. His ancestry can be traced to Germany and Trelande map ninpoi.nting my informant's community- A man is on t,ho following page, lll, :liographical/descriptivo ,iketch: appearance- ,\ nictt1.r~ of j'i)r. ~ller is at the end of Lhis ::;;ection., when born age 1921 - l17 y,,ars old, where horn- C}m;,h-.'n (corn.n:o.nity) in Habersham County, Clarksville, Georgia.e where ;~rew u~1- Clayt.on, Georgia.., way of life Hhen growing up- He helped with t.he farm work. co1:ff,1unity- 332? Hilltop r:;ircle, I-!arietta, Georgia descriIJ1,on of house- !\ pie.tu.re :i.s at the end o:f this section0 major facts about, lii'e f~cr:u~1abio~!-\ - He h:-i.s been a minister a,1.d now works as an electrician for Lockhe0 d, J.V, "lace of collecting: state- Georgl.a county- Cobb town- lfarietta directions for .findinr: house. Takg Expr,,ssway I-75 t st ... te Hwy, 5,Afl'.ter turning right ,m t .. this r .. ad ge until yu c111me te Hsley Saddle Sh&p, Mr. Ellers street is 111ppcsite this. from whom he learned to pl,,y the fi_cldle- He taught hi.msel.f by li.steni.ng t,0 records. 1. Inforn1ant 1s name- l',-1ro Leonard Holt. date- Fall, 1968 time of coUectinr(- S:00 ".M. how I came to meet my informant- <,Jhen I cal led ;,\r. 'Iller, he a.skcd if Mr. Holt could come down whnn I came to record f"1r. l~l ler I s fiddle tunes 111 11. historical/d0scriptivc sketch of t~1e area- Cherokee County. l1lost of the early settlnrs of this county were of Enp;lish, 1rish, Scotch, Dutch, or German stock, with 1~nfr,lish p:eedominatinr;. They wero hardy, adventurous, generally honAst and law abiding , nnd '-(enerally unburdened with means. Very few of them c:arried any lari;;e amounts of wealth with them on the wagontrek to their new hrnaes; althou['.h it did not take some long to exhibit an enterorise and ability that gave them a fina,ncial edge on their fellows, But t,he land did not a,,peal to persons who desired to live in ease and luxury. Lost of the settlers came from North and South Carolina: i.f not directly, at least via :dilkes, Franklin, Sall, or some other older county of northeast Georgia. Tennessee, :Jouth Geor~ia, and Vir;;inia were the other main sources of Cherokee County's early population. The orincipa1 period of i.mniie;ration to county was d11rinr; and irmnediately after the Gold Lol,tery of 1(332-1))3. Mr l!olt 1s ancestry can de traced to Germany and 3cot1and, mao pinpointing my informnnt 1s conmmni ty: A map is on the next pagee 111. Siographical/descriptive sketch: a,:opearance- A nict,1re of Ylr. Holt is after this section. 191.l.- S7 years old. where born - Co': ,b (>mn ty. where grew up- Cobb County. way of life when r;rowing up- He did work around the farm. community- Woodstock, Route 1. description of house- Mr. 'Jolt lives in a turquoise and white trailer which is j_n a cl.earing by the side of 2. small, dirt road, major facts about life I_Occupationl - As I11r" H.olt says,11 I been a farmer and a electrieian and my music.11 At the :iresent t.ime he Horks for Lockheed. lV. Place of collectinp;: state- Georgia county- Cobb Tm,m- Marietta directions for fi.nclin1? Mr. Holt 1s house Ta\rn St,._te Hwy,5 t-, St:ate 92(0ld Al,;,., Read). Turn left .t N!lese Read. Turn right @n dirt road-taking right ferk, Mr Hl.t 1 s trail"!r is en left. from whom he learned to play the fiddle- He taurht himself and fi'iddling John Carson tauoeht him some tunes. V, Transcript of their folklore: Reel number three: 101-i-10f3 [r: was tes l;i.nrs the tape recorder-,\ 123 Er, H.L. F:ller: ffapoi.ng foot as he plays_\ I'm gonna olay a little tun8 called Cripple Creek, 124-139 [cripple Creek) 142 Mr, H,L, Eller; Cumberl,ind Gap. fannouncing next tune,\ li-l3-J.56 !Cumberland Gap) l.S9 Mr. H,L. g11er: SoldiFJr I s ,Joy 160-190 \Soldier's Joj\ Down Yonder 196-251 [Down Yonder\ 255 Mr, H,L, Ell.er: 256-273 278 Ole Joe Clark \:Clle Joe Clark] Mr. H.L. Eller: Goin I Down the Road Fe Edin 1 Bad 279-292 297 \"~oin I Dmm the Road Feelin I Bad\ Cowan: Uh-We 're-going to have another fiddler player and this is Hr. Leonard 'folt and-he i.s- l0t I s see- where are you from I'1r, Holt ? I was born and raised in Cobb County, Georgia. Gowan: And where do you live now? Hr .. L6 Holt: I live i.n CherokeG County at t,he oresent time. Cowan: Well, how clic1 you learn to ol.ay the fiddle? Well, way back when I was a child about the '1f,e of eleven I made me a fiddle with a cip;ar box and a board and '[-my uncle had a nice saddle horse ~--- .-' with a long fl.owin' tail and I cut the hair out of that horse's tail and he fussed on me when he caup;ht me but I tuck a green hi.ckry stick and bowed :Lt, and tied the hair to it and made me a bow, and I learned to play--the fiddle on that thing and my father broke down, I 1d been a prett)' good boy and he bought me a new yiolin- It cost six dollars and I begin to play and c;ot wi.th some / other boys and we formed a li.ttle eountry band and we made a few dollars now and then, We played fer square dances all over about three count,ies, Cobb us County, l<ulton and UP into Cherokee, And we madeAa little bit of snendini:s money that a way and a'i, the late Fiddlin I John Carson was my hero durin I those days.'.?:" made records and I olayed those records on an old wind up record playc,re; raphi.phone we called um, :::nd in la t,er years we -20-ib- became great friends, ;:1e both worke,d _at the State Capitil together. He was in his seventies then and I was still ,',;bJt;\;V~f&oung man. He's been dead about eighteen years, And I learned to play most of the old t,unes from him, He tau:,ht me a nice one. I Id like to play one of Fiddlin 1 john ts ole tunes now. - \l ,, ,1-J\ 340-370 Nr. L. Holt: )~i.nr,ing and playin<:; the fiddl~j I am wondered today to the hills Ha:gie to watch the scene below, the creek and the ole mill lfar:gi.e that we watched in the long, long ago. They say I'm ole now Mag1;ie an my step is no longer strong. But today you'- as fair as you were then Maggice)when you and I were young. 371-372 Cowan: That's wonderful. 375 !{r. L. Holt: I'his is anold square dance tune we used to play at ta some of the dances-called 11 3illy and t,he Low Ground 11 37n-4n L'lilly and the Low Ground~ 417 Cowan: Uh-our first fi,Jdler-before l{r, Holt was Mr. 1,;11er and he's from Marietta, Uh-Mr, Eller how-can you tell us how-you learned to play the fiddle? Mr. H.L. !~ller: Well- kind a long story, at first I-I always from childhood- I always loved the-uh-music of a violin-uh- to me I - I- it was my fa-vo-rite of all music- And-uh-I played actually the nrst-uh- When I saw my first violin I'd heard a lot of rec,rds. I'd heard a lot o.f t11nes played on a lot of old phonograph r9cords and-uh- old days back inu9'ecords in-uh- mid twenties early thirties along ,\ there but uh-I'" actually had never seen a violin though until I was about eleven years old and then when I saw one I thought that was one of the prettiest most beautifullJest instruments I'd nearly ever seen, I heard a friend of mine bya 1;entleman by the name of Jimmy Hart that lives at 'Clayton , Georgia qabun County w1,ere I was reared up at and I heard him . i-,rr. uh-uh- a neighbor's house- a man by the name o:[ Emory nlay a old violin {"> ()/))! (\ ,, '1 lunintelJ\gibly\ one nightwho lived over above Hiawasset, Georp;ia in-uh- Helms CountJr and I thought that was t,he most {;lj },_!'.-!_ '/< beautifull'i_est [l;hihg Or 1d ever heard and just hear that ringing in my ears fer the longest it seem like. And finally when I was about fifteen years old I wanted to try and get me a violin and-uh-uh- I was a poor boy and d idn I t have money to buy one and this Lancaster Seed Company was sellin 1 f'.arden seed-llh- throllgh the mail ,\ \\::~ order-throllgh a mail order ca.teloglle and'so it happened that throllgh mail I received a letter from um wantini:; me to sell some garden seed .for the Lancaster Seed Cornoany of Lancaster, Pennsylvania I believe it was-so I went ordered me a supply of Ecarden seed and I walked all over the hills of Rabun County, and Towns County and everywhur, I 1-ralked I know twenty somepdd miles a day more times than I once through the rai.n, and the cold, and what have you trying to sell those seeds but during those days money was hard to come by and you just couldn't hardly a I c,::t rake up a dollar at anythinr: you ,,rent at hardly. So a friend of my by the name a {\ <v, ll 1 1 t .,r ershrel\ Sller, a di.stant re a,i I s1npose had a l.iLtle violin been hanging in (\0 I) r1 '.: his bedroom a number of years I s1mposr-1 and 1none) in the family played it and didn 1t even have any strings on it, 8,nd sr;me of the parts were missin I and I was over at his house one day an- -and-he asked me-uh- say Herby- how bout me selling you this violin-violin-a litLle fiddle I believe he called it about a three quarter size I believe H was. And so-I sai.d-wel.1-I 1d like to buy it from you but I just don I t have the money and he said -well-said- could you pay a.s much as a quarter you reckon. And I said yes sir I think I can so I cl.on I t know how I came by the quarter but I waste no time a ,E ,,in up a quarter so I bought tha.t violin 1fore he changed his mind and so I started from that- started playing and first thing ',/- ,:,-\::/ wasn't ,. lbng after that 1 till. they bev,an to drag me it(to pla.yin' f(jr square dances, round dances i.n WaHaw, South Carolina an roun-ah-~,ountin Cit,y, Georgia, an roun Clayton, Georgia and Persimmon, Georgia and places up in North Carolina an round about and first thinr I knowed I found m,yself preUy well wraoped up in a-with and me another band a playi.n, the fi.ve string banjo and a guitE+r and a manalen q nJ ficcdle and so at one time I had a nrettyC-lf,- string band goin 1 and so that's how it all came about. A lonf story but Cowan: Oh- that I s interesti.n2;. Oh-Ar8 you,now- who I s going to play next? Are you going to play'/ Hr. H.L. Eller: Uh-,yes-Mr. Holt-uh-Leonard as I call him, got a few here we play quite a lot together or have played a few times together at least. A old mountain tune called The Turkey Buzzird ::;onna shoot that Turkey Buzzard I believe ' ,,,,,* i.. I the way it goes so we gonna try to play a little 1 ,of that together. 524-552 [Turkey Buzzardi I: i 560 Cowan: This is Fir. Eller playing- 562 Mr. H,L, F,ller: '.,hortnin 1 Bread 562-580 \Shertnin' Bread) 586-613 Mr, H,L. Eller: Mississippi Sawyer \Jl!ississ;l.ppi Smvytir) 614 C111w,m: That Wall J\!P. Eller 619 Cowan: This is Mr. Helt 620 Mr, L, H111lt: playing Arkansaw Traveler 621-650 fo.rkansa.w Traveler\ 657 Mr. H,L. Eller: D,-,vil' s Dr..,am 658-699 [Devil's Dre:uii) 705 Cowan: Thi~ ie Mr. Eller 706 Mr. H,L, Eller: 707-761 766 Bile them Cabbage D~wn \:l:3ile Them Cabbage Down_\ Mr. L. H<tlt: Wildwe@d Fla.er .\Viildw:i@d Flswer1 800 Cowan: That was Mr. Helt 806-848 B@n.,p:;;_rtl'! R0treect \j3onaparte 1 s R@treat\ 850 Cowan: That was Mr, H@lt 85? C@wan: This is Mr. H@lt 858 Mr, L. Helt: I 1 m gonna ~.rsk my el,; friend Hairb t;, lu,lp me with this, I think Wf'J can do it t0g@ther, Black Eyed Sus ,m 861-900 901-906 \l3lack Eyed Susan\ Cewan: That last ~,,ng was played by b@th Mr. Ell@r 1>.nd Mr, H@lt and this @ne is going to& be by Mr. Hillt . 906 Mr. L. Helt: 90?-952 953-95? 960-961 961-962 963-999 Far n the !huntln 1 [_Far <11n the M@untln-1] j~ninte llir,;ible talking\ C0wan: 'l'hi_s is b@th Mr. Hlt and Mr. Eller. Mr. L, Helt: Ole Sally Ge@din 1 \21"' Sally Gfl>@din_\ )cimnter b.,r,;ins at 000 agairi] 001 C@wan: This is Mr. Eller 002 Mr. H,L, Ellar: 003-119 059-060 The 01 Uacklin' H<11n )Jhe Ol<t Cacklin1 Hen] lllr, H.L, Ell@r: Maks Tw,i, @f um cackle 083-084 Mr. H,L. Ell-tr: 125 Mr. H.L. Ell r: 126-191 192-194 198-199 200-238 240-241 245-247 248-273 J'ehn Henry Cr ehn Henry] That w,as-th11.t w11.s Mr. Eller Mr, H,L, Ell r: J@hnaen' s 01;; Grey Mule C@W!l.D; That w s Mr. Ellar Cewan: This is Mr, Eller plii.ying Tenn ss" W,agner ~-111nn sse Wgnar-~n vars@\. . AHC Oral History Cataloging Worksheet ------------------------- File Information Catalogue number f\'\SS 'I[ ( !U,, '\ I ( 1 I=~ oc Source Field* ' ' (ContentDM) Release form Yes or~ Transcript Yes or No , scanned: From YesoG@ individual: Object Information Enter information about the Title (interviewee name and date of interview) Description (bio on interviewee) Default text: Contributed by an individual through <your org. name> Georgia Folklore Collection h sical obect here: }J / (\;., \ i L,eor1": ,\ 0 R: Donated by through <your org. name> 1 Creator (Enter either an individual's name or an organization) Collection Name (within the organization) Burrison Folklore Class Georgia Folklore Archives Creation Date Exact Date (yyyy-mm-dd) C5\ Lo'6 (use only one) 1------------------+---~--=---c~-------------1 Year (if only the year is known) Circa (4 digit year) Year Span Object Type Image_ Text Text and image_ Video and sou~ _ Sound only_::L Media Format Reel-reel (VHS, reel to reel, etc Recording Hours: extent Minutes: 1, Derivatives Access copy: Yes or No Recording clip Yes or No Time code for BeginningCO'. It ": 1v,, clip (h:m:s) From Notes (interview summary) 4 11r,c I lk:t\/S :;in,.,:, ovyl ,, L1 (=QI~\ ~01 \WC\\I {6 "i3v,,:: a\,so 1 )111,j:d~J;; 9vu To Access copy format: Clip extent: :1 I I z:. 1,f ks Io , wY'Vn \. 1.t 0Q ... v ~ '( C\ 1 C\ y~ 1)./ (ou<,I '/ ; ln, p l'cJ t)i '<.,,,, c;w,l e f:o{ Crop' urr\ Recording issues (background noise, echo, static, etc.) Subject Information Enter information about the content of the obiect here: Subject Date Exact Date (yyyy-mm-dd) (use only one) Subject Who Subject Location Subject What (LOC subject headinns onlv\ Keywords Year (if only the year is known) Circa (4 digit year) Year Span From Last Name First Name Ml M<X'. ( '.) I i,,e .. \ fy'-\ 'f'..\\i s P), (.o.Nir\ . ~ 1 lef \iQYb'! I AHC Cataloger will complete this for you. Burrison, John To Personal names See subject who for additional names Local Name 3 Corporate names Geographic ~ ;L Oc-1:11h( ; (,1\ locations ~t-\..J \ 0(\ \Qf\t'(\ l (~-J I\~ 1Y\ O,r t tJ- \~ Gf\ \ C '\ Topics --,-:;:, ') I v c) n\f\) '; C ')!) 4 permanent address- 1057 High P@int Dr., N,E,, Atlanta, G~. 30306 11. inf@rmant 1 s name- Miss Ethel Hays date- Fall, 1968 time ef cellecting- 6:30 P,M, how I came te meet informant- I went down te visit my second ceusin, John Marks, whe liv-ts up th<'I read fr1t1m Miss Hays, I thught he might knew some felklere but he ceuld @nly suggest Miss Hays as a pessibl111 seurce. We dre,,ve ever te her house ,md my father, wh@ hs.s kn@wn her all his life, intreduced ue, 111, 1Usterical/ d<1scriptive sketch t>f the area Newton County was settled by a very geed class @f plain peaple, mest ef whem came frem elder c.iunties, There were sme pers@ns ef large weal th whe t k up the best lancls in the lewer part ef the county. They were wealthy, highly educated, and refined. This was a Prehibitien County and neted ~ r the meral werth ef its peeple, Miss Hays's ancesters came fr.im Jsngland, Sc@tland and Ireland. Ber ~reat-great grandfather c'l.me t Ga. frm s.c. His father came frem Vir,:r,inia. map pinp11inting my informant I s cemmuni ty- This is n the foll11wing page, IV, Biegraphical/ descriptiv sketch: appear.mce- A picture of Miss Hays is at the end .. r this section. when be1n- [ag eJ - Nev. 2, 1891 Wh<!r@ botn- Newten ceunty, Rays District, where grew up- She grew up at that'heuse .md ene dewn the road, way ef life when grewing up- The fellowing is hew she described the way ef life whem she was growing up: "Well we had it pretty rug1J;ed with the farming and ten children t@ come along and to be trtnded te,i, my mether was sick alets s we h&d eur own Vlate.r t@ draw si.nd tete in- w11 had O!>Ur wci1td te get in, eur trA.sh t@ get in, our garden to werk, yards t@ sweep, m@pping and sceuring and washing and ironing and that's the way we were raised up, 11 c111mmunity- Hays District descriptien of house- Miss Hays 1s white heuse sits 111n the tep c,f a hill ev@rle@king the surrounding fi111lds. She .. nj@ys sitting m her frent perch w.i.tching the eccasienal car pass by, Inside th<11 house is th@ fur-nitur e that has be@n thre since her young d,clys, In h<11r favorite re"m is her eld pump ergan, her bsd with a high headbeard and the pictures ef her children en th@ mantlepiece. In the kitchen is the little bl,wk, iren steve that she new uses to heat her fc,.,d, Upstairs is the b@d en which she was bern and in aneth9r upstairs re11em is the very large spinning wheel and twe churns which are n111 longer USl!Jd, eccupatien- Heusewerk has been her enly eccupatien, V. Place ef cellecting: state- Georgia cunty- Newten tewndir, i,ctions fer finding hituse- 'l'ake 120 frem Atlanta t 111 State Hwy, 12- t U.S. 278 ta State Hwy 142, Turn right <11n Caraon-Cewan Rad which is the third major rsad @n the right. Vl, Transcript of the folklore: 000 [st art,) 010-084 Miss Ethel Hays: I \playing Lift, 1 s Railway To Heave~\ ;),v,, J'' 088-118 Miss Ethel Hays: \~inging ~ !. Am G@ne\ \'D 119-186 [~ial~p,11.} CewG.n: Uh- Mrs. Hays, what 1 s yeur uh name, yeur full name, Miss Ethel Hays: Uh- Miss Ethel Hays-Mansfield- Did y11>u w,mt- Mansfi@ld, Ga. Cewan: And uh-uh- what's yeur age? Miss Ethel Hays: Uh-s111venty-seven in Nevember C01ming-secend dlil.y 111f Nevemblltr this year, Cewan: And what year were yc,u bern in? Hiss Eth"l Hays: Eighteen ninety-ene, Cewan: Uh- were y,m bern in thi.s heuse? Miss Ethel Hays: Yes ma 1m. Cwan: And where did you grew up? Miss Ethe 1 Hays: Grew up right here at this h@use and the next one devm th.,,reand ceme back up here, Cowan: Uh- can yeu tell me semothing about the ld time way ef life? Miss Ethel Hays: Well- we had it pretty rugged with the farming and ten children te ceme aleng and te be t,;,nd@d to and ma methor was sick alets se wo had our ewn water te draw and tete in)we had eur wwed te get in)our trash te g@t in> ur garden to work, y;itrds to sweep mpping imd sc,,uring and washing and ironing and that I s the way we were raised up, Cewan; Uh, Did y@u ever have any jobs? Mis :3 Eth0l Hiys; Nething only home werk- with my heme, CewR.n: Uh- You've always livod in Ge,,rgia, Newten c"unty? Miss Ethel Hays: Yes ..J'' y<Js, ma, m. !;@Wil.n: And iih- is is this a a cemmunity? Dees it have a n:.1.me? Miss Ethel Hays: Well- Cewan: Or is it just Newton-Nowtn ceunty? Miss Ethel Hays: Newten county, Hays District, Cewan: Hays District- Uh- O,K.- and uh- do yeu knw uh what the n~nes ef the boeks that yeu were sing-singing ut ef? O.K.- Uh- the names of the b@@ks wer -what? Miss Ethel Hays: Sengs of Service. Cowan: That was the first seng? Miss Ethel Hays: Only- the first song- ne'm it was -it was- number something? Cewan: Whta,t d you rommnber the nru:ne? Miss Ethel Hays: Life I s Railw;,.y te Heaven. Cowan: And-uq- what was the-tho-uh- ether b@@k that yeu sang out (')f? Miss Ethel Hays: Unien Harp and Histery ef Sengs, Cowan: And the name ef that was-what? Miss Ethel Hays: Uh- Cowan: I think it was en page fifty. Miss Ethel Hays: When I -Am -Ge-ne. Cewan: O,K.-well thmk yeu vary much, Uh-Mrs, Hays- yeu also wanted te tell me-uh-why you-yeu liked that song-uh-which ene was it? Miss Ethel Hays: Cowan: Yeu said yeu liked that se much, Miss Ethel Hays: I de- I just really want um te feel just like that seng says {\, fer me-fr um t de when I'm gene, I want 1tll my werks te be dene h en earth and net te be den., when I am g,me. C ewan: O,K. This heuse is up the rad frem Miss Hays. Ono f her ancosters built it over 100 years ago. The dimonsiens are 18 1 x 36' A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. 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.