Monroe F. Swilley III interview with Charles Austin Eason, Sr., Grover Morgan Dyson, Thomas Luther Buse, Lucy Buse, and Nancy H. Swilley (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 of a two-part interview. At the start of this recording, Lucy Buse tells a story about her sister almost drowning while swimming near a dam at a corn mill when they were children. She then describes a footbridge that she crossed to get to school and a time that her brother accidentally pushed her off of the bridge and into the water. She recalls when the only car owner in the area rushed a gunshot victim from Alpharetta to the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, more quickly than anyone had ever seen. She talks about traditional medicine, including yellow root and sassafras tea, explaining how they are made and their medicinal uses. Monroe F. Swilley, III was born to Reverend Monroe F. Swilley, Jr. (1914-1991) and Martha Snuggs Swilley (1910-2008). He married Nancy (Nan) H. Swilley, in Douglas, Georgia. Charles (Charley) Austin Eason Sr. (1883-1974) was born in Cobb County, Georgia, to William Monroe Eason (1848-1928) and Queen Victoria Sewell (1855-1939). He married Bertha Eva Dyson (1886-1918) on September 8, 1907, and they had two children: Charles Austin Eason, Jr. (1911-1973) and Mary Louise Eason (1917-2013). Grover Morgan Dyson (known by Morgan) (1887-1974) was born on October 4 in Cobb County, Georgia. He married Cleo Estelle Doss Dyson (1888-1980), and they had two children: Annie McPherson and George Dyson. Thomas (Tom) Luther Buse (1900-1986) was born on June 4 in Baldwin, Mississippi, to William Richard Buse (1873-1963) and Amanda Buse (1866-1938). He moved to Alabama in 1913, then to Atlanta in 1932. He served in the Navy during World War II and died on August 4. His wife, Lucy Buse (1901-1978), was born to John and Isabelle Ellis. Well, it is takin' on. Tnis is the end of the second side of reel number one. It contQins 722 revolutions. !10nroe &,illey: O. K. Start off. lftrs. Buse: Hy brother and I, ,je' d put on so",e old clothes. And ue'd go dNm to that creek, and, and go in swimmin I, you knoH. And they ,jas a dam there at Rock Mill, and a mill tha t ground corn. And, of course, it backed up, you ]mo'J. P~'1d it >:as pretty deep. But "e'd go d01m there in smmmin I. And so, '1ildred, llJ'J younger sister, ,-Janted to go ,nth us one day. And "e let her go. And so, my brother and I, well, ue were playin l in the water, you know, and "e looked around, and we didn't see Mildred anY'dhere. And after while she come up. She'd already gone under once. And "e pulled her out. Monroe S,d.lley: j'!hat! You mean she nearly drowned? Mrs. Buse: Urn-hum. Monroe &,illey: Yall didn't even realize it. Nrs. Buse: NaIJ. I've thouGht of it a million about Monroe SHilley: Hmj close she ' Mrs. Huse: HOH close sh e came to dro,min'. But it would c orne rains, a:;d that would get allover.it's called "Bottom lands", you kno". My daddy's fam up there, it's called bottom land. And it ud get all over that, r cause it conldn I t get over that dam fast enou['h. And it ud just flood ever-t.'1ing. j-\onroe S,:ssn't very many. I"!onroe SHilley: Um-hum. Hhat about the tell me about the yellow root, now, and what it's used for. I"!rs. Buse: Well, I don't know, so other than it's used toit Was used for, you know, fever blisters, or Monroe Sl-lilley: 1,lould you, chel, it? Mrs. Buse: Unh-huh. Sore mouth. It wasn't poison. Monroe Swilley: It was called Brs. Buse: It Has a herb, you know, yelloH root. And I Houldn't doubt but 'That it isn't used today, in medicine thatyou knoH, thatwelll, Indians still make medicine. Monroe Sr,;illey: Yeah. Mrs. Buse: 'Cause I got a Cousin that married a half Indian, tr~t lives in Tennessee.- And he "lakes his livin' makin' medici.ne. Monroe S,dlley: Really? You mean like an old regcuar old medicine man? That kind of thing? 11rs. Buse: Yeah. Oh, I don't kno,-; about that. Honroe S,-.1.116;1: vlell, you kno,-;, conjurin', or something of that nature. I1rs. Buse: Indians, the Indianswell, they were called medicine men, ';eren ' t they? 46 Honroe Slrilley: Urn-hum. 111'8. Euse: ~Jell, you knOH, Indians used to make medicine. And, and this boy that she married, his daddy made it, made medicine. And this kid learned hOH to make it. And he makes, I guess you call it, patent medicine. f~d he makes it, and he makes good money. A lot of money. Nonroe St-Jilley: Based on tha t, riGht? That's his Mrs. Euse: TI1at's histhat's his livin', just makin' patent medicine. 110nroe Slrilley: Urn-hum. No"", tell me li"h2.t you do to 'l'.ake sassa-frass tea, and... 11rs. Euse: You take the roots, and Hash 'em real Hell, and cut 'em up in little pieces. Monroe Swi.lley: Hon, I'm getting more of her than I am of Lucy. Revolutions 128 through 131 contain baby's crying. This could not be avoided. Honroe Sw-illey: I-jell, anYOiay, you "rash the roots Mrs. Euse: Real Hell. And you put 'en in 1-rater, and put 'em on a stove, and boil it. 110nroe S1JillEy: Yeah. Mrs. Euse: There's a ,mite sassa-frass, and there's a red sassa-frass. I'1onroe Swilley: Yeah. VJX's. Euse: NOH, the "hite, it tastes like sassa-frass; but it's the red that you drink. Monroe Swilley: Yeah. Hrs. Euse: The red tea that you drink. And I think the.t, tha t, they claim, purifies your blood. Monroe 51n.lley: Purifies your blood? 47 Mrs. Buse: Urn-hum. Monroe Swilley: Tell me, what does Mrs. Buse: 'Cause it's a spring time drink, you know. Monroe S,rilley: Yeah. Is it a Mrs. Buse: It's made from red tea. And you put sugar and milk in it, I do, like you was drinkin' coffee. }10nroe Swilley: \-;nat do you h, ah...uhat does it taste like, as far as something you knot-r? Hrs. Buse: Hhy, it tastes like it smells. I can't tell you ho,r tt tastes. You rd have to taste it to know. 110nroe S"rilley: Um-hum. ";hat about ah...!)o you use if for any sort of remedy, or for Hrs. Buse: I don't lmeJH about that. Monroe s,nlley: Or, ah any kind of purification Hrs. Buse: l1edidne man might tell you. l'Ionroe, SWilley: Purific ation, 0 r 9J me thing like that? Mrs. Buse: well, it's supposed t' ptlrify your blood. That's old timey sayin', you kno"r. Drink sassa-frass in the spring of the year, purifies your blood. I don't know. I just like it. I just like the taste of H. 1'10nroe Sh'illey: \-lell, I, I had read that it th3t i't "ras nsed sometimes as, as 2_ c1lre, but as. Hrs. Buse: For what? l-1onroe 8',rilley: I have no idea. Mrs. Buse: \!e1.1, cut if off. That's all I know to talk about Monroe S.'illey: O. K. Nrs. :Suse: Right nO'". Can't think. 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 in a position to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials accurately. 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 language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete is ongoing. 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 emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.