Faye interview with Ellen F. Bell (part one)

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 first of a two part recording that begins with Ellen Bell telling stories to her granddaughter, Faye, that demonstrate how to cook and manage a homestead. Bell recalls cooking for the first time after she got married in 1907, and how her husband, John Henry Bell, helped her milk their three cows every day. At minute 5:02, Bell sings about churning butter, then she recalls churning butter from a churn she purchased at a hardware store. Sometimes she shaped it with molds before storing it in the ice box. At minute 8:50, Bell describes how to milk a cow. She also asserts the importance of gentle milking to prevent cows from kicking or moving excessively. Next at minute 12:00, Bell adds they kept over one hundred chickens on her farm; different breeds laid brown, yellow, or white eggs. She also describes how to kill chickens and roosters, and how to prepare the poultry by plucking, washing, and salting it. Next at around minute 23:00, Bell provides the recipe she used to bake biscuits for her children, as well as recipes for cornbread and hoecake, which was made in a skillet on the stove. At minute 27:55, Bell recalls the men in her family slaughtering hogs with a gun and how they subsequently preserved the meat. At minute 35:00 she details how to butcher the meat in preparation to make sausage with a grinder. Bell asserts that her family did not kill their hogs based on phases of the moon, but others in the community did. At minute 40:30, Bell recalls that children hunted possums, birds, rabbits, and squirrels. Then she describes growing grapes, blackberries, figs, and fruit trees to make jellies, jam, and pies in her garden. She also cooked with ingredients she gathered, including walnuts and sassafras roots. At minute 46:30, she further explains that her husband worked in the fields while she planted crops such as beans, squash, corn, and potatoes. Bell then discusses how to maintain a garden by watering and gathering the produce. Next at around minute 50:00, Bell recalls how her daily routine on the farm began at sunrise, and included cooking breakfast and dinner with leftovers from their homestead. She elaborated that she packed her children's lunches with biscuits and beans for school. Then at minute 58:50, Bell remembers barbecues, large family reunions, local Baptists association meetings, and church dinner with meat, pies, and beans. She usually made sandwiches for these big reunions. Ellen F. (Bryant) Bell (1893-1973) was born to Jabus Harrison Bryant (1856-1935) and Sarah LaFayette Bryant (1863-1931) and raised in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, on Grove Creek Farm. She attended Sandy Cross School in Franklin County, Georgia. In 1907 she married John Henry Bell (1886-1965) and they raised ten children on a small farm in Oglethorpe County. Faye Bell is her grandaughter. Corn Mr. Leland Stanley age 63 Richford, Vermont born in Franklin, Vermont FALL plant on a hay field used 7-8 years in a row, this "not acceptable (practice) by some" be "choosey", plant on best land level, well drained, not a hillside if on a hill, plow across to hold moisture stop erosion, wheat, barley, oats do well on hillside "moldboard plow" pulled by 2 horses, had handles and threw dirt one way had 2 feet, one just ahead of the other plowed 8" deep spread lime, manure, let set till spring SPRING when snow is off, ground drained (mid-March), level ground and spread manure first, with "wheel disc harrow" harrow same way as furrows "maybe twice, cut up, level off" harrow crosswise then, "final, pulverize, make better seed bed" with "spring tooth (smoothing) harrow" rows run long way of piecee harrow crosswise time to plant when ground "by feel" of a handful feels "warm enough" when bob-o-link comes "corn planter" 1 horse, boy led or rode, man hold planter seedbox 6" diamter piece of wood with hole as this piece turned 3-L1 kernels dropped (could be set to drop for hill, but hills not necessary) bell rang when corn got low round fertilizer bucket behind seedbox arm scraped, brought fertilizer to center when falls hits wedge puts fertilizer beside not on top to burn kernels fertilizer usually 8 nitrogen 16 phosphorous 16 potash about 300 pounds to acre one wheel 18" diameter, 5" wide (to be stable) 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.