Kay Long interview with Carl Hubert Ellis

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 interview begins with Carl Hubert Ellis introducing himself and his fishing career that started when he was about twenty making fish nets. At minute 1:40, Ellis repeats superstitions fishermen practiced on the boat, such as avoiding saying certain words, such as porpoise, and wearing mismatched socks. He also describes what nets and tools were used in different water depths, and materials required to repair nets, such as mending needles. At about 6:30, Hubert Ellis recalls a typical day of fishing: he checked his nets every two hours for shrimp, and returned any remaining fish or crab, called scrap fish, back into the ocean. Next, he answers questions about how fishing techniques have changed over the years, then at minute 11:40 he explains how different nets, including balloon nets and flat nets'' got their names. Ellis also remembers when net webbing was made from cotton instead of nylon; purchasing net repair supplies in Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia; and mending nets with square knots and mending twine. To conclude the interview, he shows Long some baskets he uses to load shrimp off the boat and how to weigh a catch on a scale. Carl Hubert Captain Snag Ellis (1933-1997) was born in Coffee County, Georgia, to Amos Ellis (1904-1975) and Allene Townsend Ellis (1912-1965). He served as a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and worked as a fisherman for over twenty years. Ellis had one child, Larry Lee Ellis (1964-2022), with whom he moved to Cameron, Louisiana, to specialize in shrimp fishing. Kay Revonda Long (1949-2005) was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Samuel Harold Long (1921-1987) and Flora Virginia Long (1928-2004). She graduated from Druid Hills High School, then from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Long lived in Snellville, Georgia, when she passed away. Background Report Woodbine, Georgia, a town of around five hundred people, 1.s located on the Satilla River, a few miles from the Georgia coast and just north of the Florida. border. The main industries in Woodbine are fishing, naval stores, and some farming. The background of the inhabitants, for the most part, is Tidewater South English. My informant, Hubert Ellis, was interviewed At his boat landing, located on the outskirts of the town.. Going south over the river, the boat lending is on the left off the highway, and can be seen from the river bridge. Mr. Ellis's partner was the man I had first planned to interview, but when I arrived at Woodbine, he was out plowing and wouldn't talk to me. Mr. Ellis was talked into substituting after my uncle, N. A. Long of Waycross(tho one who arranged my interview) and I convinced him that his information was important enough to collect. My Informant Mr. Ellis was very nervous and hesitant to talk to me, especially with my using the tape recorder, but he was kind enough to allow me to interview him without any previous knowledge that I was eoqing. My greatest dispointment in working with Mr. Ellis was not being able to talk him into telling me some of the stories that he know. I am not sure why he couldn't be convinced, ,but one reason that seems 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. 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