Sharon Forrest interview with Kenneth Carraway, Polly Ogburn, Bob Norfleet, and Ivy Garrett (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 installment in a two-part interview; in this part, Polly Ogburn, Kenneth Carraway, and an unidentified man share oral histories from the North Carolina mountains, near Greensboro. The interview begins with Ogburn talking about her great-great-grandmother, Betty, a half-Indigenous inn-owner who resisted displacement by English settlers. Ogburn also shares a turbulent encounter between Betty and a pastor who tried to pressure her to be more subservient to her husband. After brief silence between 3:47 and 3:52, Ogburn talks about Mr. Ring, a wicked man who lived by Pilot Mountain. On the night of his wake, his neighbors heard a mule-drawn wagon which they interpreted as the Devil coming to collect his soul. Next, at 7:15, she remembers her brothers coworker, a Black man known as Boll Weevil who had compulsions (such as knocking twice on flat surfaces), which he believed helped ward off a witchs curse. At 9:42, Ogburn talks about old cures practiced in the country. One relative kept a potato inside his hip pocket to relieve his rheumatism, and her brother Tim wrapped copper wire around his ankle to soothe his arthritis. Then at 13:08, she recalls a mysterious light that traveled across Stony Ridge Road at certain moments during the year, which she speculates was the lost spirit of a local Black boy killed by his white girlfriends family after they tried to run away together. She then remembers her father and his friends fishing with dynamite on a river in East Bend. At 18:11, Ogburn retells a story she heard from her grandmother about meeting two strange women that the Copeland community believed were witches. She also remembers Newt Maryn, a Confederate home guard who cruelly shot and killed a teenage soldier. In his old age, Maryn believed the Devil was haunting him; after his death Ogburns family took ownership of his house, where they experienced three paranormal incidents. There is silence between 30:13 and 30:20, after which Kenneth Carraway recalls an incident when a man at a corner store cured him of his ankle warts in exchange for a penny. He then remembers Mr. Higgins, a local prankster, and a prank devised by Mr. Higgins son. At 35:04, an unidentified young man tells a story about a local teenage couple that died in an automobile accident on prom night, and alleged sightings of the girls ghost. Pauline Polly E. Ogburn (1915-1995) was born in Yadkin County, North Carolina, to Uler Baker (1892-1931) and Eugene C. Forrest (1888-1959); she was the oldest of 12 children. At age twenty, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, and married Aubra Gray Ogburn (1915-2000). They remained in Greensboro for the remainder of their lives. Kenneth Carraway (1919-?) was born on a farm in Goldsboro, North Carolina. As a young adult, he relocated to Bitter Weed, North Carolina, where he married Linda Fleming (1926-2019) in 1944. They had at least one child Kenneth Jr. Additional biographical information has not been determined. Ivy Garrett (1930-?) was born in Missouri, and relocated to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, where she was raised. She married Tom Garrett, with whom she shared a farm and had ten children. They later moved to South Carolina, then to Greensboro, North Carolina, and finally to Julian, North Carolina. She is the maternal grandmother of Sharon Forrest, the interviewer. Robert Bob Norfleet Jr. (1942-2017) was born to Robert Sr. (1907-2007) and Marthy Polly (1913-2003) in Greensboro, North Carolina. The family later relocated to Hickory, North Carolina. He married Kateren Dee Whitmire in 1989. Additional biographical information has not been determined. I INTRODUCTION My collection of folktales -s- from the area of Greensboro, North Carolina. My informants, (except for Mr. Bob Norfleet), live south of Greensboro on small farms. Two of my informants, Mrs. Polly Ogburn and Mrs. Ivy Garrett, were raised or lived in the mountains of North Carolina. Their stories come from this area around Pilot Mountain and Mt. Airy, North Carolina. My other informant, Mr. Kenneth Carraway, ' was raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina. His stories are about a local character, a Mr. Higgins. The reason for heving so many informants and a more detailed description of my informants follow. It's true that when you begin to search for tales, you suddenly are bombarded on all sides with them. I enjoyed this project. It was much more pleasant to do a term project using real people as sources rather than old, dusty books. Not only did I learn about folk tradition and folktales, but, I also learned something about older people and their need for interaction with younger people. It was well worth my time and energies. 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.