Larry D. Combs interview with Norman Duncan, Carra, Duncan, John Weaver, and Nancy Weaver Davis (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 two recordings in which Larry Combs interviews Norman Duncan, Carra, Duncan, John Weaver, and Nancy Weaver Davis. It starts with Norman Duncan telling a humorous folk tale about a king and queen who found an American farmer to marry their daughter, then one about how Talking Rock, Georgia, where he was born, got its name. Then Carra Duncan, his wife, follows up by explaining that Ball Ground, where she was born, got its name from Cherokee Indians playing ball games there. She adds that her parents told her about white people displacing the Cherokee. At 03:35, Carra Duncan says that when she was a child, she and her brother looked for where Indians hid their pots of gold in their cemeteries. Then at 5:12 she uses racist language to further explain that it was a Black man who originally told her uncle where to find this hidden gold. At about 7 minutes, Norman Duncan tells a story about a neighbor, Buren Southern, discovering a lot of money in an Indian cemetery. Carra Duncan claims that she is part Indian, they briefly reference the Jesse James Bunch, and then she says that Indians found the first ear of corn and grains of wheat to make bread Next at 9:35, Norman Duncan tells a funny story about an Atlanta man who caught his wife cheating. For a couple minutes all of the interviewees talk amongst themselves. Then at about 12:45, Carra Duncan uses racist language to tell a raunchy joke she learned from a Black man about a corpse seeming to come back to life. This leads at 14:45 to Norman Duncan telling another joke about a man who asked his father how to ask out a girl. At 17:02 the Duncans sing two folk songs, Maggies Drawers and the ballad Barbara Allen, the latter of which his mother taught him. The next part of the audio is a recording of Uncle John Weaver playing the fiddle alongside his daughter, Nancy Davis, on the banjo. They perform: Shell be Coming Round the Mountain, Boil them Cabbage Down, Old Dan Tucker, How Beautiful Heaven Must Be, Cripple Creek, Angel Band, Hold to Gods Unchanging Hand, Cluck Old Hen, Little Brown Jug, Black Eyed Susan, New Texas, Old Joe Clark, Amazing Grace, The Numbers Song (which he sings) and When the Roll is Called up Yonder (Uncle John will be there). They repeat a couple of the songs. At 48:45 Weaver recalls learning how to play music as a child and talks about his fiddle. The recording ends with him telling a funny story about chiggers. Norman Duncan (1912-1982) was born in Talking Rock, Georgia, to West (1872-1958) and LouVienia (1875-1934) Duncan, the youngest of three children. He graduated from high school and worked on his family farm and at a local machine shop. When Duncan was 28, he joined the United States Army and served in many states, including Medford, Oregon, where he attended medical school and worked at a government hospital as a medical orderly. After being transferred to the Ninety Fifth Infantry in San Antonio, Texas, he served during World War II in Germany, northern France, and central Europe as a medic. For his service he received several medals, including a Purple Heart, and in October 1945 he was honorably discharged. He returned to Talking Rock, where he worked as a saw miller, including at Kiker Lumber Company, and as a carpenter. In 1951 Duncan married Carra Beck Hawkins (1908-1982) of Ball Ground, Georgia. Hawkins was born in Nelson, Georgia, to Charlie and Josephine Beck; she was one of six children. She received three months of formal schooling, after which she worked in a restaurant in Stantonville and graded tobacco in Valdosta before she got married. She married Charley Hawkins and they had two children, Afond and Effie. In 1968 Norman and Carra Duncan had a daughter, Grace, and moved to Ellijay, Georgia, John Weaver (1883-1983) was born in Bucktown, Georgia, to Decatur (1849-1934) and Martha (1850-1948) Weaver. He was one of eleven boys. He attended school for three months of the year and helped on his family farm the rest of the year. In 1900, he married Martha Parker (1883-1974), and the couple moved frequently across North Georgia depending on where he found farm work, including as a sharecropper for several years. They moved to Ellijay in 1957, where he bought a small farm and sold moonshine. While living in Tickanetley, Georgia, they had one child, Nancy (1903-1983), who received a fourth grade education before getting married at 14 to John Henry Davis (1898-1970). Davis worked as a sharecropper and farmer before a spread house employed him for 16 years. John Henry and Nancy Davis had eleven children. 25 (19) "The Horse and Buggy Days" Uh, back in the hor-horse and buggy days, they's a feller in our country that you call him, Strawberry Dillard. He wuz bashful and hadn't never been out with girls none. And he got a girl out in a horse and buggy. He wuz a-want in.' to date her, but he didn't know how to go about it. And he went and asked his daddy how to go about it, and his daddy says "Well just start off son and say somethin' sort'er nasty to start with" and said "just think of somethin' nasty an' say" and said "just pop it to her then," and says "if she takes sayin' a little word 'er two nasty" said "just tell her what you want." And so they got out goin' in a horse and buggy and the old mule went to pootin'. Had an old mule and a buggy, and he went to pootin' and sbe looked over at him and he says, uh, he says "I'm ashamed but" says "at mule" says "a-pootin' ." (laughs) And, uh, she says "Yeah, he'uz a-pootin! ." (laughs from Carra and myself) He says ''I don't care if it shits, lets fuck!" (laughter from all . Carra almost dies laughing) Larry: Said what? Mr. Duncan: Said I don't care how long he poots, lets fuck'. I don't care if he shits, lets fuck! (more laughter) He couldn't think of much nasty to say. When that mule pooted he Larry: had it made. (more laughter) Them's too nasty if they's any women in youall's college . Did you have a name for that? Mrs. Duncan: Horse and Buggy Days. 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.