Deborah Hudson interview with Forrest Wayne Hudson, Blanche Hudson, Edna Hudson, Debbie R. Hudson, Grace Ledford, George Long, Willene Long, and Mark Hudson (part two)

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This is the second of a two part recording in which Deborah Hudson interviews family members from her mothers side, the Milfords, and her fathers side, the Hudsons. At 1:05, Mark Hudson begins to tell a series of tall-tale, fishing stories. The first is about an attempt to catch a large mountain bass, and the second is about a man named Weyman Hewatt who caught a 53-pound catfish in the early 1950s on Opossum Lake, in Columbus, Georgia. At 3:49, Deborah Hudson repeats a story she learned from her mother in which a girl falls ill after repeatedly sharing her cornbread and buttermilk with a snake. At 5:32, Edna Hudson recounts a story told in which her brother-in-law, George Long, witnesses bits of moving light on a log that resembled the one that his brother would cut before he died. At 7:57, Edna and Deborah Hudson discuss Christian symbolism surrounding Dogwood trees. Then at 9:46, Edna Hudson tells a parable she heard from two ministers about a boy that leaves home but is welcomed back by his parents. At 11:35, she proceeds to tell a story from her childhood about a haunted house with a hole in it. There is an unintelligible conversation that follows until 14:34, after which Debbie R. Hudson tells a story in which her friend saw dead friends and family while unconscious. Next at 16:07, Grace Ledford tells a story about a girl who was charmed by a snake. Then she tells a spook story she learned from her father in which chains rattling frightens a man. At 19:14, Willene Long follows this up with a story she learned from her father where the sound of rattling chains emanates from oilfields. Next at 21:10, Edna Hudson recounts a story about her husband, Forrest Wayne Hudson, riding home on a horse and buggy after a night of drinking; Willene Long adds that he fell onto a sandbar. At 23:40, Grace Ledford tells a tale in which a man is struck by lightning. Then Willene Long tells a true story about a man named Bill Erwin who died in a horse-riding accident. Next at 26:30, the interviewees discuss the ritual meanings of baptism, after which one of them retells Debbie Hudsons ghost story. At 29:10, Deborah Hudson has a conversation with Edna Hudson and Willene and George Long about rattlesnakes rumored to chase people. Next at 30:13, George Long tells a story about following a spot of light across a field and one in which a boy scares a passerby along a cemetery trail. Then he repeats a joke from his grandfather about a man racing a cat, and another in which a man picks up a hitchhiker but not his dog. At 38:40, Willene Long recalls catching Wayne Hudsons cat after it ran away. To conclude the recording, at 40:42, George Long tells a joke about a man fooled by someone dressed as Jesus Christ.
Edna Florence Milford (1930-2007) was born in Tucker, Georgia, to James Milford (1891-1960) and Albie Milford (1897-1957). She had a sister, Willene (1918-2011), who married George Long (1915-1992) (of Franklin, North Carolina); they later lived in Lilburn, Georgia. In 1966, Edna Milford married Forrest Wayne Hudson (1926-2009), who was also born in Tucker. His parents were Blanche Horne Hudson (1902-1985), who was born in Ocilla, Georgia, and John Baylis Hudson (1896-1959), who lived in Loganville. John Baylis Hudson received an eighth grade education and registered for the World War I draft. They had three children in addition to Forrest Wayne. In 1945, Forrest Wayne Hudson enlisted in the armed forces. Edna and Forrest Hudson lived in Tucker and had at least two children, the interviewer, Deborah Hudson (1954- ), and Forrest Wayne Hudson (1948- ), who attended Dekalb College. Mark Hudson (1952-1988) was born in Tucker and attended Georgia State University. He served in the United States Navy between 1972 and 1975. Grace Long Ledford (1927-2003), Edna Hudsons cousin, was born to Paul (1904-1988) and Gertrude Long (1907-1997) in Franklin, North Carolina. In 1948 she married Thomas Ledford (1925-1992). Susan McMillan (1950- ), the interviewers cousin, lived in Decatur, Georgia. Debbie Hudson, was born in approximately 1955. No additional biographical information has been determined.
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.
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