Helen Johnston Interview with Charles Crawford

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. Charles Crawford begins this recording with information about himself, including his employment as principal of Lockheed Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia, and his upbringing in Tillatoba, Mississippi. He describes the town, and says the primary occupation is farming, with the primary crops being cotton, soybeans, and beef cattle. At 01:17 Crawford describes the townsmen as storytellers and their Sunday tradition of gathering at a store to tell stories before attending church, except for days when there was a death in the community when they would gather to dig the grave and tell stories. At 03:13, Crawford describes members of the community Harley Tribble and Leroy Robinson; Crawford describes their physical appearances, and relays a humorous story between them about their cattle. Then at 05:19, Crawford describes a residence named Tommy Gooch, who was prone to accidents and died in an automobile accident after a stop light was installed in the town. At minute 10:56, he describes an interaction between Owen Robinson, Leroy Robinsons brother, and Melba [Weego?], where she joked with him that she would leave her husband if he quit using snuff but he refused. Next, at 13:02, Crawford describes fox hunting on his property and the adjacent church property in the town, and how people would build fires and hunt there with permission. He also surmises this activity was the root of the towns alcoholism problem because the men would drink whiskey to stay warm while they hunted. At 15:54, Crawford describes a Black family in the community, the Lee family, who were farmers and well diggers during the farming off-season. He describes the process and equipment used to clean out an open well and tells a story about John Lee falling into a well. Charles Crawford was the principal of Lockheed Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia. Additional biographical information about Charles Crawford has not been determined. local legends 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 in a position to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials accurately. 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 language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete is ongoing. 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 emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.