Beverly Link Moore interview with Elsie Loman, Ethel Stover, and Myrtle Chastain (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. The is the first of a two-part interview with Elsie Loman and Ethel Stover. The interview begins with Loman and Stover talking about their breadmaking methods. At 13:00, the conversation changes to corn shucking methods and Loman explains her corn shucking methods involved intense preparation and deep cleaning the house prior to shucking. At 19:23, the women talk about homemade pepper drying and homemade sausage recipes. Loman shares how to properly dry and cure peppers, explaining her canning methods for sausage preparation and preservation. At 30:35, the interview with Myrtle Chastain begins. She talks about her career as a mid-wife, including cleaning a space in preparation for the delivery of a baby and talks about how she would travel to several cities to deliver babies, including Jasper and Ellijay. At 36:32, she talks about herbal medicines she administered, including catnip tea, yellowroot, rattle snake root tea, and skullcap tea. At 49:49, Loman says doctors would advise parents to give their children turpentine [oil] to assist with certain ailments. At 51:26, Chastain says she would purchase sulfur from local stores and mix it with lard to heal an itch. The interview ends with Loman discussing gardening and planting crops based on moon cycles. Biographical information about Elsie Loman, Ethel Stover, and Myrtle Chastain has not been detemined. sausages 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.