Lynne Gloer Interview with Louisa May Mitchell and Eugenia Scroggins

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. 0:00 2:45: The beginning of the audio is recorded music. 2:45: Lynne Gloer interviews her grandmother, Louisa Mae Mitchell. Mitchell starts the interview discussing recreation activities from her childhood such as spending Friday nights making taffy and playing and listening to music. She then discusses church, Sunday school, and choir practice. Mitchell changes the topic to education, recalling that after eighth grade students attended the State Normal College. Mitchell talks about being paid to pack strawberries at a nearby strawberry plantation. Gloer asks Mitchell about superstitions. Mitchell explains that if a picture fell off a wall and broke, it meant tragedy for the family, such as when her sister died of pneumonia. Mitchell also discusses homemade medicines and house calls by doctors. The interview shifts to their log cabin house, the smokehouse they used for processing hogs, and the jail which adjoined their residence because her father was the town sheriff. Mitchell recalls a time she chased an escaped prisoner until the authorities caught up to him. Gloer and Mitchell briefly talk about Mitchells childhood sewing hobby. Gloer asks about gardening, and Mitchell recounts vegetables her family grew for food such as potatoes, beans, cucumbers, and squash. She then explains how her mother made hominy, sauerkraut, and pickles. The interview concludes with a short discussion of how the family celebrated Christmas by exchanging presents of fruits and candies and by decorating their tree with popcorn and cranberries. 33:40: There is a cutoff comment: did you celebrate Then the recording jumps to an interview with Eugenia Scroggins. Scroggins begins the interview by talking about food her family grew, raised, and/or cooked such as fruits and vegetables, ham, wheat, bread, and fried chicken. Next, Scroggins briefly talks about attending church on Sunday, but she returns to the topic of food and superstitions, specifically how they planted crops based on lunar cycles. Scroggins tells a short story about the family mule and discusses playing with her cousins. She then recounts attending parties and dancing the Virginia Reel, playing ring toss, and school spelling matches. Gloer asks Scroggins about holidays, and Scroggins reminisces about July 4th celebrations on the Chattahoochee River; Christmas traditions of hanging stockings and her father bringing presents from Atlanta; and Thanksgiving dinner at church. Gloer and Scroggins discuss quilting and quilting bees and then Gloer changes the topic to dating. Scroggins recounts going to dances in Meriweather County, Georgia, but states they primarily courted at home. The interview concludes with Gloer asking Scroggins to explain how she and neighbors prepared smoked beef and used herbs and sassafras roots to create home remedies. 52:33: The end of the recording contains singing by a young, female singer. Biographical information about Louisa May Mitchell and Eugenia Scroggins has not 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. 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. 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