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Interviews with Dora May Pruitt, Charles Miller, Lizzie Johannes, and Helen Johannes Miller
Jerold Buxton
Interviews with Dora May Pruitt, Charles Miller, Lizzie Johannes, and Helen Johannes Miller.
00:00:00 - Interview with an unidentified woman begins in progress. Life on the frontier as a child.
00:00:48 - Information about her parents and family, and herding cattle as a child
00:01:26 - Interview switches to another unidentified woman speaking about school in 1900
00:05:18 - Description of Rozel, KS and a fire downtown
00:11:29 - Story about the Rozel depot in 1897
00:14:05 - Rozel postmasters
00:17:04 - Butchering hogs
00:19:45 - Literaries. Interview abruptly ends.
00:20:12 - Introduction, interview with Charles Miller by Gerald Buckston of Ransom, KS on December 15, 1965
00:20:43 - Earliest memories from 1894 and his uncles homesteading in Hamilton County, KS
00:23:28 - Grandfather's farm
00:27:19 - Early transportation
00:28:20 - The Cuban War. Interview cuts off.
00:28:52 - Interview with Lizzie Johannes of Ransom, KS. Moving to Kansas at 14 years old in 1887
00:30:08 - Moving to a sod house after her marriage in 1893 and then moving to Ransom in 1910
00:30:51 - Life on the prairie
00:32:26 - Introduction to the preceding interview
00:32:43 - Introduction, interview with Helen Johannes Miller of Ransom, KS by Gerald Buckston on December 15, 1965
00:33:03 - Grandparents moving to the United States from Switzerland and their baby dying on the train to Missouri
00:34:31 - Moving to Ness County, KS in 1887 and life on the prairie
00:35:43 - Grandpa getting caught in a storm
00:36:24 - More about life on the prairie: Social life, heating fuel, schools, and games played
00:39:57 - Civil War Bushwhackers
00:41:40 - Harsh winters
00:42:58 - Introduction, Charles Miller of Ransom, KS by Gerald Buckston on December 15, 1965
00:43:16 - Memories of his father and his revival meetings as a Methodist preacher
00:44:56 - Father's preaching circuit
00:46:03 - Camp meetings
00:47:08 - Literary society -
Interviews with Dorothy Jane Nuckolls, Joseph, Vodraska, Connie Congdon and Kay Finley
M. Jo Rucker, Mona Mae Brubaker, and Gary Freeman
Interviews with Dorothy Jane Nuckolls, Joseph, Vodraska, Connie Congdon and Kay Finley.
00:00:00 - Recording begins in-progress. Song, "I Will Never Marry" vocal with guitar
00:02:27 - Song, "Engine 143" vocal with guitar
00:05:19 - Song, "Squirty, Squirty" vocal duet with guitar
00:06:25 - Song, "Old Paint" vocal with guitar
00:08:01 - Introduction, Joseph H. Vodraska of Wilson, KS by Mona Mae Brubaker on November 1, 1963 in Blackwolf, KS.
00:08:27 - Song, "Austrian-Hungarian Cavalry Song" played on accordion
00:09:01 - Song, "Austrian-Hungarian Cavalry Song" vocal, in Czech
00:10:55 - Song, "May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister?" vocal group and accordion, to the tune of "Red River Valley"
00:13:41 - Introduction, Connie Congdon and Kay Finley of Garden City, KS by Gary Freeman on November 23, 1963
00:14:00 - Song, "Mandy" vocal duet with guitar. This portion of the tape suffers from distortion.
00:18:04 - Song, "In the Pines" vocal duet with guitar.
00:20:12 - Song, "How Sad Flows The Stream" vocal with guitar
00:21:52 - Song, "Darlin' Corey" vocal with guitar
00:26:50 - Song, "O' Freedom" vocal with guitar
00:30:32 - Song, "Handsome, Winsome Johnny" vocal with guitar
00:34:20 - Song, "Good Ol' Mountain Dew" vocal with guitar
00:37:06 - Song, "Pretty Saro" vocal with guitar
00:40:23 - Song, "Goodnight Irene" vocal with guitar
00:43:05 - Song, "Jamaica Goodbye" vocal with guitar
00:45:06 - Concluding remarks
00:45:37 - Tape concludes with a faint musical recording and conversation -
Interviews with Dova Wolfe Williams, Mildred McMullen, June Sinclair, Beulah V. White, Florence Mallott and Ima Van Natter
Norma Sinclair, Mary Jane Tague, and Irma Natter
Interviews with Dova Wolfe Williams, Mildred McMullen, June Sinclair, Beulah V. White, Florence Mallott, Irma Van Natter and Ezra G. Reese.
00:00:01 - Introduction, Dova Wolfe Williams on June 15, 1962 by Norma Sinclair at Norton, KS
00:00:23 - Signs and superstitions
00:02:37 - Folk beliefs
00:04:32 - Weather wisdom
00:05:52 - Cures and remedies
00:08:07 - Superstitions
00:08:34 - Poetry from an autograph book from the early 1900s
00:16:40 - Superstitions and proverbs
00:21:10 - Introduction, Mildred McMullen Green of Norton, KS on June 16-17, 1962 by Norma Sinclair
00:21:32 - Ballad from her Masters Thesis, The Prairie Sings , "The Cork Leg"
00:25:07 - "Spirit of the Plains" Based on the experience of her grandmother, Belinda Webber
00:30:49 - Introduction, June Sinclair of Wichita, KS by Norma Sinclair
00:31:09 - Little Moron jokes
00:32:47 - Sentimental songs sung at funerals for children. "Two Little Hands"
00:34:07 - Introduction, Beulah V. Murphy White of Bonner Springs, KS on April 16, 1965 by Mary Jane Tague.
00:34:45 - Folk lore and sayings
00:36:01 - History of Pat and Mike Jokes
00:37:59 - Music of the area
00:38:52 - Last line of a song about a blind girl, "They Tell me Father . . .", vocal
00:39:21 - Last line of a song about a prince and a princess, "I could not help but love him", vocal
00:40:30 - Partial song about a girl who sought help in a barroom, "She's only a maiden . . .", vocal
00:40:58 - Railroad songs
00:42:02 - Introduction, Florence Mallott of Edwardsville, KS on April 18, 1965 by Mary Jane Tague
00:42:26 - Story and song about a Black boy writing a song for his love interest (racist language)
00:43:37 - Introduction, Irma Van Natter of Carl Junction, MO on April 27, 1965 by Mary Jane Tague.
00:43:59 - Song, "Tell me father", vocal
00:46:53 - Song, "Down By the Weeping Willow", vocal
00:49:41 - Song, "Put My Little Shoes Away", vocal
00:52:31 - Introduction, Ezra G. Reese by Irma Natter
00:52:37 - Biographical information and early life
00:53:48 - Salvation Army Song, "Roll the Ole' Chariots", vocal
00:55:30 - Pat and Mike jokes
01:01:22 - "Big Rock Candy Mountain" read by a woman -
Interviews with Elizabeth Fagly, Olive Sutley, Esther Sewer, Herman Sullivan, the Stuttgart Vocal Quartet, Music by Alvin Boggle, Paul Kellerman and Fred Kellerman
Mary Grace Kinter
Interviews with Elizabeth Fagly, Olive Sutley, Esther Sewer, Herman Sullivan, the Stuttgart Vocal Quartet, Music by Alvin Boggle, Paul Kellerman and Fred Kellerman.
00:00:50 - Interview with Elizabeth Fagly. This interview is of poor quality. A significant amount of the interview was erased on the original tape. It has been digitally restored to the best extent possible given the condition of the original media.
00:05:23 - Elizabeth Fagly's granddaughter
00:06:01 - Interview with Olive Sutley of Speed, KS on June 12, 1962. Recording is difficult to understand
00:06:32 - Parent's origin
00:11:08 - Poem
00:12:09 - Interview with Esther Sewer of Logan, KS on June 14, 1962
00:12:50 - Founding of Logan, KS
00:16:00 - The white buffalo
00:16:45 - The Logan Goldrush
00:19:16 - Sorghum story
00:20:12 - First dance in Logan
00:21:06 - The scalping
The recording cuts off and the remainder is missing -
Interviews with Ernest Robert Morton, Mrs. H.E. Carlson, Kathleen Squire and Paul Retch
Alice Fern Brown
Interviews with Ernest Robert Morton, Mrs. H.E. Carlson, Kathleen Squire and Paul Retch.
00:00:02 - Introduction to interview with Ernest Robert Morton of Oberlin, KS
00:00:34 - Life in England before immigrating to the United States
00:02:52 - Decision to come to the United States
00:04:04 - Decision to move to Kansas and become a farmer
00:06:57 - English customs, superstitions, and culture
00:09:45 - Visiting England in 1956
00:15:02 - Introduction, Mrs. H.E. Carlson
00:15:34 - Childhood experiences in Sweden
00:17:30 - Moving to the United States
00:18:14 - Family life as an adult
00:23:44 - Swedish sayings and superstitions
00:26:30 - Song, Security, vocal in Swedish
00:27:20 - Song, The Pearly Gates, vocal in Swedish
00:28:40 - Introduction, Kathleen Squire
00:29:15 - History and description of the Decatur County museum
00:30:33 - Indigenous American artifacts in the museum
00:31:18 - Description of other exhibits in the museum
00:39:48 - Old Sod Organization
00:40:48 - Story told by a survivor of the Decatur County raid of 1878
00:40:42 - Museum work
00:46:33 - Mummified Indigenous American woman
00:47:50 - Visits by school children and the growth of the museum
00:50:39 - Personal history, customs, and home remedies
00:56:46 - Introduction, Paul Retch
00:57:12 - Personal history and arrival in America
The Samuel J. Sackett Folklore Collection consists of recordings created by Dr. Sackett and his graduate assistants between the years of 1954 and 1977. Dr. Sackett and his assistants interviewed immigrants, homesteaders, and other community figures in Kansas and beyond, with a specific focus on folk music and folk lore. Subjects covered include folk music, folk stories, immigration and homesteading in the late 1800s through early 1900s, relations with Indigenous Americans and other minorities, Volga-German music, language, and customs, along with a wealth of genealogical information. Some of the recordings include racially sensitive language and as well as accounts of hate crimes. Originally recorded on reel-to-reel media, the collection was migrated to cassette tape in the 1990s and then transferred to digital beginning in 2020. Many of the recordings were in poor condition. The access recordings presented here have undergone audio enhancement in order to improve the user experience where possible, though some recordings remain difficult to understand. Unaltered audio transfers are available for researchers on request. Dr. Sackett served in the Department of English at FHSU for 23 years and founded the Kansas Folklore Society. His research materials were transferred to the University Archives in 1992.
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