Samuel J. Sackett Folklore Collection | FHSU Digital Collections

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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Interviews with John Pearson, Harry Kidd, Jake Pfeifer, Bertha Van Newman, and Alice F. Kuiper

Alice F. Kuiper

Interviews with John Pearson, Harry Kidd, Jake Pfeifer, Bertha Van Newman, and Alice F. Kuiper.
00:00:00 - Interview with John Pearson of Prairie View, KS on June 15, 1962
00:00:23 - Song, "Way Down In The Low Green Valley"
00:03:48 - Song, "It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down" (Song about the Titanic)
00:06:10 - Song, "Rosewood Casket"
00:09:37 - Song, "A Message from Home, Sweet Home"
00:13:27 - Song, "On The Site Of Dark and Bloody Ground"
00:17:24 - Song, "Beyond the Rio Grande"
00:23:06 - Introduction, Harry Kidd of Prairie View, KS on June 16, 1962
00:23:30 - Coming to Kansas in a covered wagon and surviving the first winter
00:32:05 - Foraging for food
00:33:07 - The local grist mill
00:34:49 - Farm machinery
00:39:12 - Spinning and weaving at home for cloth
00:42:05 - Life on the homestead
00:46:40 - Local Sioux population
00:51:00 - Local animal populations
00:53:50 - Personal accidents and injuries
01:05:08 - Prairie Fires
01:12:08 - Introduction, Jake Kuiper of Prairie View, KS
01:12:26 - Parents immigrating from Holland
01:13:05 - Dutch nursery rhymes and proverbs
01:17:14 - Introduction to song sung by person from Great Bend, KS
01:17:53 - Song, "The Ship That Never Returned"
01:18:55 - Introduction, Bertha Van Newman of Prairie View, KS on June 20, 1962
01:19:33 - Family immigrating from Holland and homesteading in Kansas
01:22:48 - Dutch proverbs, riddles, poems, and superstitions
01:27:39 - Her grandfather and his death
01:29:51 - Community celebrations
01:32:21 - Introduction, Alice F. Kuiper of Prairie View, KS
01:32:33 - Song, "My name is Jan Johnson"
01:33:11 - Song, "Sweet Rosie O'Grady"
Interviews with Larry Schukman and Mrs. Clay Davis

Larry J. Schukman

Interviews with Larry Schukman.
00:00:00 - 1873 Buffalo Hunt
00:01:15 - Hoax about Indigenous Americans in 1878
00:03:00 - Country cream
00:04:50 - Hard luck story
00:05:22 - A snake story
00:05:56 - A raft story
00:06:56 - A pair of patent boots
00:07:48 - Conclusion
The second half of this recording is missing
Interviews with Lawrence Weigel and Lloyd White

Robert E. Maxwell

Interviews with Lawrence Weigel and Lloyd White.
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:41 - History of the Volga Germans
00:04:10 - "Brautliede" or "Bride Song"
00:08:24 - "Ihr Musikanten tut mir spielen" or "Musicians, you should play!"
00:10:45 - "Haus Väter seid gegrüßt" or "Our Greetings to the Parents"
00:12:04 - "Seid Lustig und Munter" or "Be joyful and sober"
00:14:48 - "Wir sitzen so Fröhlich Beisammen" or "We are sitting so happily together"
00:18:07 - "Das glaslein muss wandern" or "The Glass must be passed around "
00:20:08 - "Lauf Mueller Lauf" or "Laugh, Miller, Laugh"
00:21:48 - "Ach Schätzchen was hab ich Erfahren?" or "Oh, My Beloved, What Has Happened to you?"
00:25:49 - "Im Sommer und Winter" or "In Summer and Winter"
00:27:29 - "Trinkt Alle Raus" or "Drink it all!"
00:29:37 - "Ich Liebe Ein Mädchen Von 18 Jahre" or "I Love a Maiden Eighteen Years Old"
00:31:44 - "Zufriedenheit" or "Contentment"
00:34:12 - "Madam"
00:36:20 - "Die Abreise von Riga" or "The Departure from Riga (Latvia)"
00:39:02 - "Hier können wir ja nicht mehr leben" or "We can no longer live here"
00:42:24 - "Die Gendanken sind frei" or "My thoughts are free"
00:44:00 - "War in Wien Gewesen" or "When I was in Vienna"
00:46:01 - "Der Goldene Rosenkranz" or "The Golden Rosary"
00:49:34 - Lloyd White of Colby Kansas singing an original song. "Corn Shucking Song"
Interviews with Lee Bachman, Richard Schmidt, Susan Gourley, Gerald Schmeidler, Maryanna Swarnson, and Roy White

Barbara Gourley

Interviews with Lee Bachman, Richard Schmidt, Susan Gourley, Gerald Schmeidler, Maryanna Swarnson, Hazel White and Roy White.
00:00:00 - Introduction, Lee Bachman of Lindsborg, KS
00:00:31 - Celebrating Christmas
00:02:10 - Introduction, Richard Schmidt of Lincoln, KS
00:02:34 - Celebrating Christmas, Pentecost, and Easter
00:03:33 - Last day of school
00:04:19 - Mennonite weddings and shivarees
00:05:57 - Fumigating for sickness with sulphur
00:06:15 - Introduction, Susan Gourley
00:06:41 - Amish butchering customs
00:07:15 - Celebrating the 4th of July
00:07:35 - Shivaree
00:07:59 - Barn parties
00:08:28 - Home rememdies
00:08:57 - Introduction, Gerald Schmeidler of Catherine, KS
00:09:25 - Volga-German Christmas and New Years customs
00:11:03 - Wedding customs
00:13:54 - Introduction, Maryanna Sorenson of Lincoln, KS
00:14:33 - Celebrating Christmas and Lent in Denmark
00:18:05 - Literary societies in Denmark
00:18:44 - Home rememdies
00:20:11 - Weddings
00:20:42 - Birthdays
00:21:01 - Introduction, Hazel White of Westfall, KS
00:21:30 - Christmas customs
00:22:03 - Community dances and social clubs
00:23:26 - Last day of school
00:24:25 - Decoration Day
00:25:50 - Hog butchering
00:28:21 - Introduction, Roy White of Lincoln, KS
00:28:53 - Christmas customs
00:29:33 - Last day of school
00:30:47 - The drowning of Mousie Stoner
00:31:38 - Armistice Day celebration in 1918
00:32:13 - Entertainment: County Fair, Chautauqua, and circuses
00:35:35 - Prevention of colds, goose grease, and skunk graese
00:36:38 - WWI veterans
00:38:10 - Roller mill on the Saline River in Lincoln, KS
00:40:08 - Introduction, unknown woman
00:40:39 - Song, "The Watermelon Song", vocal
00:41:09 - Song, "The Skunk Song", vocal
00:42:00 - Song, "I Wish I Were", vocal
Interviews with Lizzie Davis, Charles Davis, Blanche Newell, Eda Wiest, J. Armstead, John and Ida Zielke, and Antoinette Nufer.

Dianne Gumm

Interviews with Lizzie Davis, Charles Davis, Blanche Newell, Eda Wiest, J. Armstead, John and Ida Zielke, and Antoinette Nufer. This recording is unavailable.