JEFFERSON CO, AR - Mrs. Mary J. Louis - WPA Life History NAME OF WORKER Albert Burks ADDRESS 239 So 20th DAT Dec. 19, 1938 SUBJECT American Folklore 1. Name and address of informant Mrs. Mary J. Louis 1711 No. 24th 2. Date and time of interview Dec. 19, 1938. 4:10 p.m to 7:00 p.m. 3. Place of interview Residence 4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with [informant?] None 5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you None 6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc. Neat two-story cottage; lawn and shrubbery well kept. Interview in parlor comfortable furnished old-style furniture; numerous pictures on the walls possibly of friends and relatives. [???] FORM [B?] Personal History of Informant NAME OF WORKER Albert Burks ADDRESS DATE Dec. 19, 1938 SUBJECT American Folklore NAME AND ADDRESS OF INFORMANT Mrs. Mary Louis [Luuis?] 1711 No. 24th 1. Ancestry Negro 2. Place and date of birth [Tubalee?], Mississippi, 1873 3. Family One 4. Places lived in, with dates Pine Bluffs, Arkansas, for twenty-two years; Lincoln past nineteen years. 5. Education, with dates None 6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates [Rooming?] house keeper 7. Special skills and interests Quilting 8. Community and religious activities Methodist 9. Description of informant Tall, slender, copper complexioned, mixed gray hair. 10. Other points gained in interview Informant reluctant to be interviewed. Afraid that attempt was being made to deprive her of old age benefit, which she receives. FORM C Text of Interview (Unedited) NAME OF WORKER Albert Burks ADDRESS 239 So. 20th DATE Dec. 19, 1938 SUBJECT American Folklore "The pas' nineteen years I been in Lincoln, though I'm [shuch?] ever body knows that now, I've shuch tol' [et?] 'nough tryin' t' git this ol' age pension. I don' know nuthin' 'bout my home town cause we moved from [therh?] when I was jes' a chile. I lived for oveh thirty yeahs in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas. An' I've kep' a roomin' house for yeahs. In Arkansas I used to keep the railroad boys that worked on the "Mop". I was housekeeper on the "Mop" railroad shanties an' did the cookin' for [oveh?] thirty "ganty [duechs?]" that what they call the fellahs that take care of the railroad tracks. The railroad gang all like my cookin' and I nevah had no complaints. One thing mos' of them was partic'lah 'bout was "hogs head and black-eyed peas," on New [Yeahs?]; they figured it woul' bring luck the yeah "round". Dey ain't dey only folks dat think dat ca'se durin' de week followin' Chris'mas the butcher shops in town is loaded with hog heads." Credit: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection. Jefferson ********************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. **********************************************************************************