TX BIOS:  Mrs. Fannie Bray
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   00011
   
   Wood, Ruth
   
   Athens Texas
   
   Henderson County.
   
   Writers' Project,
   
   Dist. #5
   
   Palestine Texas.
   
   words 748
   
   Page 1. FOLKLORE AND FOLK CUSTOMS
   
   REFERENCE: Mrs. Fannie Bray, Kemp Texas, Rt. # 5.
   
   Old Aunt Fannie Bray, commonly called "Granny", who lives two miles
   west of the Aley store and is about 90 years of age, tells [DEL:
   ["Fortune"?] :DEL] fortunes by having the person whose future she is
   going to read, pour coffee into a cup and drain off the liquid,
   leaving the settlings in the bottom of the cup, then [DEL: [turn?]
   :DEL] [turning?] the cup over the head while he makes a wish.
   
   Several years ago a life long citizen of the county, Mr. Sereno
   Greenhaw lost a team of mules. He rode for days looking for them with
   no success. He felt sure the mules had been stolen or he could at
   least hear of them. After he had given up all hopes of ever finding
   them, someone advised him to go to Granny Bray. After thinking it over
   he decided it would do no harm even though it did no good.
   
   She told him the mules had been a long way from home, but at the
   present time they were standing under a large oak tree in a cemetery 3
   miles north of his home, but by the time he could ride up there they
   would be grazing on the north side of the graveyard. She said they
   were all right and had not been stolen; that he had been close to them
   several times in the last few days, but failed to see them. When he
   arrived he could hardly believe his own eyes, for there they were,
   safe and sound, grazing on the north side of the cemetery, and their
   tracks under the oak tree were evidence they had been there not long
   before. 00022The next winter Bob Prigmore who also lived in the same
   community lost a team of mules, he had turned them out yoked together
   which was, he learned later poor [judgement?]. He had searched the
   country over for them. One morning he rode up to Mr. Greenshaws gate
   and [inquired?] if he had seen his mules, to which the reply was he
   had not. Mr. Greenshaw advised him to go and ask Mrs. Bray. Mr.
   Prigmore laughed and said he did not believe in fortune telling. Mr.
   Greenshaw told him how he had found his mules just as she said he
   would. Mr. Prigmore [decided to go but had?] little faith. When he
   told Granny what he had come for she [put?] the coffee pot on the
   fire, got her glasses, and was ready for him.
   
   By the time he had his wish made, of course wishing to find his mules,
   she said, "Ah, my boy, you have waited too late to come to Granny, for
   your mules are all ready dead." She gave him the direction to where
   they were and as she said they were in the bog with their necks
   broken. Because of their chained they did not have a chance to get out
   and save their lives.
   
   This incident is also told in which the same Granny plays an important
   part. Twenty-five years ago, Anthony Powell and wife had a little boy
   about two years of age who wandered off from the camp ground of the
   family and some neighbors who had gone fishing. The child was lost
   three days and nights. The telephone switch boards were thrown open;
   free transportation was available; everything was done in order that
   everybody could hear the call for help and respond. Thousands of
   people joined the march they came from all the surrounding country.
   00033Women cooked foor out of doors by the wash tubs full and carried
   it to the bottom to feed tired and hungry men who had been going until
   they were completely exhausted. Every one was at the highest pitch of
   excitement possible. Old Aunt Fannie was not able to cook [ormarch?],
   but she studied her cup and sent warnings to the people that they were
   going the wrong direction. They would not heed the warning until the
   third day when they were about ready to give up. After pleading for a
   [squad?] of men to go north west, she finally succeeded in persuading
   some of them to take her advice. Although she said they had waited too
   long as the child was all ready dead, and it would not be many hours
   until the buzzards would find it. True to her prediction, the child
   was found that afternoon lying dead behind a large log. [DEL: dead
   :DEL] Its position and location [DEL: was :DEL] were just as she said
   it would be. This story is still talked about at the fire sides and is
   told as a warning to children not to leave the camp grounds while the
   parents are too busy tb watch them. This is a true story since the
   writer happened to be one of the Women who helped do the cooking for
   the group of men who were doing the hunting and she was present when
   Aunt Fanny sent them to where the child was found dead.
   
   Old Aunt Fanny is still able to tell "fortunes", even though she is 90
   years old. She is visited quite often by the young people who want to
   find out something about their love affairs. She does not charge
   anything for her services and she says she enjoys reading these
   youngsters "futures". #

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