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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
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Louis Cyr, Strongman
Louis Cyr, famed Quebecois strongman who was for some
time with P.T. Barnum's Circus, is said to at one time
have held onto the tails of four horses at once.
The horses were then whipped, but could not run away.
Submitter comment:
Louis Cyr was married to the cousin of my
father's mother. She liked to spread impossible
stories about unrecorded feats of his.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Lie Tall tale BELIEF -- P479 |
Date learned: 00001940CA
Louis Cyr, Strongman
Louis Cyr, famed Quebecois strongman who was for some
time with P.T. Barnum's Circus, is said to at one time
have pushed a loaded cargo car up a steep hill by himself.
Submitter comment:
Louis Cyr was married to the cousin of my
father's mother. She liked to spread impossible
stories about unrecorded feats of his.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Lie Tall tale BELIEF -- P479 |
Date learned: 00001940CA
My father's grandmother was Delphine Charbonneau
(descendant of Toussaint Charbonneau).
Her mother (he can't remember her name) moved
into a former house of ill repute (because of the
low price). She had it exorcised by a priest, and on
her first day there, she stood at the foot of the
stairs and shouted, "I'm not afraid of devils or
anything." A cold hand slapped her in the face and
knocked her off the landing. She moved out the next
day. This happened in Detroit.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Devil Demon PROSE NARRATIVE -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter PROSE NARRATIVE -- Product or activity of man or animal |
Legend
In 1918, there was an epidemic of flu, or "grippe."
My father's uncle Derek became sick two weeks after
my great-grandfather died. The family noticed that
the holy card (with the Virgin pictured) was
standing up on its own on his night table.
A priest was called in, and he roped the table off.
The card remained standing with no apparent support
until Derek died, when it suddenly fell over.
This happened in Verdun, near Quebec.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Religious hero BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
The Burglar Brave and Bold
The burglar brave and bold
He went to rob a house
He climbed right in the window
As quiet as a mouse.
(At this point, the informant's memory broke down,
and she had to tell the rest of the story in prose,
until the final verse.)
The burglar hid under the bed when the old maid
who owned the house came in. She took out her teeth,
and removed her glass eye, and took the hair from off
her head. She locked the window and the door, but
forgot to look under the bed.
The burglar came out, and the old woman grabbed her
shotgun and pointed it at him and said:
Marry me sir or I'll blow off the top of your head.
The burglar looked around the room,
He looked for a place to scoot;
He looked at her teeth and her old glass eye,
And said, "For Heaven's sake shoot."
Submitter comment:
This was learned from my great uncle
Joseph O'Connor, who was born in St. Thomas, Canada.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Ballad Epic |
Date learned: 00001950CA
Superstition
My father's sister was an alcoholic. Her mother
believed that when a member of a family died,
he could take a curse with him. So when my uncle Marcel
died, she prayed that he would take her daughter's
alcoholism with him. Shortly thereafter her daughter
stopped drinking, and she attributes this to her wish.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): TRANSFERENCE
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial BELIEF -- Curse |
Date learned: 00001980CA
Legend
My mother was told this story about one of her great uncles.
It takes place during the Great Depression. The man was
walking home with a rosary in his pocket when a mugger
challenged him. He put his hand in his pocket and aimed
the cross at the thief as if it were a gun. The thief
believed it was a gun and ran away. The success of the
ruse was attributed to intervention by the Blessed Virgin.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Religious hero PROSE NARRATIVE -- Outlaw Criminal Bandit Pirate |
Date learned: 00001950CA
Legend
I used to babysit on a dark deserted road in the 1970's.
Across from the house was a huge oak tree.
This was the scene of a great tragedy.
It is known in New Baltimore that two young lovers
ran out of gas while they were parked in front of the tree.
The boyfriend went to get gas. While he was gone, she fell
asleep. She heard a banging sound but thought nothing of it.
The next morning the police woke her up and asked her to
step out of the car. She saw her boyfriend hanging from the
tree. His legs hit the car while the wind was blowing, thus
making a thumping noise.
Submitter comment: Old New Baltimore legend
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; NEW BALTIMORE
James Callow Keyword(s): The Boyfriend's Death
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Plant BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00001970CA
Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival
Our town has a four-day celebration in honor
of the fishfly. We have a carnival and top
it off with a parade on the last day.
This always takes place in June. Fishflys
originate in the Anchor Bay, which is the
bay next to New Baltimore.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; NEW BALTIMORE
James Callow Keyword(s): INSECT ; June Bug ; May Fly
| Subject headings: | 686 Fourths / Quarters Favorites CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Movable Date CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Summer |
Date learned: 00001971ca
Small Town Funeral Customs
The small towns in the western part of
Wisconsin have furniture stores next to
the funeral homes. They serve as parlors
for the funeral. The funeral home is really
the casket builder's.
Where learned: WISCONSIN ; Sparta
| Subject headings: | Favorites CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial |
If someone wants to sell a house and aren't getting
too many offers, bury a statue of St. Joseph in the
backyard. The house will be sold. My boyfriend's
mother did this and their house was sold in a week.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UTICA
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Religious hero BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal |
THERE IS AN OLD WIVES' TALE THAT SAYS THAT WHEN A WOMAN IS
IN THE PROCESS OF GIVING BIRTH TO A CHILD THE ANGEL OF
DEATH CIRCLES HER BED NINE TIMES. ONCE FOR EVERY MONTH OF
HER PREGNANCY.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Lansing
Keyword(s): PREGNANCY SUPERSTITION
| Subject headings: | 686 Ninths / Nine Favorites BELIEF -- Angel BELIEF -- Birth BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Date learned: 00001950CA
WHEN MY AUNT WAS A LITTLE GIRL, HER AND MY MOTHER USE TO
PLAY A GAME CALLED SANCTIFIED CHURCH. THIS GAME HAD NO
RULES OR GOAL. IN THE GAME THE CHILDREN WOULD SIT UNDER A
TENT, MADE OF A GRASS SACK NAILED TO THE HOUSE WITH TWO
BROOMSTICKS STUCK TO THE OTHER END OF THE SACK AND
DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND, UNDER THIS TENT THE CHILDREN
WOULD SIT ON TIN DRUMS AND SING AND CLAP AS THEY SAW
OTHERS DO IN CHURCH.
Where learned: TENNESSEE ; MARTIN
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Dramatic CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Church |
FAMILY LEGEND
MY AUNT TOLD ME THAT, WHEN SHE WAS A KID MY GRANDFATHER
(SOLOMAN MCDONALD) USE TO CATCH FISH BY WADING INTO THE
WATER IN WADING BOOTS AND CATCHING THE FISH WITH ONLY
HIS BARE HANDS.
Where learned: TENNESSEE ; MARTIN
| Subject headings: | Favorites PROSE NARRATIVE -- Fish |
Date learned: 00001947CA
HOW TO FIND SOMETHING YOU LOST
IF YOU LOSE SOMETHING IN YOUR HOUSE, YOU SHOULD TAKE AN EMPTY
GLASS, AND IT MUST BE GLASS, AND TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN NEAR
RUNNING WATER (A SINK, ETC.). LEAVE THE GLASS THERE UNTIL YOU
FIND WHAT YOU LOST. YOU WILL FIND IT, AS LONG AS IT IS IN THE
HOUSE. THIS ALWAYS WORKS.
Submitter comment:
MR. SNIDER LEARNED THIS FROM HIS MOTHER IN OHIO WHO IS NOT THE
LEAST BIT SURPRISED WHEN SOMEBODY FINDS SOMETHING BY EMPLOYING
THIS METHOD. IT IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED THAT THIS WORKS.
Where learned: OHIO ; CLEVELAND
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Use of Object |
OPPOSITES DAY
IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A POPULAR THING TO DO IS DECLARE AN
OPPOSITES DAY. ONCE DECLARED, ANY INSULT DIRECTED AT A PERSON
WAS REVERSED. IF BILLY SAID ERIC WAS MEAN, AND ERIC DECLARED
OPPOSITES DAY, IT WAS AS IF BILLY HAD SAID THAT ERIC WAS NICE.
THIS IS OFTEN USED IN THE MIDDLE OF HEATED ARGUMENTS.
KIDS CAN USE THIS TO REVERSE PERSONAL INSULTS: "YOU ARE STUPID",
"YOU ARE UGLY"; AND PHYSICAL INSULTS: "YOUR CLOTHES DON'T
MATCH", "YOUR MAMMA WEARS ARMY BOOTS."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Sterling Heights
James Callow Keyword(s): INVERSION
| Subject headings: | Favorites CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- School CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Typical Elements of a Festive Pattern CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Irregular |
Date learned: 00001976CA
STATUES AND FIGURINES OF ELEPHANTS WITH THEIR TRUNKS UP
IN THE AIR ARE A GOOD LUCK CHARM. ELEPHANTS WITH THEIR TRUNKS
DOWN ARE BAD LUCK.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WARREN
James Callow Keyword(s): DIRECTION ; POSITION
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Mammal BELIEF -- Good luck BELIEF -- Bad luck |
Date learned: 00001976CA
SONG
IN THE LAND OF ODEN
THERE IS A MOUNTAIN
WHICH IS TWENTY MILLION
MILES IN THE AIR.
AND EVERY MILLION YEARS
A LITTLE BIRD COMES A WINGING
TO SHARPEN HIS BEAK ON THAT MOUNTAIN;
THEN HE QUICKLY DISAPPEARS.
AND WHEN THAT MOUNTAIN
HAS WORN AWAY
THAT'S WHEN ETERNITY WILL BE
ONE SINGLE DAY
ONE SINGLE DAY
ONE SINGLE DAY.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; LAPEER ; CAMP O'FAIRWINDS
James Callow Keyword(s): ODIN ; RELATIVITY
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Religious BELIEF -- Bird BELIEF -- Formation BELIEF -- Measure of time |
Date learned: 06-00-1979
THE BILLBOARD SONG
ONE DAY AS I WAS WALKING
ONE DARK AND DREARY DAY
I CAME UPON A BILLBOARD
AND MUCH TO MY DISMAY
THE SIGN WAS TORN AND TATTERED
FROM THE STORM THE NIGHT BEFORE
THE WIND AND RAIN HAD DONE ITS WORK
AND THIS IS WHAT I SORE. MM
DRINK COCA-COLA CIGARETTES
CHEW WRIGLEY'S SPEARMINT BEER
KENNELRATION DOGFOOD
MAKES YOUR COMPLEXION CLEAR
SIMONIZE YOUR BABY
WITH A HERSHEY'S CANDY BAR,
AND PEPSI-COLA BEAUTY CREAM
IS USED BY ALL THE STARS. MM
SO TAKE YOUR NEXT VACATION
IN A BRAND NEW FRIDGIDARE
LEARN TO PLAY PIANO
IN YOUR WINTER UNDERWEAR.
DOCTORS SAY THAT BABIES,
SHOULD SMOKE UNTIL THEY'RE THREE,
AND PEOPLE OVER SIXTY-FIVE
SHOULD BATHE IN LIPTON TEA, HEY!
Submitter comment:
LEARNED FROM MIDDLE SISTER'S BEST FRIEND, MARTH BAKER
WHO LIVED DOWN THE STREET AND WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH
MY SISTER IN FLINT, MICHIGAN. BOTH OF THEM LIKED WORD GAMES
AND HAD BACKGROUND IN THE PERFORMING ARTS. THEY WENT TO
HIGH SCHOOL AT FLINT OPEN SCHOOL IN THE EARLY 1970'S.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Flint
James Callow Keyword(s): TANGLETALK
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Good humor Jest |
QUARTERS
ITEMS NEEDED FOR THIS GAME ARE A NUMBER OF AMERICAN OR
CANADIAN QUARTERS, A GLASS 2" TALL (USUALLY A SHOT GLASS) AND
A HARD SMOOTH SURFACE TO BOUNCE THE QUARTERS ON. EVERY PLAYER
HAS A DRINK (BEER). THE OBJECT OF THE GAME IS TO BOUNCE THE
QUARTER ON THE FLAT SURFACE SO THAT IT GOES INTO THE GLASS
AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE. THE QUARTER IS USUALLY HELD BETWEEN
THE THUMB AND FOREFINGER AND HITS THE TABLE AT AN ANGLE SO
IT BOUNCES ON THE THIN EDGE. IF YOU MISS YOU HAVE TO TAKE A
DRINK AND THE NEXT PLAYER GOES. IF YOU GET IT IN YOU TRY
AGAIN. IF YOU GET THREE IN A ROW YOU CAN MAKE UP A RULE.
(EX.- YOU HAVE TO SWEAR AT THE END OF EVERY SENTENCE; IF YOU
GET UP TO DO SOMETHING IN THE ROOM YOU MUST WALK ON YOUR
KNEES).
VARIATIONS ON THE GAME VARY WIDELY, EVEN FROM ROOM TO ROOM
ON THE SAME DORM FLOOR. OTHERS ARE:
IF YOU CAN BOUNCE A QUARTER IN SOMEONE ELSE'S DRINK
ANYTIME DURING PLAY THEY HAVE TO DRINK THE WHOLE GLASS IN
ONE GO AND RETURN THE QUARTER TO YOU.
INSTEAD OF A SHOT GLASS A PHONE RECEIVER WAS USED. THE EAR
AND MOUTH PIECES HAD BEEN UNSCREWED AND TAKEN OFF TO LEAVE
HOLES FOR THE QUARTERS TO BE BOUNCED INTO. THEN THE PHONE
WAS SET SPINNING AND THE PLAYERS TOOK TURNS TRYING TO GET
THE QUARTERS IN.
Submitter comment:
THIS IS ANOTHER OF THE DRINKING GAMES THAT ARE USED TO GET
DRUNK QUICKLY.
Where learned: UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Special Object or Implement |
Date learned: 10-00-1988