WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN IT WAS A POPULAR PRACTICE TO PUT
YOUR TOOTH WHICH HAD FALLEN OUT UNDER YOUR PILLOW. WE BELIEVED
THAT THE FAIRY GODMOTHER TOOK IT AND REPLACED IT, USUALLY WITH
A DIME OR QUARTER.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; Exchange ; Faerie ; Fairy ; Fairytale ; MONEY ; Reward ; SUPERSTITION ; Tooth ; Toothfairy

James Callow Keyword(s): Toothfairy

Subject headings:

Daily Life
BELIEF -- Fairy Elf Goblin Gnome
BELIEF -- Body part Senses Mouth, teeth, lips, tongue

Date learned: NOT GIVEN

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WALKING DOWN STAIRS

WHEN WALKING UP OR DOWN STAIRS WITH ANOTHER PERSON THE TWO
PEOPLE MUST WALK ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE STAIRS OR BAD LUCK
WILL FOLLOW THEM.

Submitter comment:

INFORMANTS AUNT TOLD HER THIS. INFORMANT HAS BEEN WITH HER
AUNT WHEN SHE HAS DONE THIS.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; LUCK ; Relationship ; Stairs ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): DIRECTION ; POSITION

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank

Date learned: 03-05-1971

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CHRISTMAS CUSTOM

IF THE FIRST PERSON TO COME THROUGH THE DOOR OF YOUR HOUSE ON
CHRISTMAS EVE IS A DARK HAIRED MAN YOU WILL HAVE GOOD LUCK IN THE
YEAR TO COME.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CHRISTMAS ; COLOR ; GOOD LUCK ; HAIR ; holiday ; LUCK ; Man ; OMEN ; SYMBOL

James Callow Keyword(s): FIRST FOOTING

Subject headings:

686 Properties attributed to specific numbers or numerals individually.
CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 21 solstice to March 20
BELIEF -- Good luck P881.42

Date learned: 00001930S

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BELIEF

HARD WORK WILL PUT HAIR ON YOUR ARMS.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Arms ; BELIEF ; GROWTH ; HAIR ; SUPERSTITION ; WORK

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Work Commerce Business

Date learned: 03-29-1968

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FOR AN INGROWN HAIR PLACE A PIECE OF BREAD WRAPPED IN A BAND-AID
ON THE AFFECTED AREA FOR A DAY, THE HAIR WILL COME RIGHT OUT.

Submitter comment:

MY MOTHER GAVE ME THIS REMEDY WHILE I WAS AFFLICTED WITH IT.
IT WORKED.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; WYANDOTTE

Keyword(s): AILMENT ; BREAD ; CURE ; Homeopathy ; Ingrown Hair ; REMEDY

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Method of Curing

Date learned: 00-00-1980

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THE TURN OF THE CENTURY FOUND A GREAT DEAL OF THE
PRAIRIE LAND OF THE DAKOTAS OPEN FOR SETTLEMENT
THROUGH THE HOMESTEAD ACT. THIS ARID LAND WAS FAR
FROM THE BEST FOR FARMING. MY PARENTS TOOK ADVANTAGE
OF THIS ONLY TO FIND OUT YOU COULD ONLY EXPECT ONE
GOOD CROP EVERY SEVEN YEARS. AFTER THREE YEARS OF
FARMING THE LAND, IT BECAME THEIRS AND THEY SOLD IT
AND MOVED TO THE SMALL TOWN OF LEMON, S. DAKOTA, WHERE
I WAS BORN. ONE OF THE FEW MEMORIES I HAVE OF THE
DAKOTAS ARE THE MANY PRAIRIE FIRES IN THE HOT MONTHS
OF THE YEAR. THESE FIRES WOULD CREEP ALONG THE GROUND
AND TAKE EVERYTHING IN ITS WAY. WHEN A FIRE WAS SPOTTED
EVERY ABLE-BODIED MAN WOULD GO OUT TO FIGHT THE FIRES.
THESE WERE BLAMED ON THE MANY RUSSIANS WHO LIVED IN THE
AREA. I DOUBT IF THERE WAS EVEN ANY PROOF OF THE
RUSSIANS BEING RESPONSIBLE, AS THIS WAS AT A TIME
WHEN WORLD WAR I WAS GOING ON IN EUROPE AND THE U.S.
HAD NOT YET BEEN INVOLVED. A MORE LOGICAL REASON, WHICH
WAS PROVED ON MANY OCCASIONS WAS SPARKS FROM LOCOMO-
TIVES. ON ONE OCCASION, EVERY BODY HAD TO LEAVE TOWN
AS THE FIRE WAS ON THREE SIDES OF THE TOWN AND ONLY ONE
ROAD WAS USABLE AS AN EXIT.
MOVING FROM DAKOTA TO MINNESOTA WAS LIKE TRAVELING
FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER, FOR THE CITY LIFE IN MINN-
ESOTA WAS VERY MODERN. IT WAS EVEN POSSIBLE TO GET ICE
DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE THREE TIMES A WEEK. THIS WAS
SUFFICIENT SERVICE TO KEEP THE ICEBOX COLD ALL OF THE
TIME AND THE VEGETABLE WAGON WITH ITS RINGING BELL
WAS A WELCOME SIGHT FOR THE HOUSEWIFE, AS IT WAS A
CHANCE TO BARGAIN FOR FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
IN SEASON. AS TIME WENT ON, MODERNIZATION SET IN AND
THE MILKMAN, ICEMAN AND VEGETABLE MAN CHANGED FROM
HORSE DRAWN CARTS TO TRUCKS BEFORE THEY EVENTUALLY
DISAPPEARED ALTOGETHER.
WITH THE ADVENT OF THE CAR, THE MAIL MAN ON THE ROAD
NO LONGER HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY AS A MATTER OF RESPECT.
MY GRANDFATHER ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE NEVER KNEW FOR SURE
JUST HOW OLD HE WAS OR WHEN HIS BIRTHDAY WAS, SO, WHEN
HE MARRIED, HE TOOK HIS WIFE'S BIRTHDAY AS HIS. AS
NEAR AS HE COULD RECALL, HE WAS ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE
YEARS OF AGE WHEN HIS PARENTS WERE MURDERED FOR THEIR
MONEY. HE WAS PLACED IN A CHICAGO ORPHANAGE WITH A
YOUNGER SISTER. HOW MANY YEARS HE SPENT IN THIS
ORPHANAGE IS NOT EXACTLY KNOWN, BUT IN HIS EARLY DAYS
HE WORKED ON A RIVERBOAT BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND
MINNEAPOLIS. LATER, HE WAS WORKING AS A FARMHAND
IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA, WHERE HE MET AND MARRIED
HIS LIFETIME PARTNER. ALL ATTEMPTS TO LOCATE HIS
SISTER WERE OF NO AVAIL, AS ALL RECORDS WERE LOST IN
THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: ILLINOIS ; PEORIA

Keyword(s): America ; CROPS ; Dakota ; FARMING ; Homestead Act ; Migration ; Modernization ; Prairie ; Russian ; Settlement ; Wildfire ; World War I ; WWI

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Tale

Date learned: 11-01-1971

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WHY IS A BARBER POLE RED AND WHITE STRIPED? RED STANDS
FOR BLOOD AND WHITE STANDS FOR BANDAGES BECAUSE THE BARBER
ALWAYS DID THE BLEEDING FOR ALL KINDS OF AILMENTS.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; ROCKWOOD

Keyword(s): Ailments ; Bandages ; Barber ; Barber Pole ; Bleeding ; COLOR ; CURE ; DISEASE ; HAIR ; ILLNESS ; Pole ; PREVENTION ; Red ; SICKNESS ; Signal ; Symbolize ; White