Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
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DRY CLEANING HINTS
REMOVE MUD FROM BLACK CLOTHES BY RUBBING SPOTS WITH A RAW POTATO
CUT IN HALF.
RENOVATE BLACK SILK BY SPONGING WITH STALE BEER PLACED BETWEEN
NEWSPAPERS AND PRESSED WITH HOT IRON.
FINE LACES MAY BE CLEANED BY BEING PACKED IN WHEAT FLOUR AND
ALLOWED TO REMAIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.
A LITTLE KEROSENE MIXED WITH STARCH GIVES A GLOSS TO COLLARS
AND RUFFS (CUFFS?).
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; HOLLY SPRINGS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Home |
Date learned: 08-10-1968
SOME OF THE MENFOLKS STILL CARRY HIGH JOHN DE CONQUER ROOTS
IN THEIR POCKETS FOR LUCK. OLD JOHN WAS THE PROTECTOR OF
THE OLD-TIME SLAVES.
Submitter comment: HIGH JOHN DE CONQUER ROOTS ARE THE MARSH ST. JOHN'S WORT,
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; HOLLY SPRINGS
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Fate Destiny Luck Chance BELIEF -- Good luck Plants |
Date learned: 08-10-1968
LOCAL LEGEND
NORTHERN JONES WAS A COLORED HANDYMAN ABOUT TOWN
YEARS AGO. WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HIM, THEY SAY
HE WAS KINDA SLICK, OR IN OTHER WORDS, SHIFTLESS.
ONE DAY THE WHITE MAN FOR WHOM HE WORKED WAS HEARD
TO BE GIVING NORTHERN JONES A LONG STRING OF JOBS
TO GET DONE. WHEN HE WAS TOLD THAT NORTHERN JONES
COULD NEVER BEGIN TO DO ALL OF THEM, THE WHITE
MAN REPLIED: "SHUCKS, IF HE GETS ONE OF 'EM DONE,
I'LL BE SATISFIED!"
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; HOLLY SPRINGS
James Callow Keyword(s): LAZY
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Human Being PROSE NARRATIVE -- Human Being |
Date learned: 08-10-1968
LOCAL LEGEND
THE STORY IS TOLD AROUND TOWN THAT SOMEONE ONCE
PLACED A LARGE HARP IN THE TREE ON HIS LAWN,
SLANTING THE HARP SO A GENTLE BREEZE PLAYED SOFTLY
ACROSS ITS STRINGS, BECAUSE HE LIKED SWEET MUSIC.
I GUESS IT MUST HAVE BEEN MORE EERIE THAN SWEET.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; HOLLY SPRINGS
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Human Being PROSE NARRATIVE -- Human Being PROSE NARRATIVE -- Product or activity of man or animal |
Date learned: 08-10-1968
HAUNTED HOUSE
THAT HOUSE WHERE I USED TO LIVE--IT HAS SEVERAL
STORIES CONNECTED WITH IT. I DIDN'T WANT MY CHILDREN
TO HEAR THEM--I DO WANT THEM SLEEPING AT NIGHT!
THE HOUSE BELONGED TO CAPTAIN SAM FRANK--HE WAS IN
THE CIVIL WAR. WHILE HE OWNED THE HOUSE, HIS DOG
FELL OUT OF THE UPPER WINDOW AND BROKE HIS NECK.
CAPTAIN FRANK HAD THE REMAINS CREMATED. THEY SAY
THAT WHEN IT RAINED AFTERWARDS, THE ASHES WOULD
SHAKE. HE KEPT THEM IN AN URN INSIDE THE HOUSE!
THEY ALSO SAY THAT SOMEONE LAID A FIRE ONCE THEN
LOCKED UP THE ROOM. WHEN HE RETURNED THE NEXT DAY,
HE UNLOCKED THE DOOR TO FIND THE FIRE HAD BEEN
KINDLED AND BURNED.
A WOMAN WHO LIVED THERE DURING WORLD WAR I, WOKE
UP ONE NIGHT TO FIND HER HUSBAND STANDING OVER THE
BED. "I LOVE YOU," HE SAID. NEXT WEEK SHE GOT A
TELEGRAM THAT HE HAD BEEN KILLED IN FRANCE.
ANOTHER WOMAN WHO LIVED THERE HAD LOTS OF TINY
IVORY ELEPHANTS. EACH NIGHT SHE'D FACE THEM ONE
WAY. IN THE MORNING, THEY'D FACE ANOTHER.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; HOLLY SPRINGS
| Subject headings: | PROSE NARRATIVE -- Product or activity of man or animal |
Date learned: 07-27-1968
To cure ringworm on children take some chewing tobacco and
mix with petroleum jelly and place this on the rash. It should
be approximately one week before any results are noticeable.
Submitter comment:
Informant states that she tried this on her daughter who
contacted ringworm from playing in the sand.
James Callow comment:
Puckett, Ohio recommends curing ringworm with "strong tobacco
leaves" (no. 11126), "saliva from a man smoking a cigar" (11127),
and "nicotine juice from a pipe" (11128), but with no admixture
of vaseline or any other ingredient.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Laurel
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 00-00-1951
Superstition
Never let a man place his hat on a woman's bed. It's bad
luck to the woman.
James Callow comment:
"Putting your hat on the bed is an almost universal Negro
sign of bad luck" (N. N. Puckett, "Folk Beliefs of the Southern
Negro," p. 410). Puckett cites informants from Alabama and
Mississippi.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Laurel
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal BELIEF -- Bad luck |
Date learned: 00-00-1944
Superstition
When wanting a man to fall in love, place sugar in a glass of
water and stir toward you (the stirrer) saying the person's name
three times.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Laurel
| Subject headings: | Charm / Enchantment / Conjuration 686 Thirds / Thrice / Three / Triple Favorites Food Drink -- Flavoring BELIEF -- Marriage |
When the Devil Beats his Wife
It is said that when you see a whirlwind it usually means that
the devil is beating his wife.
Submitter comment: The informant was giggling when she told this to me.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Small Storms
James Callow Keyword(s): ANTHROPOMORPHISM
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Devil Demon BELIEF -- Wind Whirlwind Hurricane Cyclone Tornado |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Fish And Milk
Before having a catfish dinner, I asked my mother if I could
have some milk to go with it. But my father interrupted and said
that if you've never had milk with fish before then it will kill
you.
Submitter comment:
My father had a very serious look on his face. I knew he was
wrong because they had served milk along with our lunches which
sometimes include fish as a main course.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): FOOD POISONING
Date learned: 00-00-1970
My mother told me that when any of my teeth came out I should
put them under my pillow so that the tooth fairy would leave me
some money. My mother also said I had to be a good boy in order to
receive any money.
Submitter comment: My mother sounded very convincing.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Little magical people
James Callow Keyword(s): Fairy
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Fairy Elf Goblin Gnome BELIEF -- Body part Senses |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
My mother always told me that when your hand itches it means
you will receive some money soon.
Submitter comment:
This was a hopeful superstition but not a very believable
one.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Hands, palms, fingernails BELIEF -- Measure of quality Monetary systemMoneyWealth |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
I was told that when you can smell watermelon and there's none
around it usually means a snake is near.
Submitter comment: My mother had this scary look on her face.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Fragrances
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Animal BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
My mother believes that when a baby is born with a
veil(placenta) still covering its face that it will be able to see
spirits.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Gypsies
| Subject headings: | Prophet / Seer / Soothsayer Spirit / Mind / Body BELIEF -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter BELIEF -- Body part Senses BELIEF -- Birth |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Unshelled Peanuts
One day my father and my oldest brother were in the car coming
from the store. My father had previously bought my brother some
peanuts at the store and told him not to eat them until they were
home. My brother began to shell the peanuts and eat them in the
car simultaneously the steering column of the car came disconnected
and my father lost control of the car and almost had an accident.
Ever since that day my father had said that it's bad luck to eat
unshelled peanuts in the car.
Submitter comment:
This was a very funny story but my father seemed convinced that
its true.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): FOOD
James Callow Keyword(s): Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Working on Sundays
Whenever I asked my mother if I could go fishing on a Sunday
afternoon she would say no because she believed that
Sundays were suppose to be restful days and not to be worked on and
that included fishing. She had this belief because God created the
world in six days and rested on the seventh. So her reasoning was
that if God can make a world in six days and rest on the seventh,
therefore any man should be able to do what he wants in six days
and rest on the seventh.
Submitter comment: My mother never let me go fishing on Sundays.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
| Subject headings: | 686 Sixths / Six 686 Seven / Sevenths / Several BELIEF -- Measure of time WeekDayHour BELIEF -- Magic Book |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Mary Wells
During the 1950's or 60's, Mary Wells was supposedly a witch
that burned down half a small southern town called Yazoo City.
Chains were placed around her grave to keep her spirit from
returning from the dead. Children during the 1970's and 80's had
a superstition that her spirit could be called from the dead. The
procedure for doing this was to go into the restroom, turn off the
lights, look into the mirror and say Mary Wells' name ten times and
her face would appear in the mirror.
Submitter comment:
I'm not sure whether this is true or not because I've been
always too afraid to try it; even up to this date.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): SPIRITS
| Subject headings: | Charm / Enchantment / Conjuration 686 First / Once / One / Newness Favorites BELIEF -- Ghost Spirit Phantom Specter BELIEF -- Witch Shaman |
Date learned: 01-01-1978
Baby's First Teeth
It's been said that if you let a baby look into the mirror
before he/she grows his/her first teeth then he/she will never grow
any teeth at all.
Submitter comment:
My mother had this big grin on her face when she told me this
but it took me a few years to realize she was lying.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
| Subject headings: | 686 Properties attributed to specific numbers or numerals individually. BELIEF -- Body part Senses BELIEF -- Number Emptiness, nothingness, zero |
Date learned: 00-00-1980
Old Mary Mack
There's a children's song entitled 'Old Mary Mack' and it goes
like this:
Old Mary Mack Mack Mack
All dressed in black black black
With silver buttons buttons buttons
All down her back back back
She went to the store store store
With fifteen cents cents cents.
Submitter comment: This was sort of one of those patty cake chants.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Children's songs
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Game Verse Game Verse |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Red Light Green Light
This was a children's game in which one chosen person would
close his/her eyes and say "Red light green light" several times
while simultaneously spinning around. While the chosen person
would spin and say this the other participants would run around in
circles around the chosen person. And when the chosen person
opened his/her eyes, whoever was still moving would be put out of
the game.
Submitter comment: This seemed to be a very fun game at the time.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): GAMES
| Subject headings: | Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Singing Dancing Marching |
Date learned: 00-00-1970