Teaching Students Primary Source Research Using Archival Materials

Appalachian College Association SummitOctober 15, 2011

Carol Boggess, Professor of EnglishShannon Lucas, Reference/ Instruction LibrarianKaren Paar, Director Ramsey Center/ Archivist

Mars Hill College

Exploring the Bascom Lamar Lunsford

Collection

A Hart-Melvin Archival Research Project

Fall 2010

Carol Boggess & Kristina Blackford

“Minstrel of the Appalachians”Born in Mars Hill, 1882Graduated, MHC 1914His many talents, interests:• Lawyer, folklorist,

lecturer, singer, dancer• Pioneer of the American

Folk Festival• Collector of folksongs and

ballads

photo by Juanita Wilson

From the SCRAPBOOK

These photos are at Mars Hill College in the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Collection.

photo by Walt Damtoft , Asheville Citizen

The SCRAPBOOK

Ballad Swap at theLunsford Festival, 2010

Photos by Joshua Doby, MHC student

Ballad Collection in the ArchivesPeggy Harmon helps Blackford.

Lunsford watches.

Boxes of Ballads

Boggess and Blackford select original ballads which Paar then scans.

Archival Research Project

Making the archive collections available

English 112: freshman research and writing Hands-on research activity 4 one-hour class periods

Available to future classes

We wanted students to learn about:

• primary and secondary sources• the Ramsey Center archives• Bascom Lamar Lunsford• oral history and the ballad form• at least one particular ballad• the culture of the area

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Exercise

• Gave students the handout on source types• Reviewed definitions and examples• Students worked in groups of 3 or 4• Each group worked with packet of 15 sources• Students sorted the sources by type• Each group presented 2 examples of each type

Interdisciplinary Packet Topics

• Climate and carbon• School violence• Leonardo Da Vinci• The Mormons• Ernest Hemmingway• [Sports and the economy]

Learning Outcomes

• Critical thinking about information sources

• Familiarity with primary, secondary, tertiary

• Differentiating various types and formats– Especially in electronic format

• Framework for research instruction sessions

• Understanding of role of tertiary sources

How We Prepared

• Explored whole ballad collection• Selected specific ballads (6) • Located versions for each ballad• Scanned the selected versions • Copied them so they look original• Organized the packets• Wrote instructions

Barbara Allen -- the Model

• Listen to a recording• Summarize the story• List alternative titles• Find published versions in books or online• List “BA” samples in the Lunsford collection• Find variations among samples and speculate on

what caused them• List aspects that do not change• Identify enduring qualities

Betty Smith Sings “Barbara Allen”

Story in the Ballad•A man is in love with Barbara Allen.

•He falls ill and sends his servant to fetch her.

•She arrives at his bed; he expresses his love.

•She rejects him; he dies.

•She hears his death bells and feels guilty.

•She dies and is buried near him.

•A rose growing on his grave joins with a briar on hers to make a love knot.

“Barbara Allen”• Alternate Titles:

“Bonny Barbara Allan,” “Barbra Allen,” “Barbary Allen,” “A Song of Sweet William”

• Recordings: Both Sides Then and Now by Betty Smith; My Dearest Dear by Sheila Kay Adams

Sources of Printed Versions

“The Personal Folksong Collection of Bascom Lamar Lunsford: A Thesis” by Anne Beard (vol. 1, 73-6).

Jane Hicks Gentry by Betty Smith (153).

English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians by Cecil Sharp (183-95).

Six Different Collection SamplesCopy 5 “Bonny Barbara Allan” by Beatrice Dorsey

Copy 7 “Barbra Allen” by Bessie Littrell

Copy 8 “Barbara Allen” by Annis Boyd

Copy 13 “Barbara Allen” by Aileen Neill

Copy 22 “Barbara Allen” by Gorman Brown

Copy 23 “A Song of Sweet William” by Lula Browning

Variations in Opening Stanzas

•Copy 7, 8: London City or Scarlot Town

•Copy 5, 8, 22: Martinmas time, May, June

•Copy 13: “There were three maids”

•Copy 23: “Dark and gloomy was the town”

Variations in Endings

• Copy 8: A warning to virgins

• Copy 7, 8: Rose and briar form a love knot

• Copy 22: A white rose & French briar

Plot Variations

• Copy 5, 22: The man slighted Barbara in the tavern.

• Copy 13, 23: She admits she could have saved him.

• Copy 8, 22: Barbara laughs after he dies. (from madness or grief?)

Smaller Variations• Names– Copy 5: Sir John Graime– Copy 13: Young William– Copy 22, 23: Sweet William

• Words:– Copy 5: “O hooly, hooly rose she up”– Copy 13: “So slowly, slowly rose she up”– Copy 23: “Solely, solely she got up”

What Accounts for Differences?• London City/Scarlot Town: origin of the song

• A warning to virgins: a moral

• “Sir John Graime”: original Scottish name

• “Holy/Slowly/Solely”: misheard lyrics

Aspects That Do Not Vary

• A man loves Barbara Allen.

• She leaves him to die.

• She then feels guilty for rejecting him.

• She dies after she finds out that he is dead.

Enduring Qualities

• Part of local or family tradition

• Universal topic – Young Love

• Interesting story ending in tragedy

• Good melody ; well-known song

Students exploring their ballads

• Blackjack Davey • Butcher Boy• Little Mathy Groves • Omie Wise• Pretty Mohea

Working on the Ballad Project

Students Presenting

Student Reactions to Project

They learned about• The archives• B. L. Lunsford• Ballads/oral history• Using primary sources• Some life lessons!

They especially enjoyed• Listening to the ballads• Learning about the

county and the music• Learning about Lunsford• Doing something

different

My favorite student quotes

“I loved getting to see the copies and working with my heritage.”

-- student from the area

“This project was not only very enjoyable but it gave us a break from so many dang essays and assignments.”

-- anonymous