Vance Randolph Collection
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2003682276
General International Standard for Archival Description
Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
Encoded by Library of Congress, 2000; Revised by Nora Yeh
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Vance Randolph Collection 1941-1972 (bulk 1941-1943)
24 boxes containing manuscripts, graphic materials, published articles, sound recordings, and maps
Randolph, Vance, 1892-1980
Biographical History for: Vance Randolph Collection 1941-1972 (bulk 1941-1943)
The Collector Vance Randolph was a self-educated folklorist who made a living as a professional writer. Born in Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1892, he was educated as a scientist: as an undergraduate, he studied biology, and then in graduate school at Clark University, in psychology. As a graduate student, Randolph began to earn money by coaching students and ghostwriting. He then moved to the Ozark Mountains, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He was married twice, the first marriage lasting through the 1930s. In 1962 he married Mary Celestia Parler, a professor of English at the University of Arkansas and an active member of the folklore community, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In the 1920s, Randolph began writing about the Ozark folklore he was collecting. He published several articles on dialect, folk belief, and recreation. His first books of folklore scholarship, The Ozarks and Ozark Mountain Folks, were published in the 1930s. He went on to publish Ozark Folksongs (4 vols., 1946-50) and Ozark Superstitions (1947). In the 1950s, he published four collections of folktales and a book about language in the Ozarks. His other major publications include Ozark Folklores: A Bibliography (1972), Pissing in the Snow and other Ozark Folktales (1976), and Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore (1992). In 1978 Randolph was elected as a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, crowning a distinguished career with this formal professional honor.
Scope and Content Note The Vance Randolph Collection had its beginnings in the early 1940s with fieldwork conducted by the well-known "amateur" Ozark folklorist Vance Randolph. In February 1941, Alan Lomax, then head of the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, wrote to Vance Randolph, asking if he would consider making field recordings in the Ozarks. Randolph accepted the request and began to conduct fieldwork with recording equipment and film supplied by the Archive. By the end of 1942, he had collected more than 870 selections on 198 discs (either aluminum or glass-based and lacquer) for the Library of Congress and photographs of people he recorded. Randolph used much of the material he collected in his book Ozark Folksongs, while the Archive included selections from these field recordings on the following releases: L-12, Anglo-American Songs and Ballads; L-14, Anglo-American Songs and Ballads; L-20, Anglo-American Songs and Ballads; L-30, Songs of the Mormons and Songs of the West (this release includes Randolph himself singing "Starving to Death on a Government Claim"); L-61, Railroad Songs and Ballads; and L-62, American Fiddle Tunes. In addition to the field recordings mentioned above, the Vance Randolph Collection contains the author's personal papers, which he donated to the Library of Congress in 1972. The papers consist of newspaper clippings, bibliographic notes, field notes, research notes, photographic prints, manuscripts, maps, typescripts, telegrams and correspondence, dating from the first decade of the twentieth century to the 1960s. Related collections can be found in both the Music Division (call number M1629) and the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The Music Division houses one manuscript and 2-reel microfilm copy of Randolph's "Unprintable" Songs and Other Folklore Materials from the Ozarks, while the Manuscript Division possesses the manuscripts of four of Randolph's published books: Ozark Superstitions; We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks; Who Blowed Up the Church House?; Other Ozark Folk Tales; and Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech.
series
Series I: Manuscript Materials
subseries
Administrative Files
file
Collection guide.
Log of visual images.
The Vance Randolph Collection: Ozark Folk Music.
Subject Files
Ancestors.
Arthur Aull.
Beat Texas.
Thomas Hart Benton.
Bibliography (Photocopy).
Bibliography (Original).
Booze, etc. H-V stuff.
"The Butterfly Still Lives."
Cavemen of the Ozarks.
Children's games. Folder 1 of 2.
Children's games. Folder 2 of 2.
Children's rhymes. Folder 1 of 2.
Children's rhymes. Folder 2 of 2.
College such as it was.
The Concrete Cadillac.
Covered wagon.
Cuss words.
Dance calls. Folder 1 of 2.
Dance calls. Folder 2 of 2.
Dances and fiddle tunes. Folder 1 of 1.
Dances and fiddle tunes. Folder 2 of 2.
"Pea Ridge" Day.
Dialect.
Dialect articles.
Dialect correspondence.
Dialect notes. Folder 1 of 2.
Dialect notes. Folder 2 of 2.
J. Frank Dobie.
Dulcimer, banjo, guitar.
Maude Duncan.
Fake antiques.
Fiddle. Folder 1 of 2.
Fiddle. Folder 2 of 2.
Fiddle construction.
Ozark fiddle tunes.
John Gould Fletcher.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 1 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 2 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 3 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 4 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 5 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition. Folder 6 of 6.
Folk belief and superstition: Correspondence.
Folk festivals. Folder 1 of 5.
Folk festivals. Folder 2 of 5.
Folk festivals. Folder 3 of 5.
Folk festivals. Folder 4 of 5.
Folk festivals. Folder 5 of 5.
Folklore and history.
Folksong. Folder 1 of 2.
Folksong. Folder 2 of 2.
Folksong articles.
Folksong letters. Folder 1 of 3. 1927-40.
Folksong letters. Folder 2 of 3. 1941-42 (June).
Folksong letters. Folder 3 of 3. 1942 (August)-57.
Folksong: "Songs Collected in the Ozark Mountains."
Fox hunting. Folder 1 of 2.
Fox hunting. Folder 2 of 2.
Connie Franklin.
Girard Airship.
Gone Are the Days.
"A Green Fork Turns to Water."
Groundhog.
Guns and gunplay.
Louis Hanecke.
The healing waters.
Hidden treasure. Folder 1 of 3.
Hidden treasure. Folder 2 of 3.
Hidden treasure. Folder 3 of 3.
Hog calling.
Hollywood.
Introduction.
Jacob's Cavern. Folder 1 of 3.
Jacob's Cavern. Folder 2 of 3.
Jacob's Cavern. Folder 3 of 3.
Jacob's Cavern: Bone Correspondence.
Joke book letters. Contains correspondence to and from Vance Randolph related to Randolph's book Hot Springs and Hell .
Sam Leath.
Lecture notes taken by Vance Randolph (Photocopy).
Lecture notes taken by Vance Randolph (Original).
Locusts from the city.
Walter Clare Martin.
The Master's desk.
Medicine show.
The Menace .
The Mollyjoggers.
Moonshine liquor.
Tom P. Morgan. Folder 1 of 2.
Tom P. Morgan. Folder 2 of 2.
Mysterious lights.
Names and nicknames. Folder 1 of 2.
Names and nicknames. Folder 2 of 2.
"The Nobility of the Mountaineer."
Nonsense speeches.
Old customs. Folder 1 of 2.
Old customs. Folder 2 of 2.
Old Man Burgess.
Outlawry.
Ozark eccentrics.
Ozark life.
"Ozarks, Where Are You?" Folder 1 of 2.
"Ozarks, Where Are You?" Folder 2 of 2.
Place names. Folder 1 of 6.
Place names. Folder 2 of 6.
Place names. Folder 3 of 6.
Place names. Folder 4 of 6.
Place names. Folder 5 of 6.
Place names. Folder 6 of 6.
Politics.
Randolph, Vance. Biographical Material.
Randolph, Vance. Book Reviews. Folder 1 of 4.
Randolph, Vance. Book Reviews. Folder 2 of 4.
Randolph, Vance. Book reviews. Folder 3 of 4.
Randolph, Vance. Book Reviews. Folder 4 of 4.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 1 of 8. Photocopy A.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 2 of 8. Original A.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 3 of 8. Photocopy B.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 4 of 8. Original B.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 5 of 8. Photocopy C.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 6 of 8. Original C. books.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 7 of 8. Photocopy D.
Randolph, Vance. Scrapbook pages. Folder 8 of 8. Original D.
Reading lists, annotated. Folder 1 of 2.
Reading lists, annotated. Folder 2 of 2.
Religion. Folder 1 of 3.
Religion. Folder 2 of 3.
Religion. Folder 3 of 3.
Will Rice.
Ted Richmond.
Riddles. Folder 1 of 2.
Riddles. Folder 2 of 2.
Ritual planting.
Roaring River.
Spider Rowland.
"The Honorable" Salts (J.D. Salts).
Buck Saunders.
Shape notes (Modal tunes, gapped scales).
The Shibboleths.
Leonard Short.
Short change.
Show business.
Skipping games.
"Some Call it Guts."
Belle Starr: Correspondence. Folder 1 of 3.
Biographical History for: Belle Starr: Correspondence. Folder 1 of 3.
Belle Starr was born on Feb. 3, 1848, in Medoc, Missouri, under the name Myra Belle Shirley, to Mr. and Mrs. John Shirley after the family moved from Virginia to Missouri about 1842. She had two older brothers; one was a confederate solder. Belle was described to be rather small, pretty, vivacious and of fiery temper. She later became the head of her own gang of outlaws. The name Belle Starr was derived from one of her husbands, Sam Starr, also an outlaw, who died before Belle died. She was murdered by her own son, Ed Reed, when she beat him. Her daughter Pearl, supposedly also a "bad woman," died in Arizona. Her granddaughter showed a writer some poetry clippings and pressed flowers collected by Belle. According to a taped interview, Starr always got away, leaving men behind to be hung. See Folders 145 through 154, 257, and 262 for more information about Belle Starr.
Belle Starr: Correspondence. Folder 2 of 3.
Belle Starr: Correspondence. Folder 3 of 3.
Belle Starr. Folder 1 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 2 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 3 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 4 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 5 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 6 of 7.
Belle Starr. Folder 7 of 7.
Gabby Street.
Tall tales. Folder 1 of 3.
Tall tales. Folder 2 of 3.
Tall tales. Folder 3 of 3.
Tall tales: Animals. Folder 1 of 3. Contains typed and handwritten notes.
Tall tales: Animals. Folder 2 of 3.
Tall tales: Animals. Folder 3 of 3.
This Writing Racket. Folder 1 of 2.
This Writing Racket. Folder 2 of 2.
"Titanic Slim" Thompson.
Travel and travelogues. Folder 1 of 3.
Travel and travelogues. Folder 2 of 3.
Travel and travelogues. Folder 3 of 3.
Typescripts. Folder 1 of 4.
Typescripts. Folder 2 of 4.
Typescripts. Folder 3 of 4.
Typescripts. Folder 4 of 4.
Two Gentlemen from Verona (Harry and Jim Browning).
Jean Wallace.
The White River Monster.
Wild Men hermits.
Thomas Williamson.
Witchcraft.
World War I.
Writers' Project. Folder 1 of 2.
Writers' Project. Folder 2 of 2.
Correspondence Files
"A" Correspondence.
"B" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"B" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"C" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"C" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"D" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"D" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"E" Correspondence.
"F" Correspondence.
"G" Correspondence.
"H" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 3.
"H" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 3.
"H" Correspondence. Folder 3 of 3.
"K" Correspondence.
"L" Correspondence.
"Mc" Correspondence.
"M" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"M" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"N" Correspondence.
"O" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"O" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"P" Correspondence.
"R" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 2.
"R" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 2.
"S" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 3.
"S" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 3.
"S" Correspondence. Folder 3 of 3.
"T" Correspondence.
"U" Correspondence.
"V" Correspondence.
"W" Correspondence. Folder 1 of 3.
"W" Correspondence. Folder 2 of 3.
"W" Correspondence. Folder 3 of 3.
Reprints of Journal Articles and Reviews
"Autograph Albums in the Ozarks," by Vance Randolph and May Kennedy McCord.
"Bedtime Stories from Missouri," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Western Folklore (January 1951).
"A Calendar of Kansas Butterflies," by Vance Randolph, from Entomological News (March 1929).
"Children's Rhymes from Missouri," by Ruth Ann Musick and Vance Randolph, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (October-December 1950).
"The Collection of Folk Music in the Ozarks," by Vance Randolph and Frances Emberson, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (April-June 1947).
"Folksong Hunters in Missouri," by Vance Randolph and Ruth Ann Musick, reprinted from Midwest Folklore (1951).
"Further Studies of the Reliability of the Maze with Rats and Humans," by Vance Randolph and Walter S. Hunter, reprinted from Journal of Comparative Psychology (August 1924).
"Jump Rope Rhymes from Arkansas," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Midwest Folklore (III:2)
"Nakedness in Ozark Folk Belief," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (October-December 1953).
"The Names of Ozark Fiddle Tunes," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Midwest Folklore (IV:2).
New York Times book reviews by Vance Randolph: Tales From the Past, Some Tall, Some True (1960); A Treasury to Draw Upon (1960); The Roots Go Deep (1963).
"A Note on the Reliability of the Maze as a Method of Learning in the Angora Goat," by Vance Randolph and Walter S. Hunter, reprinted from Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology (March 1926).
"On the Seasonal Migrations of Dione vanillae in Kansas," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Annals of the Entomological Society of America (June 1927).
Ozark Ghost Stories: Gruesome and Humorous Tales of the Supernatural in the Backwoods of the South, by Vance Randolph, Haldeman-Julius Publications (1944).
"Ozark Mountain Party Games," by Vance Randolph and Nancy Clemens, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (January-March 1933).
"Ozark Mountain Riddles," by Vance Randolph and Isabel Spradley, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (January-March 1934).
"Ozark Superstitions," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (January-March 1933).
"Prehistoric Inhabitants of Crawford County, Kansas," by Vernon C. Allison and Vance Randolph, reprinted from The American Anthropologist (July-September 1927).
Reviews of Frank Brown's The Frank Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (April-June 1953) and Mississippi Valley Historical Review (June 1953).
Review of John A. Lomax's Adventures of a Ballad Hunter, by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (January-March 1948).
"Riddles from Arkansas," by Vance Randolph and Mary Celestia Parler, reprinted from Journal of American Folklore (July-September 1954).
"Tales from the Ozarks," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Western Folklore (January 1955).
"A Witch Trial in Carroll County," by Vance Randolph, reprinted from Arkansas Historical Quarterly (Spring 1957).
Other authors. Contains journal articles and reviews not authored in whole or in part by Vance Randolph. Includes the authors Mary Celestia Parler, B.B. Ashcom, J. Frank Dobie, and H.C. Woodbridge.
Newspaper Clippings
Map of Kansas and Missouri, American Automobile Association, 1996.
Alcohol
Character sketches
Dialect
Folk belief and superstition
Guns and gunplay
Hidden treasure (1 of 2)
Hidden treasure (2 of 2)
Legend
Literature
Music (as subject)
Place-names
Politics
Prehistoric Ozarks
Randolph, Vance. Book reviews and articles authored by him.
Randolph, Vance (as subject)
Religion
Starr, Belle
Tall tales
Miscellaneous: neighborliness, death, sorghum making
Weather
Writing: Habits and methods of professional writers
Series II: Sound Recordings
191 12-inch glass-based acetate records of original field recordings in the Ozarks, 1941-42; 5270, 5320, 5341, 5425 missing; 5300 broken. Duplicated on LWO 3493, reels 14-26.
4 16-inch, 45 12-inch, 2 10-inch, 5 8-inch glass and aluminum-based records of "Dear Mr. President," January and February 1942. 6398 missing; 6400 n/g; 6463 badly broken. Duplicated on LWO 3493, reel 42.
8 12-inch glass-based acetate records of original field recordings in the Ozarks, 1943; 6897 damaged; 6900 broken. Duplicated on LWO 3493, reels 56-57.
"Some talk about Belle Starr." Contains the 5-inch reel-to-reel original master and a reference copy on a 60-minute audio cassette of an interview with Florence Watts.
Series III: Graphic Images
"Photos in Folksong MS, Dec., 1944."
Photographs 1-10.
Photographs 11-23.
Photographs 24-35.
Photographs 36-50.
Photographs 51-60.
Photographs 61-69. .
Photographs 70-83.
Photographs 84-96.
Photographs 97-102.
Photographs 103-12.
Photographs 113-22.
Photographs 123-34.
Photographs 135-43.
Photographs 144-47.
Photographs 148-58.
Prints and Photographs Division, Lot 5580.
Original Newspaper Clippings: A to N
Original Newspaper Clippings: O to Z