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
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
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
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