In this excerpt from the Virginia Folklore Society’s 1929 book Traditional Ballads of Virginia, teacher and ballad collector Alfreda Peel transcribes a version of the ballad “Barbara Ellen” sung by Texas Gladden on May 27, 1917.
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Author: Arthur Kyle Davis Jr.
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“John of Hazelgreen”
In this excerpt from the Virginia Folklore Society’s 1929 book Traditional Ballads of Virginia, society president John Stone transcribes a version of the ballad “John of Hazelgreen” performed by Thomas Bailey on November 10, 1919. Stone’s notes before the ballad demonstrate the effort that teachers contributed to the society’s ballad collecting.
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Introduction to Traditional Ballads of Virginia (1929)
In this excerpt from the introduction to the 1929 book Traditional Ballads of Virginia, Virginia Folklore Society archivist Arthur Kyle Davis Jr. recounts the ballad-collecting experiences of Alfreda Peel. A teacher from Salem, Virginia, Peel was one of the main collectors who contributed to the book. Davis includes excerpts from Peel’s letters, in which she describes traveling around Virginia to hear people sing ballads.
