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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 8 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 5,675 items) |
| Abstract | Arthur Palmer Hudson (1892-1978) was a white professor of English, 1930-1953, and executive secretary of the Curriculum in Folklore, 1950-1963, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The collection includes correspondence, editorial papers from "The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore," field recordings made or collected by Arthur Palmer Hudson, and other material of Hudson, . Correspondence and other papers relating to Hudson's editorship of the "Brown Collection" form the bulk of this collection. There is also significant correspondence and field recordings relating to folklife in North Carolina and to many aspects of the discipline of folklore. Among the letters are one, 1933, from Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938); one, 1933, from Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941); and one, 1945, from William Faulkner (1897-1962). Field recordings consist of folk songs, ballads, spirituals, hymns, children's songs, work songs, tales, and oral histories from the American South, as well as recordings of folklore lectures and events recorded in North Carolina and elsewhere. Of particular note are recordings related to Alton Chester Morris' 1941 dissertation, "Folksongs of Florida and Their Cultural Background," which Morris submitted to the Department of English at UNC under the guidance of Arthur Palmer Hudson. |
| Creator | Hudson, Arthur Palmer, 1892-1978. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Arthur Palmer Hudson (1892-1978) was a professor of English, 1930-1953, and executive secretary of the Curriculum in Folklore, 1950-1963, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hudson was born in the Hesterville community of Attala County, Miss. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Mississippi in 1913. Thereafter he served as principal of Gulfport (Miss.) High School, 1913-1919, and superintendent of schools in Oxford, Miss., 1919-1920. In 1920 he received his M.A. degree from the University of Mississippi and began teaching in its Department of English. In 1925 he was awarded another M.A. from the University of Chicago, and in 1930 a Ph.D., with the Smith Prize for Graduate Research from the University of North Carolina. In 1930 Hudson accepted an appointment as associate professor of English at the University of North Carolina, where he taught English romantic literature as well as folklore. He remained at the University of North Carolina as a professor, Kenan professor, and Kenan Professor Emeritus, until his retirement in 1951. He also served as executive secretary of the Curriculum in Folklore at the University, 1950-1963.
Hudson's major publications were in the field of folklore and included Specimens of Mississippi Folklore (1928); Folksongs of Mississippi and Their Background (1936); Humor of the Old Deep South (1936); Folk Tunes from Mississippi (with George Herzog, 1937); two volumes of the Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore (with H. M. Belden, 1952); and Folklore in American Literature (with John T. Flanagan, 1958). Hudson also edited North Carolina Folklore, the Journal of the North Carolina Folklore Society, 1954-1963. He also served as the society's secretary-treasurer, 1946-1964.
Hudson was married to Grace Noah of Kosciusko, Miss., in 1916. They had three children, William Palmer, Margaret Louise, and Ellen Noah.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence, editorial papers from "The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore," field recordings made or collected by Arthur Palmer Hudson, and other material of Arthur Palmer Hudson (1892-1978), white professor of English, 1930-1953, and executive secretary of the Curriculum in Folklore, 1950-1963, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Correspondence and other papers relating to Hudson's editorship of the "Brown Collection" form the bulk of this collection. There is also significant correspondence relating to folklife in North Carolina and to many aspects of the discipline of folklore. Among the letters are one, 1933, from Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938); one, 1933, from Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941); and one, 1945, from William Faulkner (1897-1962). In addition to correspondence and Frank C. Brown materials, the collection also contains printed material relating to folklore and folk musicians, a small number of photographs and volumes, and field recordings once belonging to Arthur Palmer Hudson. Field recordings are on 1/4" open reel audio and acetate disc and consist of folk songs, ballads, spirituals, hymns, children's songs, work songs, tales, and oral histories from the American South, as well as recordings of folklore lectures and events recorded in North Carolina and elsewhere. Of particular note are acetate discs related to Alton Chester Morris' 1941 dissertation, "Folksongs of Florida and Their Cultural Background," which Morris submitted to the Department of English at UNC under the guidance of Arthur Palmer Hudson.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1915-1967.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Note that original folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Correspondence chiefly relates to Arthur Palmer Hudson's activities as a professor of folklore at the University of North Carolina, secretary-treasurer of the North Carolina Folklore Society, and folklore scholar. Some letters relate to Hudson's editorship of Volumes II and III of the Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore. Many of the letters deal with the music, folk tales, and folklife of North Carolina.
The series also contains correspondence (in part copies) with individuals including David Horace Bishop, a professor and later colleague of Hudson's at the University of Mississippi. There are also letters from various notable persons including one from Thomas Wolfe, one from Sherwood Anderson, one from William Faulkner, and an exchange with Pete Seeger.
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Series 2. Printed Material, 1941-1961 and undated.
This series consists of brochures and flyers on various folk musicians, programs from the meetings of folklore socieities and from campus performances, bibliographies and notices of new folklore publications, newspaper clippings on folklore topics, and folklore maps. There are also pamphlets, booklets, and periodicals collected by Arthur Palmer Hudson on summer trips to Maine and Mexico in 1954 and 1955.
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Series 3. Frank C. Brown Collection Materials, 1942-1952.
The folklore collection of Dr. Frank C. Brown of Duke University was published, after Dr. Brown's death in 1942, under the auspices of the North Carolina Folklore Society. Volumes II and III of the collection, co-edited by Arthur Palmer Hudson and H. M. Belden of the University of Missouri, contain folksongs collected by Brown. This series consists of papers related tot the publishing of the folksong volumes. The materials are divided into four subseries: editorial aids, carbons of songs, materials generated by Hudson and Belden, and the John Burch Blaylock Song Collection.
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Subseries 3.1. Editorial Aids
This subseries includes a general group of editorial aids compiled by Newman Ivey White that were to be used by all editors of the Frank C. Brown Collection papers. Included are two articles by White on the origin and classification of the Brown Collection, an index to Brown's correspondence with informants, a geographical distribution list of items in the collection, and alphabetical lists of contributors, recordings, and manuscripts. Also included are Brown's master bibliography of folklore and Brown's classification scheme for the collection and for the folksongs (which formed the largest part of the collection).
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Subseries 3.2. Carbons of Songs in the Frank C. Brown Collection
This subseries includes carbons of songs in the Frank C. Brown collection, some including the name of the contributor and place and date of contribution. Carbons were provided to Arthur Palmer Hudson and H. M. Belden to be evaluated and annotated. These copies are grouped according to Brown's classification scheme (consult Folder 52).
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Subseries 3.3. Materials Generated by Belden and Hudson
This subseries contains materials generated by Arthur Palmer Hudson and H. M. Belden during the editing process. There are carbons of introductions to each section of Volumes II and III; abbreviation lists; song lists with additions, deletions, and corrections; indexes to ballads and songs; and carbons of songs as annotated and arranged by the editors. There is also a section of completed copy for the printers. These songs are arranged by number as they appear in the published volumes.
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Subseries 3.4. John Burch Blaylock Song Collection
John Burch Blaylock was a Register of Deeds from Yanceyville, N.C., and an amateur musician and folksong collector. In 1944, he donated his songbooks to the North Carolina Folklore Society for inclusion with the published Frank C. Brown material. This subseries includes typed copies of songs annotated by John T. McCullough, Arthur Palmer Hudson's assistant, and also the original leaves from Blaylock's songbooks. See also Folder 3.
| Folder 176 |
Typed copies #04026, Subseries: "3.4. John Burch Blaylock Song Collection" Folder 176 |
| Folder 177 |
Index of songs #04026, Subseries: "3.4. John Burch Blaylock Song Collection" Folder 177 |
Folder 178-203
Folder 178Folder 179Folder 180Folder 181Folder 182Folder 183Folder 184Folder 185Folder 186Folder 187Folder 188Folder 189Folder 190Folder 191Folder 192Folder 193Folder 194Folder 195Folder 196Folder 197Folder 198Folder 199Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203 |
Songs #04026, Subseries: "3.4. John Burch Blaylock Song Collection" Folder 178-203 |
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Series 4. Photographs, 1963-1964.
Items include snapshots of Arthur Palmer Hudson, students, and colleagues, with captions by Hudson.
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Series 5. Volumes, 1896-1911, 1976.
The volumes constituting this series include an inventory of the Hudson Mississippiana Folklore Collection at the University of Mississippi and five autograph albums from South Dakota, sent to Arthur Palmer Hudson by a former student. The albums were the former property of the Comstocks, an immigrant family of Swedish descent, apparently of Letcher, South Dakota.
| Folder 204 |
Volume 1: Arthur Palmer Hudson Mississippiana Folklore Collection Guide, 1976 #04026, Series: "5. Volumes, 1896-1911, 1976." Folder 204 |
Folder 205-207
Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207 |
Volumes 2-6: Autograph books, 1896-1911 #04026, Series: "5. Volumes, 1896-1911, 1976." Folder 205-207 |
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Series 6. Field Recordings and Related Materials, 1941-1967 and undated.
Arrangement: By format.
Acquisitions Information: Presumably part of original transfer (Acc. 78020)
Processing information: Please note that recordings may include more than one artist or subject. Titles and descriptions compiled from original containers, SFC database, and audiovisual documentation.
field recordings made or collected by Arthur Palmer Hudson. Recordings consist of folk songs, ballads, spirituals, hymns, work songs, tales, and oral histories from the American South, as well as recordings of folklore lectures, meetings, conferences, events, and informal gatherings recorded in North Carolina and elsewhere.
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Subseries 6.1 Open Reel Audio, 1955-1967 and undated.
Arrangement: In order as received.
Open reel recordings include music and songs by regional folk performers, such as George Pegram, Clarence "Tom" Ashley, Virgil Sturgill, and Red Parham; recordings of folklorists and academics, such as Paul Green, I. G. Greer, Artus Moser, Joan Moser, and Daniel W. Patterson; and recordings made by Hudson's folklore students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recordings are on 1/4" open reel audio. Of particular note is a 1956 recording of Cherokee women discussing Cherokee language and song (FT-04026/17492); African American spirituals sung by the Chapel Senior Choir of Hamlet, N.C. (FT-04026/4542); an interview with Susie Webb, an African American cook in Chapel Hill, N.C.; a 1955 recording of the Duke Interns, an African American singing group, recorded at the home of white playwright, Paul Green (FT-04026/2767); and a talk and square dance demonstration by white lawyer, folklorist, and performer, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, that was given to Hudson's UNC folklore class in 1954 (FT-04026/1373).
The series also includes papers materials and documentation found with select recordings, including clippings, memos, and lyric sheets, as well as tape logs created by former Southern Folklife Collection staff. Tape logs, which make up the majority of documentation materials, include technical information on the tapes, as well as descriptions of contents.
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Subseries 6.2 Acetate Discs, 1951-1957 and undated.
Arrangement: In order as received.
Acetate discs include field recordings made by Hudson and his folklore students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including recordings made in Chapel Hill, N.C., Swannanoa, N.C., Asheboro, N.C., and Cheryville, N.C.; recordings of folklore classes and lectures by Arthur Palmer Hudson and others, including Dr. David Horace Bishop of the University of Mississippi (FD-20050/35-36); and recordings of Yiddish folk songs made in Bloomington, Ind. (FD-20050/26-29).
Of particular note are recordings related to Alton Chester Morris' 1941 dissertation, "Folksongs of Florida and Their Cultural Background," which Morris submitted to the Department of English at UNC under the guidance of Arthur Palmer Hudson. Morris, a fourth-generation Floridian, began his research into Florida folklife as a field worker for the Folklife section of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers Project in the 1930s. This work culminated in his dissertation, which was later published as Folksongs of Florida (1950; reprinted 1990). Morris's recordings (FD-20050/45-99) consist of Anglo-American ballads, children's songs, work songs, and hymns, as well as Spanish, Minorcan, Greek, Czech, and Slovak folk songs, children's songs, and national songs, all of which were recorded from across the state of Florida by Morris and others. Morris compiled the recordings with the help of Florida Federal Writers' Project workers, high school graduates affiliated with the National Youth Administration of Florida, and John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax of the Library of Congress. The series contains dubs of select recordings from Morris' original and collected recordings, which reside at the Library of Congress.
The series also includes related documentation found with select recordings, including inventories, tape logs, and a copy of Alton C. Morris' 1941 dissertation. Tape logs include technical information about the discs, transcriptions of original labels found on the acetate discs, and notes on the content found on the recordings. Transcriptions and notes often include information on artists and song titles.
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Items Separated
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Kate Stratton and Jodi Berkowitz, November 2009
Updated by: Anne Wells, February 2018, October 2018, June 2021
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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