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WPA L. C. PROJECT ltd.:Litz& UNIT
ol lo re Collection (or Type)
itiecicac f o list uff' "It a
Forzn-3
Place of origin (.2.41,cr,,:;_je, Ill
Project worker Garnett L. Saks,
Date
Project editor
Remarks
Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
CHICAGO FOIXSzurr
FORMA
Circumstances of Interview
STATE Illinois
NAME OF WORKER Garnett I. Eskew
ADDRESS 4700 Kenwood Avenue
DATE April 14, 15, 1939
SUBJECT Folklore
1. Date and time of interview Galled twice before I found' him in
April 12th and 13th.
FOLKLORE
CHICAGO
MAY 26 129
2. Place of interview Home of informant 6149 South Ada Street
3. Name and address of informant- Charley Banks,(oolored); 6149 South Ads Street
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
Mts. Noel Collins (colored) Evangelist
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
A small three story frame house next a Methodist Church (Colored).
One family occupies eaoh floor. It is a typical south side negro neighbor-
hood rather dreary street and many small houses bordering it on eaoh side;
garages and snail corner stores operated by negro... Banks' quarters are
on the third floor crowded but neat little three-room apartment with
apparently no modern conveniences. Be lives at the home of a colored widow,
his own wife being dead. It was late afternoon when I talked with Banks.
He had come hone from his near -:by junkshop and was waiting for his landlady
to fix supper.
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number lit which the material refers.)
W3636
FOLKLORE
FORM B
Personal History of Informant CHICAGO
CHICAGO FOLKSTUFF
STATE Illinois
NAME OF WORKER Garnett L. Eskew
ADDRESS 4700 Kinwood ATOMUO
DATE April 14, 1939
SUBJECT Folklore
NAME OF INFORMANT Charley Banks
1. Ancestry African, apparently undiluted. Family (so far as Banks knolls
lived in Mississippi, near Vicksburg) for more than a hundred
years. His parents were slaves.
2. Place and date of birth
Vicksburg (nearby), in 1880. He is now 59 years old.
3. Family
Lives alone. Wife dead. Children (so far as he knows)
married and living around.
4. Places lived in, with dates
Reared on a plantation neavVieksiburg and from age of 12: °hopped
and picked cotton. Says he was a better chopper than picker.
Worked for a year or two (Uncertainias to how long) on the side
5. Education, with dates (wheel steamer Alioe B. Miller.
A little at country schools.
6. Occupations and accomplishments, with dates
Worked for a year or two on the sidewheel Steamer Alice B. Miller running
from the Mississippi up the Yazoo; owned a 25 -acre farm and raised cotton;
later wee a section hand on IX. Came to Chicago 25 years ago.
7. Special skills and interests-
!Lax:silent cotton chopper; section foreman; junkman.
8. Community and religious activities
Attends a Methodist church.
9. Description of informant
A rather small black man, with round bright eyes. A soft slur
in voice that Chicago cannot eradicate. Likes to reminisce. Memoryiapparent-
ty at times.
10. 04trqtints gained in interview
FOLKLORE
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
CHICAGO FOLKSTUFF
STATE Illinois
NAME OF WORKER Garnett L. Eskew
ADDRESS 4700 Konwood Avenue
DATE April 14, 1939
SUBJECT Folklore
NAME OF INFORMANT Charley Banks
CHICAGO
"Ws been so long since I weft there that I've done fergite Shorely,
I uster sing Coonjine songs when I worked on de Alai°, B. Miller. I was
a roustabout and could roll a bale of cotton 500 pounds up the stageplank
just as easyA I couldn't do that nowl Too oldt They was lots of steam
beats running on the river and they all did big business. Ise see de ole
Alice Miller come out of Yazoo River with 800 bales of cotton and 3000
sacks of cotton seed and a lot of passengers on board No, sUh, I don't
remember none of those river songs, but we surely uster to sing them.
First time I rousted my laigs was so sore in the back that I had to stop
fer a meek. After that it was all right. Fore long, Mister Jim Lusk
(he was the mate) take me off hill -work and put no on de need line."
'I save up enough money to git me a little farm and married‘no a
woman. We done right well mid de cotton. I am a pretty good picker and
so was my miff', and we thought we was all right till boll weevils come
and eat up alt e cotton."
'Then 1 got me a job with the section gang on Y MV (that's part
of the Illinois Central now). Pretty soon I gits to be section boss,
and me and my wife come on up to Chicago, and I been here ever since.
FOLKLORE
FORM D
Extra Comment
CHICAGO FOLKSTUFF
STATE Illinois
NAME OF WORKER Garnett L. Eskww
ADDRESS 4700 Kenwood Avenue
DATE April 14, 1939
SUBJECT Folklore
NAME OF INFORMANT Charley Banks
CHICAGO
I work first at one thing and den at another. When ever I oould git
work I was on de section gang at the I. C. But now dey aint any jobs
and Ise too old. $o I just keep my little junk shop and git along
de bee ma$ I kin. Dat's de onliest thing a man kin do. AA' truein
"I bin wantin' to go back down in Vicksburg and see all dem ole
places again. Next time you go down ,ot you carry me 'long yid you?"
"Junk business pretty dull now. I picks up all the junk I kin
find and sells it again. Sometimes I makes ten dollars a week."