Folklore--Kentucky.

Abstract D.K. Wilgus was a native of Columbus, Ohio and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio State University (1941-1954). His Anglo-American Folksong Scholarship Since 1898, remains the definitive overview of the history of folksong scholarship in America. Wilgus was the first to plead "hillbilly" music's case for academic respectability. He was a pioneer in the teaching of Anglo-American Folksong as a rigorous academic subject, in...

Abstract Born in Hazard, Kentucky, Josiah H. Combs (1886-1960) grew up in Hindman where he learned many folksongs from family members, especially his mother. In 1902 he entered the newly established Hindman Settlement School, where his songs came to the attention of school director, Katherine Pettit (who sent the words of several of these songs to folk music scholar George Lyman Kittredge who arranged for their publication in the Journal of American Folklore.) ...

Abstract Leonard Roberts’ folklore scholarship was distinctive in at least three respects. Although he included ballads in his collecting, as did most of his fellows, his primary focus was on magic tales and other stories.  For a considerable time, he was one of only a few collecting and publishing such material. He is also notable for having included a large number of children among his informants and having made extensive use of electrical sound recording. Of particular significance are his...