Anthropology Commons^™

Letter From H. Wayne Gruber To Alfred L. Shoemaker, March 2, 1948, H. Wayne Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from H. Wayne Gruber addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated March 2, 1948. Within, Gruber describes childhood rhymes in Pennsylvania German and the ball-games he used to play, as well as a Pow-wow story and other folklore.

Letter From Lee A. Waerner To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 26, 1948, Lee A. Waerner

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Lee A. Waerner addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 26, 1948. Within, Waerner writes to provide Shoemaker with a Pennsylvania-Dutch lullaby and a Zodiac rhyme he heard as a child.

Letter From John B. Prutzman To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 26, 1948, John B. Prutzman

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from John B. Prutzman addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 26, 1948. Within, Prutzman recalls some Pennsylvania German rhymes.

Letter From Raymond Hollenbach To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 17, 1948, Raymond Hollenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from Raymond Hollenbach addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 17, 1948. Within, Hollenbach writes an impassioned letter detailing the proper way to make Fasnacht doughnuts along with traditions surrounding those who are last to get out of bed on Shrove Tuesday.

Letter From Mrs. Harvey Rothermel To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 17, 1948, Mrs. Harvey Rothermel

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Mrs. Harvey Rothermel addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 17, 1948. Within, Rothermel details various school games she grew up playing, including "Crack the Whip" and "Baker's Bread." She also notes traditions concerning Ash Wednesday.

Letter From George A. Gerhart To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 12, 1948, George A. Gerhart

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from George A. Gerhart addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 12, 1948. Within, Gerhart writes in response to an inquiry made by Shoemaker in a recent edition of the Reading Eagle, asking for the term used to describe late risers during the week of Lent.

Letter To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 10, 1948, Unknown Author

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from an unknown author addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 10, 1948. Within, the author discusses the Pennsylvania Dutch word for Ash Wednesday, along with traditions associated with this day.

Letter From Elizabeth D. Naftzinger To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 10, 1948, Elizabeth D. Naftzinger

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Elizabeth D. Naftzinger addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 10, 1948. Within, Naftzinger details how the last boy to arrive at school on Ash Wednesday was dubbed "Esha Puddle" and rolled in the school's ash pile by the other boys.

Letter From Clayton N. Fidler To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 10, 1948, Clayton N. Fidler

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Clayton N. Fidler addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 10, 1948. Within, Fidler provides Shoemaker with knowledge about what Ash Wednesday was called in his locality and the customs that followed. A story about a childhood game like hide and seek is also detailed.

Letter From Henry K. Deisher To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 10, 1948, Henry K. Deisher

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Henry K. Deisher addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 10, 1948. Within, Deisher writes to provide information on traditions practiced on Ash Wednesday and the courting ritual of bundling. He also describes ideas for a publication about farming.

Ua37/44 Tidbits Of Kentucky Folklore, Gordon Wilson

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Tidbits of Kentucky Folklore nos. 676-749:

• A Changing Christmas – 79
• A Dry Moon – 42
• A Folk Triumph – 4
• A Folklore Map of Kentucky – 46
• A Glossary of Passing Words – 135
• A Healthful Sign – 10
• Advancing or Retreating? – 36
• Analogy, Good & Bad – 28
• Ancestry & Common Sense – 105
• Another Dopester Wrong – 66
• Are You Superstitious? – 44
• Back on the Old Party Line – 145
• Blind, Deaf & Dumb – 141
• Bossy & Dobbin – 91
• Bucket Jelly – 16
• By Any Other Name – 147
• By Eye or By …

A Few More "Alter Weiver Glawe", H. Wayne Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A set of typed superstitions and beliefs by H. Wayne Gruber, dating from circa 1948. Within, Gruber details more beliefs, presumably originating from Berks County, ranging from methods of gaining a husband to warding off bad luck and witches.

Notes On Bleeding And Cupping, 1948, Unknown

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten notes by an unknown author, dated 1948. The notes relate a story of a man who practiced bleeding and cupping, but nearly killed a woman when he practiced on a "bad luck" day.

More Alte Weiver Glawe, H. Wayne Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed set of Pennsylvania German folk beliefs ("old women's beliefs" or "old wives' tales") by H. Wayne Gruber, dating from circa 1948. Included are cures for whooping cough and superstitions about fishing and death.

Letter From Charles N. Parkes To Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 18, 1947, Charles N. Parkes

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from Charles N. Parkes addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 18, 1947. Within, Parkes writes on his favorite "all" story and provides information on a play titled "Papa Is All", that was performed by the Thalian Society in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Ua37/44 Tidbits Of Kentucky Folklore, Gordon Wilson

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Tidbits of Kentucky Folklore nos. 566-669:

• A Few Generations – 57
• Agreeable Fans – 7
• All Tied Up with Memories – 95
• An Ivory Tower – 15
• As In the Days of Methuselah – 188
• Bowser & the Wildcat – 126
• By Their Fruits – 154
• Chicken Coops & Horse Troughs – 196
• Chicken Hawks & Tom Paine – 47
• Childish Fears – 27
• Chimneys – 140
• Communal Culture – 51
• Contiguous Areas – 138
• Country Hicks – 112
• Cradles – 108
• Culture in Hymns – 59
• Cycles of Teaching – 162
• Didn’t It Rain? – 164
• Digging in the …

Ua94/5/6 Yank, Vol. 2, No. 11, U.S. Army

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Yank magazine removed from Lucian Flora scrapbook. This issue features the war in Italy, Germany and the Philippines.

Ua94/5/6 Highlights Of My Army Career, Lucian Flora

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Memoir of army life during World War II by Smiths Grove native Lucian Flora. See also his World War II scrapbook.

Ua94/5/6 Lucian Flora Scrapbook - Part 2, Lucian Flora

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Second half of World War II scrapbook compiled by Lucian Flora of Smiths Grove, Kentucky. He attended Bowling Green Business University from 1938 to 1940. This scrapbook contains materials regarding the campaigns through North Africa and Italy. Included are a set of postcards from an Italian soldier to his girlfirend. There are also post cards or Ireland, cities in North Africa and Italy, as well as Cincinnati, Ohio and Houston, Texas.

The first half of the scrapbook can be seen here.

Ua94/5/6 Mission Accomplished: Africa, Sicily, Italy, U.S. Army

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

U.S. Army publication removed from Lucian Flora's scrapbook regarding the World War II campaign through North Africa, Sicily and Italy.

Report From Dr. Schweizer On A Trip To Norway And Denmark, May 15, 1944, Bruno Schweizer

Norwegian Projects

Schweizer describes the results of a trip to Scandinavia designed to investigate opportunities for collaboration with Scandinavian scholars and set goals for language and dialect research, with particular focus on the development of Scandinavian and Germanic language atlasses. The report describes several opportunities for collaboration and names of potential resources, but describes a fraught political situation where collaboration must be conducted privately for fear of backlash for the Scandinavian scholars involved.

Letter From Heinrich Harmjanz To Wolfram Sievers, February 10, 1944, Heinrich Harmjanz

Atlas of German Folklore

Heinrich Harmjanz writes to Wolfram Sievers in 1944 to thank him for his holiday wishes and for thinking of him. Now in the military, he discusses former colleagues, whether or not to continue the Ahnenerbe folk studies journal, the protection of the Atlas of German Folklore materials during the war, and complexities of publishing.

Ua37/44 Tidbits Of Kentucky Folklore, Gordon Wilson

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Tidbits of Kentucky Folklore nos. 428-503:

• A Cycle of Fences – 100
• Afraid of Science – 90
• Art Through the Side Door – 116
• As Big as All Out-of-Doors – 134
• Asking the Way – 108
• Backing Up the Preacher – 96
• Barriers – 72
• Baying the Moon – 46
• Blackberries – 86
• Borrowing Books – 118
• Bound Each to Each – 126
• Branch Water – 94
• Brandon’s Mill – 12
• Come to Dinner – 128
• Condescension – 68
• Cutting a Splurge – 88
• Elocution – 18
• Eyes That See Not – 50
• Fidelity – Where Is It? – 34 …

Report From Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Ss-Sturmbannführer Noot Of The Sd, October 30, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Schwalm summarizes a meeting with SS-Sturmbannführer Noot in which Noot promised that relevant SD documents would be made available to Schwalm in the areas of Germanic culture and scientific research. The situation in Norway was discussed, including political tension following the death of Minister Lunde. Skepticism was noted concerning the success of German research endeavors in Norway, partly attributed to political uncertainty and partly to "weary" Norwegian blood. It was noted however that the work was important and should be attempted nonetheless as even a negative result was significant for making decisions about the reconstruction of Europe.

Report By Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Norwegian Minister Of Justice Riisnaes, October 25, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Report on a meeting with Norwegian Minister of Justice Riisnaes describing individuals in Oslo of interest to the Germans, particularly historians and those involved in the Ministry of Culture.

Report From Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Ss-Obersturmführer Dr. Vollberg, October 25, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Hans Schwalm reports on a meeting with SS-Obersturmführer Dr. Vollberg of the SD on October 23, 1942. The meeting focuses on the anti-German sentiment of the Norwegian science community. It is noted that the University of Oslo had been rejecting members of Nasjonal Samling and German patience was wearing thin. They additionally discussed individual scientists with anti-German sentiments, including Anton Wilhelm Brøgger, Sigurd Grieg, Carl Marstrander, and Johannes Bøe. Of particular concern was the appointment of Johannes Bøe to a prestigious position without consulting the German occupiers. Schwalm asked to be informed on such topics. They additionally discussed Eberhard Günther …

Report By Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Sd Literature Advisor Ss-Hauptsturmführer Falk, October 21, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

In this document, Hans Schwalm describes a meeting with SS-Hauptsturmführer Falk, literature advisor of the SD. Falk was unable to recommend individuals to collaborate on Ahnenerbe work, but recommended Schwalm reach out to Fin Halvorsen and SS-Obersturmführer Bischof. He described struggling efforts by Gudmud Schnittler to publish a Norwegian lexikon, attributing the failure to anti-German sentiment and refusal to collaborate. He also warns against the circle of people led by Gulbrund Lunde, as they were focused on Norse identity ("norrön") in opposition to a pan-Germanic concept of identity, including efforts to purge German influences from the Norwegian language.

Confidential Statement From Hans Schwalm To Hans-Ernst Schneider And Wolfram Sievers On Objections To The Book "Norwegian History" By Martin Gerlach, October 17, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

In this confidential note, Schwalm discusses a book by German professor Martin Gerlach titled "Norwegian History". Ministerial Councilor Huhnhäuser had several objections to the book's content, with which Schwalm agrees upon a cursory review of the manuscript. The objections relate to the author's Christian perspective and lack of focus on pre-Christian pan-Germanic cultural heritage. It is noted that the book fills a missing gap, that of the German perspective on Norwegian history, and would therefore sell well and be considered the official position of German authorities, due to the regime's reputation for censorship. The letter concludes with a three point …

Report From Dr. Schwalm On A Meeting With School Director Kern In Oslo, October 17, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Schwalm describes a meeting with Kern, who ran a language school in Oslo and had prior affiliations with the Foreign Organization. Kern's precarious position is detailed, including his ouster from the Foreign Organization and the efforts against him and his school by Huhnhäuser and Pudelko of the German Academy. Schwalm describes Kern as one willing to tap into his connections from years of teaching, but who is looking to benefit from this association. Kern refers to the atmosphere among the Norwegian intelligentsia including their reluctance to join the NS and willingness to engage in dialogue with Germans as long as …

Report By Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Alfred Huhnhäuser, October 17, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

This report by Hans Schwalm on a meeting with Alfred Huhnhäuser discusses possibilities for creating a centralized research institute in Norway. Huhnhäuser was disappointed that his plan would receive no support as long as it included the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Society as the main tie to Germany. He and Schwalm discuss other options. Schwalm reports on the situation of the Ahnenerbe in pursuing such a project, indicating that they are 2 1/2 years behind Huhnhäuser, who has achieved great respect and built solid connections. He indicates that it would be better to work with Huhnhäuser than pursue such a project separately. The document …