On this episode, Aíne Norris (Old Dominion University), guides us through one story of an age-old accusation levied against women throughout colonial and early American history: witchcraft.
In 1891, newspapers across America printed a story about known witches in the Appalachian Mountains and their supernatural powers. “Sally Friddly” of Potts Creek, Alleghany County, Virginia, was among those named, accused of enchanting a milk pail to steal cream from her neighbors. The blurb and alleged incantation were picked up and re-printed in papers across the country for the next five years, but Fridley’s name was not otherwise associated with witchcraft within public records. Today, the allegation remains, forever naming Fridley, and others, as Virginia witches. Researching their footsteps for over a year led Norris through the mountain roads of Alleghany County and to the doorsteps of descendants, all in a larger discussion of power, lore, and legacy. Production support by Crystal Donkor (Southern Methodist University). Transcript available at bit.ly/S09E04Transcript Resources: bit.ly/S09E04Resources
All content for C19: America in the 19th Century is the property of Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
On this episode, Aíne Norris (Old Dominion University), guides us through one story of an age-old accusation levied against women throughout colonial and early American history: witchcraft.
In 1891, newspapers across America printed a story about known witches in the Appalachian Mountains and their supernatural powers. “Sally Friddly” of Potts Creek, Alleghany County, Virginia, was among those named, accused of enchanting a milk pail to steal cream from her neighbors. The blurb and alleged incantation were picked up and re-printed in papers across the country for the next five years, but Fridley’s name was not otherwise associated with witchcraft within public records. Today, the allegation remains, forever naming Fridley, and others, as Virginia witches. Researching their footsteps for over a year led Norris through the mountain roads of Alleghany County and to the doorsteps of descendants, all in a larger discussion of power, lore, and legacy. Production support by Crystal Donkor (Southern Methodist University). Transcript available at bit.ly/S09E04Transcript Resources: bit.ly/S09E04Resources
"Best of" the C19 Podcast | Tena, Too, Sings America
C19: America in the 19th Century
35 minutes 35 seconds
1 year ago
"Best of" the C19 Podcast | Tena, Too, Sings America
How does an enslaved woman's song from 1830s in Georgia end up on a 1950s radio program in South Africa and in a modern singing class? This is the surprising story of an African-born woman named Tena, whose music has echoed for generations across continents, airwaves, and even college classrooms. Mary Caton Lingold (Virginia Commonwealth University) first encountered Tena’s song in a book of sheet music by Carl Sandburg but a series of events led her to uncover details about Tena’s life in living memories of her enslavers’ descendants and in archival recordings and documents. This episode is about Tena's life and legacy, the challenges of researching enslaved women’s lives, and how sound and performance can open up new ways of engaging with the past.
This episode was created and produced by Mary Caton Lingold (Virginia Commonwealth University) with post-production help from Kristie Schlauraff. Episode transcript available here: https://bit.ly/BestofLingold
C19: America in the 19th Century
On this episode, Aíne Norris (Old Dominion University), guides us through one story of an age-old accusation levied against women throughout colonial and early American history: witchcraft.
In 1891, newspapers across America printed a story about known witches in the Appalachian Mountains and their supernatural powers. “Sally Friddly” of Potts Creek, Alleghany County, Virginia, was among those named, accused of enchanting a milk pail to steal cream from her neighbors. The blurb and alleged incantation were picked up and re-printed in papers across the country for the next five years, but Fridley’s name was not otherwise associated with witchcraft within public records. Today, the allegation remains, forever naming Fridley, and others, as Virginia witches. Researching their footsteps for over a year led Norris through the mountain roads of Alleghany County and to the doorsteps of descendants, all in a larger discussion of power, lore, and legacy. Production support by Crystal Donkor (Southern Methodist University). Transcript available at bit.ly/S09E04Transcript Resources: bit.ly/S09E04Resources
