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Lelah Allison

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Lelah Allison
Lelah Allison, a young woman with light skin and dark curly hair cut in a bob with a side part, from a 1928 yearbook
Lelah Allison, from the 1928 yearbook of Illinois State Normal School
BornSeptember 16, 1893
DiedJanuary 7, 1956 (age 62)
Ellery, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)College professor, folklorist

Lelah Susan Allison (September 16, 1893 – January 7, 1956) was an American folklorist and educator, based in Illinois.

Early life and education

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Allison was born in Ellery, Illinois, the daughter of James McCoin Allison and Margaret Isabelle Lines Allison.[1] She graduated from Illinois State Normal School in 1928,[2] and earned a master's degree from the University of Missouri in 1940.[3][4]

Career

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Allison taught at schools in Allendale and Keensburg.[5][6] In summer 1946, she taught at Southern Illinois Normal University.[7] She became a member of the English faculty at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois from 1947.[4][8] She explained of her folklore work that "at least some of our folklore is not behind us, but is growing up around us."[9]

Publications

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Allison wrote a local history, The History of Leech Township (1954),[10] and was a published poet. Her studies of folklore were published in academic journals including Journal of American Folklore,[9][11] Hoosier Folklore,[12][13] and American Speech.[14]

  • "MU Colloquialisms" (1941)[14]
  • "Water Witching" (1947)[12]
  • "Children's Games" (1948)[15]
  • "Folk Beliefs Regarding Weather in Southeastern Illinois" (1948)[9]
  • "Traditional Verse from Autograph Books" (1949)[16]
  • "Folk Beliefs Collected in Southeastern Illinois" (1950)[11]
  • "Southeastern Illinois Tales and Beliefs" (1950)[13]
  • The History of Leech Township (1954)[10]

Personal life

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Allison died when a freight train crashed into her car in Ellery in 1956; she was 62 years old.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Behymer, F. A. (1947-09-09). "One Family's Home for 121 Years". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 36. Retrieved 2024-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Illinois State Normal School, The Index (1928 yearbook): 54.
  3. ^ Allison, Lelah Susie. "Folk literature from southeastern Illinois." master's thesis, University of Missouri--Columbia, 1940.
  4. ^ a b "Lelah Allison Added to English Dept". Lebanon Advertiser. 1947-10-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Teacher Resigns". Daily Republican-Register. 1917-12-03. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Has Unexpected Visitor". Daily Republican-Register. 1941-04-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Southern Illinois Normal University Summer Faculty (1946): Additions, 1.
  8. ^ a b "Retired Illinois Teacher Dies in Car Crash". Evansville Press. 1956-01-08. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-03-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c Allison, Lelah (1948). "Folk Beliefs regarding Weather in Southeastern Illinois". The Journal of American Folklore. 61 (239): 68–70. doi:10.2307/536974. ISSN 0021-8715.
  10. ^ a b Allison, Lelah (1954). The history of Leech Township / by Lelah Allison. Fairfield, Ill.: printed by the Wayne County Record.
  11. ^ a b Allison, Lelah (1950). "Folk Beliefs Collected in Southeastern Illinois". The Journal of American Folklore. 63 (249): 309–324. doi:10.2307/536530. ISSN 0021-8715.
  12. ^ a b Allison, Lelah (1947). "Water Witching". Hoosier Folklore. 6 (3): 88–90. ISSN 0731-213X.
  13. ^ a b Allison, Lelah (1950). "Southern Illinois Tales and Beliefs". Hoosier Folklore. 9 (3): 76–79. ISSN 0731-213X.
  14. ^ a b Allison, Lelah. "MU Colloquialisms." American Speech (1941): 75-75.
  15. ^ Allison, Lelah (1948). "Children's Games". Hoosier Folklore. 7 (3): 84–93. ISSN 0731-213X.
  16. ^ Allison, Lelah (1949). "Traditional verse from Autograph Books". Hoosier Folklore. 8 (4): 87–94. ISSN 0731-213X.