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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 118,000 items (about 300.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | William R. Ferris (1942- ), born and raised in Vicksburg, Miss., is an author, folklorist, filmmaker, professor, photographer, administrator, and scholar chiefly working in the areas of African American and southern culture. Among his many published works is the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, which he co-edited with Charles Reagan Wilson. The collection consists of papers, photographs, slides, sound recordings, videotapes, films, and other materials documenting Ferris's life and work. Professional papers relate to his teaching career at Jackson State University, Yale University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to his activities at the Center for Southern Folklore, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Center for the Study of the American South, and as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Personal papers include student materials, family correspondence, and other papers from the 1940s to 2002. Papers, images, and recordings document life in Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta; folk, blues, gospel, fife and drum corps music, and other musical types; folk and music festivals; folk arts, culture, and humor; Highway 61; the Ku Klux Klan; prisons, especially Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary); auctioneers; and other topics. Films and videotapes include footage of Ferris's documentaries. Individuals important in the collection include writers, artists, musicians, political figures, and others. |
| Creator | Ferris, William R. |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
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Biographical Information
William R. Ferris was born 5 February 1942 in Vicksburg, Miss. He attended public school in Vicksburg until high school, when he was accepted to Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. Ferris got his B.A. in English Literature at Davidson College in 1964, and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwestern University in 1965. He attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, for one year from 1965 to 1966, and returned to the U.S. to continue his graduate studies. In 1967, he received a Master's and, in 1969, a Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ferris's scholarship has focused on southern African American folklore and culture, through a variety of media: print, sound, film, and photography. From 1970 to 1972, he was an assistant professor in the Department of English at Jackson State University in Mississippi. From 1972 to 1979, he was an associate professor in the American and Afro-American Studies Programs at Yale University. During his tenure at Yale, Ferris co-founded the Center for Southern Folklore in Mississippi, and was its director from 1972 to 1984. Ferris returned to the South, and, from 1979 to 1997, he was the founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and a professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. While there, he established several annual conferences, including the Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference.
In 1997, Ferris was appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities by President Clinton, a post he held through 2001. In 2002, he was a Visiting Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as the Senior Associate Director of the Center for the Study of the American South, professor of history, and adjunct professor in the Curriculum in Folklore.
Ferris is the author of ten books, including You Live and Learn. Then You Die and Forget It All: Ray Lum's Tales of Horses, Mules and Men, and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. He has written fiction, poetry, and numerous articles on folklore and literature, as well as book, record, and film reviews. Ferris has recorded blues albums, produced 15 documentary films on southern folklore, and, for ten years, hosted the weekly Mississippi Public Radio blues show, Highway 61. Ferris's photography, documenting aspects of African American southern folklore, has been featured nationally, including in an exhibit by the Smithsonian Museum and an article by the New York Times.
Ferris has traveled and lectured extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Charles Frankel Prize in the Humanities, bestowed by President Clinton, and France's Chevalier and Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, and has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Ferris has four siblings. His brother, Grey, was a senator in the Mississippi State Legislature from 1992 to 2001. Ferris is married to Marcie Cohen Ferris and has a daughter named Virginia.
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Scope and Content
The William R. Ferris Collection consists of papers, photographs, slides, sound recordings, videotapes, films, and other materials documenting the life and work of William Ferris. Professional papers relate to his teaching career at Jackson State University, Yale University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to his activities at the Center for Southern Folklore, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Center for the Study of the American South, and as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Personal papers include student materials, family correspondence, and other papers from the 1940s to 2002. Papers, images, and recordings document life in Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta; folk music, the blues, gospel music, fife and drum corps music, and other musical types; folk festivals and music festivals; folk arts; folk culture; folk humor; Highway 61; the Ku Klux Klan; prisons, especially Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary); auctioneers; and other topics.
Individuals important in the collection include writers, artists, musicians, political figures, and others. They include: Imamu Amiri Baraka, Victor Bobb, Cleanth Brooks, Fannie Bell Chapman, Edith Clark, Leon "Peck" Clark, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Willie Dixon, John Dollard, Louis Dotson, Walker Evans, William Faulkner, Marcie Cohen Ferris, Shelby Foote, Ernest J. Gaines, Allen Ginsberg, Amanda Gordon, Theora Hamblett, Bessie Jones, B. B. King, Alan Lomax, Ray Lum (auctioneer), Arthur Miller, Ethel Wright Mohamed (embroiderer), Ola Belle Reed, Pete Seeger, Charles Seeger, Harry Smith, James "Son" Thomas, Othar Turner, Alice Walker, Pecolia Warner, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and members of the Rose Hill Baptist Church in Vicksburg, Miss.
The films include footage of Ferris's documentaries: Mississippi Delta Blues; Ray Lum: Mule Trader; Fanny Bell Chapman: Gospel Singer; and Delta Blues Singer: James "Son" Thomas.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Papers, 1942-2004.
Professional and personal papers relating to the life and career of William Ferris, dating from 1942 through 2004.
Professional papers concern Ferris's research and teaching at Jackson State University, Yale University, the Center for Southern Folklore, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also included are papers relating to Ferris's work as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997-2001; his tenure as a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, February-July 2002; his writings and research on Ray Lum; research indexes and inventories on folklore topics; and other papers.
Personal papers document Ferris's personal life and education and include correspondence from family and acquaintences, 1942-2003, along with subject files; childhood and grade school papers; high school materials from Carr Central High School and Brooks School; college materials from Davidson College; and graduate materials from Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and a Rotary Fellowship at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
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Subseries 1.1. Professional Papers, 1970-2004.
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, reports, memorandums, itineraries, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to William Ferris's professional career. Included are papers regarding Ferris's work at Jackson State University (1970-1972), Yale University (1972-1979), the Center for Southern Folklore (1974-1983), the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi (1977-1998), the National Endowment for the Humanities (1997-2001), the Woodrow Wilson International Center (2001-2002), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2001-2004). Also included are Ferris's writings and research on Ray Lum, research indexes and inventories on folklore topics, and other papers.
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Subseries 1.1.1. Jackson State University, 1970-1972.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2653-2654).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to Ferris's tenure at Jackson State University, where he was an assistant professor of English, 1970-1972. Also included are materials relating to folklore topics and to the publications Mississippi Black Folkfore and Gigline.
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Subseries 1.1.2. Yale University, 1972-1979.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles, have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2655-2668).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research materials, teaching materials, photographs, clippings, and other papers relating to Ferris's teaching and research at Yale University. In 1972, Ferris became an assistant professor in the American and Afro-American Studies Program at Yale. He was promoted to associate professor in 1976, a position he held until moving to the University of Mississippi in 1979. While at Yale, Ferris also directed the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, Tenn., which he helped establish in 1972.
Materials in this series document Ferris's professional activities, including research projects and teaching duties. Also included are files that Ferris maintained on folklore topics and folklore and academic professionals that he associated with. Chronological files include correspondence, reports, and research materials. Notable subjects inlclude Ferris's publications Afro-American Folk Arts and Crafts and Blues From the Delta; James "Son" Thomas; Rose Hill; the National Endowment for the Humanities; publications; Ferris's 1978 European lecture tour; Yale; and Mississippi folklife. Interspersed throughout the subseries are materials relating to Ferris's work with the Center for Southern Folklore.
For additional materials related to Ferris's work at Yale and the Center for Southern Folklore, see Series 1.1.3. Center for Southern Folklore and Series 1.2.1. Personal Papers.
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Subseries 1.1.3. Center for Southern Folklore, 1974-1983.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folder 2669).
Correspondence, reports, promotional materials, clippings, legal papers, publications, and other materials regarding the operations of the Center for Southern Folklore. In 1972, Ferris co-founded the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis, Tenn., to document and make available the region's folklore through a variety of media, including written publications and film. He served as the director from 1972 to 1984.
Materials in this series concern daily operations, budgets, organizational policy, and publication and film projects sponsored by the Center. The chronological files contain correspondence, reports, budget materials, clippings, grant projects, legal papers, and promotional materials. Notable subject files include Local Color: A Sense of Place in Folk Art; Fife and Drum; film listings and promotional materials; Ray Lum; mule and auction research; Pathe Cinema; the Tennessee Arts Commission; the National Endowment for the Arts; and publications.
For additional materials related to Ferris's work at the Center for Southern Folklore, see Series 1.1.2. Yale University and Series 1.2.1. Personal Papers.
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Subseries 1.1.4. University of Mississippi/Center for the Study of Southern Culture, 1977-1998.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2670-2683).
Correspondence, writings, publications, research and teaching materials, photographs, clippings, promotional materials, and other papers relating to William Ferris's work at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. Ferris was the founding head of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and a professor of anthropology at the University of Mississippi, 1979-1997.
Materials in this series document Ferris's professional activities and interests, including research projects and publications, operations of the Center for the Study of Southen Culture, teaching duites, and various topics relating to southern folklife and culture. Materials related to the operations of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture concern publications, folklore festivals, grants and research projects, study programs and cirriculum, the annual Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conferences, and the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Chronological files contain correspondence, reports, promotional materials, publications, administrative materials, information on events and projects sponsored by the Center, and materials concerning the Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, southern folklife, and cultural activities. Subject files include clippings related to Ferris, southern culture, Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, and other topics; screenplays donated by Kent Moorehead; travel to Europe, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobogo, and Guyana; Rose Hill; planners and notebooks; press releases; and materials about conferences, festivals, and symposia. Notable subjects include William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Robert Penn Warren, James "Son" Thomas, Benny Andrews, James Meredith, the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, the Elvis Presley Conferences, and Ferris's 1997 nomination to head the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Subseries 1.1.5. National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997-2001.
Arrangement: Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Access to some of these materials is restricted (folders 2684-2753).
Correspondence, reports, agendas, schedules, programs, event announcements, speeches, publications, research materials, photographs, clippings, compact discs, and other papers relating to William Ferris's work as chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997-2001.
Materials in this subseries document Ferris's NEH work, including administrative duties, public relations, humanities projects, and initiatives sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Correspondence with scholars, politicians, and others interested in the humanities concerns a wide variety of topics, including National Endowment for the Humanities activities and policies, individual projects and scholarship, fundraising, meetings, speaking engagements, conferences, professional organizations, events and exhibits, and topics related to folklore and the humanities. Also included are letters of congratulations concerning Ferris's appointment as chair and correspondence concerning President Bush's appointment of a new chair in 2001.
Materials related to Ferris's administrative duties as NEH chair include internal reports and correspondence documenting the daily operations of the National Endowment for the Humanities; budgets and fundraising; briefings for congressional hearings; schedules and notes; papers concerning the National Council for the Humanities; travel itineraries; materials concerning speaking engagements and meetings with various people and organizations; and materials relating to the humanities projects and initiatives sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Also included are materials relating to Ferris's travels as chair, including conferences, visits, committee meetings, speaking engagements, and commencement addresses.
Notable humanities projects and initiatives sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities include My History is America's History, Edsitement, Marcopolo, the Jefferson Lecture, the National Endowment for the Humanities Folklore Initiative, the National Humanities Medal, Regional Humanities Centers, and state and regional encyclopedias. Files include clippings concerning Ferris, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other humanities and folklife topics; speeches; notebooks; schedules and contact information; materials relating to the Woodrow Wilson International Center, the President's Council on the Arts and Humanities, the White House Millennium Council, and the American Folklife Center; and pictures of Ferris with Bill Clinton and others.