Notes on Songs, Musicians, and Historical Places of the Corn Islands
Creator: Ella Jean Downs Wilson
Date: Notes begun: 2009 (August 2). Document
completed: July 12, 2018
Provenance: Ella Jean Archives. This document forms part of
the personal notes and recollections compiled by Ella Jean Downs Wilson and given
to The Corn Islands Virtual Library to be preserved.
Physical Description: 1 handwritten sheet on paper. Ink
and pencil. Recto only.
Language: English (Creole-influenced). Original spelling
and grammar retained.
Scope and Content
This document consists of handwritten notes
recording songs, composers, musicians, poems, sayings, and culturally
significant places associated with the Corn Islands. It reflects the author’s
personal memory, oral history, and community knowledge, written
retrospectively.
The notes reference musical compositions,
individual performers, and historical events, including a maritime tragedy, as
well as an Indigenous site of ancestral significance. The document does not
follow a strict chronological or thematic order and appears to function as a
memory aid or working list rather than a comprehensive or finalized record.
Some events and individuals are mentioned
without full contextual details, indicating areas where further oral history,
research, or corroborating sources may exist but are not included in this
document.
Subjects documented include:
-Songs composed by North End composers Vertic
Hobson and Peter Lampson. The song “Craving,” attributed to Herman Hooker,
concerning the sinking of the Corinto boat on October 15, 1937, with the loss
of nine lives
Note: The names, ages, or personal details of the individuals who died are
not recorded in this document.
-Additional song titles and performers,
including Screggie Williams, “The Rompless Hen”, Old Crow Carry the Blame, and
Harry Luzey the Fame.
Note: Authorship, date of composition, and performance context are not
specified.
-References to poems, sayings, and expressions
associated with Miss Rebecca Lampson, including the phrase “Lopez is the best
aviator”
Note: Titles, dates, and full texts of poems are not provided.
-Musicians identified by name and instrument,
including Mr. Wilfred Downs (guitar, bass, banjo), Quito Downs, and Mr. Shubert
Moses
Note: Additional biographical information, dates, and performance settings
are not included.
-“First Rock,” described as a historically and
ancestrally significant site with Kukra Indian handwork, identified as a former
place of worship
Note: The precise location, dating, and ceremonial practices associated with
the site are not detailed.
A concluding note documents the circumstances
under which the notes were written, specifying the year (2009), date (August
2), setting (evening on the beach), materials used (paper and pencil), and time
(8:30 p.m.), reinforcing the document’s character as memory-based cultural
documentation.
Administrative / Biographical Note
Ella Jean Downs Wilson is a living community
knowledge holder whose writings document cultural expression, music, oral
history, and lived memory of the Corn Islands. Her notes contribute to the
preservation of Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous heritage of the islands.
Conditions of Use
For research, educational, and cultural
preservation purposes. Attribution to Ella Jean Downs Wilson and The Corn
Islands Virtual Library is required.
Preferred Citation
Ella Jean Downs Wilson. Notes on Songs,
Musicians, and Historical Places of the Corn Islands. 2009–2018. The
Corn Islands Virtual Library.
