Eloise Hubbard Linscott (December 29, 1897 – 1978) was a 20th-century American folklorist, song collector, and preservationist. She is the author of ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' (1939), considered a valuable scholarly source for American folk songs. John Lee Brooks described ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' as an American equivalent of Bishop Percy's 1765 work ''

Reliques of Ancient English Poetry The ''Reliques of Ancient English Poetry'' (sometimes known as ''Reliques of Ancient Poetry'' or simply Percy's ''Reliques'') is a collection of ballads and popular songs collected by Bishop Thomas Percy and published in 1765. Sources The basis ...

''.

Life and career

Linscott was born Eloise Barrett Hubbard and raised in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

. She was graduated from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

in 1920 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Linscott was initially inspired to begin her fieldwork to preserve the legacy of her own family's musical traditions, and because there were then no music books on traditional songs such as she had known as a girl. ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' was the culmination of about ten years of work. One important source of ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' was a collection of songs which had remained in the possession of the descendants of one Elizabeth Foster Reed for over 150 years, which Linscott unearthed. But Linscott used several other sources as well. Although she continued her research and fieldwork with the intention of publishing other books, ''Folk Songs of Old New England'' was Linscott's only publication. However, she gave popular lectures on folk music at music societies, camps, women's clubs, and arts groups, where she would bring a guest fiddler, and sometimes sing. In the 1940s, Linscott became involved with the National Folk Festival as a volunteer coordinator for New England musicians. She helped organize regional folk festivals, including ones held at the

Boston Arena Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey. The arena opened in 1910 on what ...

and

Boston Public Garden The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the Downtown Boston, heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street (Bosto ...

. Linscott used her own personal funding to finance the first ten years of her research. Around 1940, she gained sponsorship from

Musicraft Musicraft Records was a record company and label established in 1937 in New York City. Catalogue Musicraft's catalog encompassed many different musical styles, including classical music, folk, jazz, Latin, popular vocal, and calypso. Artists wh ...

and in 1941 from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. In 1941, Linscott borrowed equipment from

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, sch ...

(head of the Library's

Archive of American Folk Song The Archive of Folk Culture (originally named The Archive of American Folk Song) was established in 1928 as the first national collection of American folk music in the United States of America. It was initially part of the Music Division of the Libr ...

) and in two weeks delivered to Lomax 36 glass-core master

acetate disc An acetate disc (also known as a ''lacquer'', ''test acetate'', ''dubplate'', or ''transcription disc'') is a type of phonograph record generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes and still in limited use t ...

s of folk songs. Lomax was a regular correspondent and mentor to her during this time. Linscott was an enterprising, tenacious, energetic, and enthusiastic fieldworker. One informant bestowed on her the nickname "The Tornado". Over the course of her career, Linscott gathered approximately 2500 recordings on cylinders, discs, and tapes, as well as other materials. Linscott's manuscripts, recordings, and other materials remain at the Eloise Hubbard Linscott Collection of the

American Folklife Center The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. was created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife". The center includes the Archive of Folk Culture, established at the library in 1928 as a repos ...

in the

Personal life

Linscott had two sisters and three brothers. She married Charles Hardy Linscott in 1921; they lived in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

, and spent summers in

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was granted ...

. Linscott had one son, John Hubbard Linscott, born in 1929.

Works

* Reprinted 2011, Dover Publications,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linscott, Eloise Hubbard 1897 births 1978 deaths People from Taunton, Massachusetts People from Needham, Massachusetts Radcliffe College alumni American folklorists Women folklorists American folk-song collectors People from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire