author
W. H. (William Henry) Thomas
1880–1935
Best known for preserving African American folk material from Texas, this early 20th-century scholar wrote with a strong interest in song, language, and regional culture. His surviving work offers a rare glimpse of traditions that were often ignored by mainstream publishers of the time.
1 Audiobook
Some Current Folk-Songs of the Negro
by W. H. (William Henry) Thomas
About the author
Born in Texas in 1880, William Henry Thomas was a writer and scholar associated with College Station, Texas. He studied at Austin College and the University of Texas, later earned a master's degree at Columbia University, and became known for his interest in folklore and education.
His best-known work is Some Current Folk-Songs of the Negro, originally presented to the Folk-Lore Society of Texas in 1912. The piece gathers and discusses songs from African American tradition, making it a small but valuable record of musical and cultural history.
Thomas also worked as a co-editor, with Stewart Morgan, on essay collections intended for college students. He died in 1935, and although he is not widely remembered today, his writing remains of interest to readers studying folklore, regional culture, and the history of collecting traditional song.