AFS was founded in 1888 by William Wells Newell,[REF] who stood at the center of a diverse group of university-based scholars, museum anthropologists, and men and women of letters and affairs.
Over the years, prominent members of the American Folklore Society known outside of academic circles have included Marius Barbeau, Franz Boas, Ben Botkin, Jan Harold Brunvand, Ella Deloria, William Ferris, John Miles Foley, Joel Chandler Harris, Zora Neale Hurston, Alan Lomax, John A. Lomax, and Mark Twain.