Letter From Anna W. Frey to Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 16, 1948

Authors

Anna W. Frey

Document Type

Correspondence

Files

Date

12-16-1948

Keywords

Lancaster County, Ascension Day, Anna W. Frey, Manor Township, Pow-wowing, sewing, Franklin and Marshall College

Description

A handwritten letter from Anna W. Frey addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated December 16, 1948. Within, Frey writes about her Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing, detailing various aspects she remembers including a custom surrounding Ascension Day where you cannot work.

Sender

Anna W. Frey

Recipient

Alfred L. Shoemaker

Corresponds to:

Packet 308

City

Baltimore, Maryland

Transcription

Dec. 16th, 1948

Dr. Alfred L. Shoemaker.

Dear Sir:-

I get the Lanc. New Era news paper down here in Baltimore and read your writings on Folklore and legends of Lanc. County and I enjoy them so much that I want to write and tell you.

I come from a Penna. Dutch family and I can read all of your Dutch words and also know the meaning of them.

I was born and partly raised in Manor Township that is in Lanc. County and that surely was a Dutch section. I could not speak a word other then that until I went to a school and then it went very hard with me.

Yes I remember about the wheelbarrow race as my brothers used to play that, also about the wish bone. The hoop snake, the night creatures that you were supposed to hold a bag at a cold corner to catch them when the other party would go into the warm house, but I never got caught in that trick, also about people having spells put on them, I also remember how some old women would pow-wow for hurts and cures there are more I know of but I just can not think of now.

Did you ever hear about Ascension Day, that no women would sew or do any ironing on that day for fear that at sometime the lightning might strike them? In my younger days I done dress making and I always got strict orders from the women who had dresses at my place at that time that I was to be sure not to work at them on that day. It was a great day to go fishing we usually took in that sport.

When I was fifteen years old we moved to Mountville there was a place about a mile north from there called (Der Grappa Barrick) (Crow Hill) I wonder if that is the place you made mention of in one of your writings

I get up to Lanc. some times (back home) as I still call it. While up there I stay with my niece on West Lemon St. quite close to Franklin and Marshall College. My niece is employed there as a cook.

Hoping that you will keep on writing.

Sincerely

Mrs. Anna W. Frey

P.S. Please excuse my pencil writing as it goes better than a pen at 81 years.

Language

English

Rights Statement

This item is available courtesy of the Ursinus College Library Special Collections Department. It is not to be copied or distributed for commercial use. For permissions which fall outside of educational use, please contact the Special Collections Department.

Recommended Citation

Frey, Anna W., "Letter From Anna W. Frey to Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 16, 1948" (1948). Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents. 116.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/shoemaker_documents/116