Document Type
Correspondence
Files
Download Full Text (968 KB)
Date
1950
Keywords
Peter Derr, superstitions, weather predictions, constellations, birds, livestock
Description
A handwritten letter from George Yeagley addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dating from circa 1950. Within, Yeagley provides old weather superstitions and predictions that were uncovered within an 1842 diary belonging to Peter Derr.
Sender
George Yeagley
Recipient
Alfred L. Shoemaker
Corresponds to:
Packet 103-8 to 103-11
City
Reading, Pennsylvania
Transcription
Superstitions as I found in Peter Derrs’ diary 1842
Plant potatoes in shtabuck u (ascending grade)
Plant cabbage Woke.
Plant cucumbers Iswilling
Plant flowers Yung Frau.
Make the fences in unnerganda
Dig your ditches in greba (scorpion)
Shear the sheep in woke (Balance)
When geese fly in a circle, is a sign of rain or storm.
When the (fish royer) flys high is a sign of a flood.
When the wood pecker flies on a tree and runs upwards is a sign of warm, but if he runs is a sure sign of cold.
When hogs carry straw in their mouths is a sign of cold.
When the smoke falls down is a sign of rain or snow.
When crows, swallows and other birds fly low is a sign of wind if they fly up and down , storm.
When the moon has a circle and as many stars in the circle, in so many days it will rain.
Rain will follow of the 3 successive frosts.
If after a rain, drops hang on limbs of trees and window frames more rain will follow.
A dew in the morning is followed by rain.
If it rains in a rainbow it will rain 3 days.
Morning
A red sky is a sign - ackany - rain
A gray sky fine weather
Soft clouds fine weather followed by rain
Dark clouds wind and storm
Evening
Indian red sky, rain.
Rosy red sky, fine weather
Bright yellow sky, wind
Pale yellow sky, wet
A greenish sickly sky, rain.
Mr. Shoemaker,
Enclosed you will find Och wou ich ushdt au Bower ware.
If I come across some more of this old stuff I’ll let you have it
George Yeagley
208 Maple St
Reading Pa
Language
English and Pennsylvania German
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
Yeagley, George, "Letter From George Yeagley to Alfred L. Shoemaker" (1950). Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents. 214.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/shoemaker_documents/214
Included in
American Material Culture Commons, Cultural History Commons, Folklore Commons, Linguistic Anthropology Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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