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Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

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Letter From Luella Kern Engelhart to Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 27, 1949

Luella Kern Engelhart

A handwritten letter from Luella Kern Engelhart addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 27, 1949. Within, Engelhart provides Pennsylvania Dutch dialect rhymes told to her by her father along with a recipe.
Second Letter From Luella Kern Engelhart to Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 27, 1949

Luella Kern Engelhart

A handwritten letter from Luella K. Engelhart addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 27, 1949. Within, Engelhart praises Shoemaker's work with the Pennsylvania Dutchman periodical and recounts her experiences with pow-wowing and superstitions.
Letter From Rose Labrasca to Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 23, 1949

Rose Labrasca

A handwritten letter from Rose Labrasca addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 23, 1949. Within, Labrasca inquires if Shoemaker knows anyone who is well-versed in lifting spells or jinxes.
Letter From Viola Kohl Mohn to Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 23, 1949

Viola K. Mohn

A typed letter from Viola K. Mohn addressed to Alfred L Shoemaker, dated May 23, 1949. Within, Mohn details a few superstitions surrounding cows and whooping cough, explaining variations on the theme of buttered bread as a folk remedy.
Letter From Arthur K. Klingaman to Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 19, 1949

Arthur K. Klingaman

A handwritten letter from Arthur K. Klingaman addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 19, 1949. Within, Klingaman details some information he obtained from his father surrounding the placement of bedrooms and the practice of "bundling" within the Pennsylvania Dutch community.
Letter From Daisie Wagner to Alfred L. Shoemaker, March 11, 1949

Daisie Wagner

A handwritten letter from Daisie Wagner addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated March 11, 1949. Within, Wagner discusses her family's almanac and the figure of a man surrounded by the Zodiac signs that perplexed her as a child, along with providing an almanac rhyme in Pennsylvania-Dutch.
Letter From Elsie M. Smith to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 24, 1949

Elsie M. Smith

A handwritten letter from Elsie M. Smith addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 24, 1949. Within, Smith provides a list of beliefs, superstitions and old sayings that her grandmother used to talk about, including many related to weather, luck, animals, sewing and witchcraft.
Letter From Miriam E. Bixler to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 11, 1949

Miriam E. Bixler

A typed letter from Miriam E. Bixler addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 11, 1949. Bixler provides a recipe for "moshey pie," which is made with molasses, flour and bits of leftover dough. She also notes reminiscences of her father, an undertaker, regarding food customs at funerals.
Letter From Mrs. E. M. Siegel to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 11, 1949

E. M. Siegel

A handwritten letter from Mrs. E. M. Siegel addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 11, 1949. Siegel provides her family recipe for milk custard pie and inquires about a latticed apple butter pie.
Letter From H. Wayne Gruber to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 4, 1949

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed letter from H. Wayne Gruber addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 4, 1949. Within, Gruber inquires about a potential interest in some Pennsylvania Dutch verses he composed regarding his childhood.
Letter From H. Wayne Gruber to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 4, 1949

H. Wayne Gruber

In a typed letter to Alfred L. Shoemaker, H. Wayne Gruber lists two humorous stories: one about a preacher's best sermon and the other about a lying farm boy. Following Gruber lists four pieces of advice, which he titles: "Alte Weiver Clawwe."
Letter from Colsin R. Shelly to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 3, 1949

Colsin R. Shelly

A handwritten letter from Colsin R. Shelly, Principal of Lafayette School, to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 3, 1949. In the letter Shelly details stories of barring out the schoolmaster on Shrove Tuesday and traditions associated with Ash Wednesday.
Letter From Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Rothenberger to Alfred L. Shoemaker, February 1, 1949

Harvey Rothenberger

A handwritten letter from Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Rothenberger addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated February 1, 1949. Within, the Rothenbergers detail a number of old sayings and rhymes associated with different herbs and teas, along with some of their uses in folk remedies.
Letter From H. Wayne Gruber to Alfred L. Shoemaker, January 11, 1949

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed letter from H. Wayne Gruber addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated January 11, 1949. Within, Gruber provides information on the variety of garden vegetables he remembers being grown in his mother's garden.
Sports and Pastimes of the Amish

Frank Diaco and William Di George

A typed term paper completed at Franklin and Marshall College by Frank Diaco and William Di George, dating from circa 1949. Within, Diaco and Di George write on the pastimes, games and sports practiced within the Amish community as learned from Aaron Glicks of West Lampeter Township, Pennsylvania.
Berks County Home Made Soap

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed document entitled, "Berks County Home Made Soap", by H. Wayne Gruber, dated 1949. Within, Gruber details the way his mother made soap on the farm and its various uses.
Dialect Poem: Da Gruuver un di Bulfragge, January, 1949

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed document entitled, "Da Gruuver un di bulfragge", composed by H. Wayne Gruber, dated January, 1949. Within, Gruber details a bull frog hunting trip in the form of a Pennsylvania Dutch dialect poem.
Letter From H. Wayne Gruber to Alfred L. Shoemaker, 1949

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed letter from H. Wayne Gruber addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated 1949. Within, Gruber writes on a variety of topics including a cure for horse colic, uses for leftover pie dough, and quarreling between town folk and country folk.
Term Report on Folklore

Darrell M. Nixdorf

A handwritten, untitled term paper completed at Franklin and Marshall College by Darrell M. Nixdorf, dating from circa 1949. Within, Nixdorf details a number of subjects relayed to him by locals from Lancaster County ranging from humorous jests to local folk beliefs and stories of witchcraft, "Negro" folktales, and Chinese folktales.
Letter From Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Rothenberger to Alfred L. Shoemaker

Harvey Rothenberger

A handwritten letter to Alfred L. Shoemaker consisting of a list of old sayings and superstitions from Berks County, Pennsylvania, compiled by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Rothenberger, dating from circa 1949. Within, the Rothenbergers detail a number of beliefs on various subjects including rain, days of the week, falling objects, spilled salt, sewing, ironing, animal behavior and children.
Letter From Earl L. Ruppert to Alfred L. Shoemaker, January 1, 1949

Earl L. Ruppert

A handwritten letter from Earl L. Ruppert to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated January 1st, 1949. It describes the Native American origins of the name "Neversink." Ruppert also discusses lore surrounding bake ovens and marriage.
Notes From The Acorn and Germ

Alfred L. Shoemaker

Handwritten notes by Alfred L. Shoemaker regarding the newspaper, "The Acorn and Germ", dating from circa 1949. The notes detail items from various issues of the newspaper, including German, English, and Pennsylvania Dutch words for various tree types as well as Bible verses and dialect columns.
Letter From Herbert Hummel to Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 29, 1948

Herbert Hummel

A handwritten letter from Herbert Hummel addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated December 29, 1948. Within, Hummel writes to provide Shoemaker with a few old folk beliefs he learned from his grandfather in Bernville, Pennsylvania. Topics range from witches and sewing to beliefs surrounding Christmas and whistling on Sundays.
Letter From H. Wayne Gruber to Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 18, 1948

H. Wayne Gruber

A typed letter from H. Wayne Gruber addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated December 18, 1948. Within, Gruber lists various beliefs and superstitions that can be found within Berks County, Pennsylvania, ranging from signs of good luck to omens of death and misfortune. Gruber also inquires about a verse called "Die Schnitzel Bunk" and hopes that Shoemaker will be able to visit and view his diary and scrapbooks.
Letter From Anna W. Frey to Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 16, 1948

Anna W. Frey

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.