Piecing and Collecting

Yesterday I visited the Muddy Creek Farm Library at Ephrata to take some photographs I want to include in the article I'm writing on the Burkholders for the historical society. Bishop Christian Burkholder owned a copy of the Martyrs' Mirror, printed at the Ephrata Cloister in 1748. He also owned a Froschauer Bible published in Zurich in 1551. Both of these valuable books are preserved in the Muddy Creek Farm Library. (Objects in front of the books are the strap hinges which have fallen off.)

I also wanted to get a good photo of Christian Burkholder's gravestone in the cemetery at the Groffdale Mennonite Church. Since the cemetery is only a few miles south of the library and the sun obliged by shining brightly, I went there first. I have other pictures of Christian's stone but none of them is good enough for publication. This time the light was right and I got a lovely shot of the stone.While the light was right, I spent about 45 minutes walking through the oldest part of the cemetery and taking pictures of all the Burkholders I found. Then I went up to the library. Amos Hoover, whose collection is housed in the library, brought out more books with Burkholder signatures and I wound up being there over lunch time. Amos was ready to go home for lunch and insisted I go with him. Since his wife, Nora, is my first cousin, I agreed to go along and visit with her over lunch.

Nora showed me the quilt top she is currently piecing. I saw her sewing room with stacks of fabrics she uses to piece quilt after quilt. Then she showed me the pretty dishes she is collecting. She is a typical Mennonite lady, piecing quilts and collecting pretty dishes. I enjoyed looking at her things but have no interest in doing those things myself. I'd rather dig through courthouses, old newspapers and books, tax lists, etc. to find pieces I can use to put a family line together. The things I collect are photocopies of documents, books, and photos of gravestones. I guess I'm in a bit strange but that's the piecing and collecting I enjoy. I used to think when I get old I'll do a lot of sewing but I know now it isn't going to happen. I'll never be a typical Mennonite lady.