Feeling Nostalgic

Today, I've decided that I would hang up some of my trillium quilts in the house.  Each month, I hang new quilts in my living room; it gives my largest room a different look; I cycle through my quilts to limit their exposure to light and dust.  I have to say that I am enjoying living with my work so much more than in the past; I guess because I'm not producing as much work at this point in my life.

Sewn Together, original quilt by Ann Fahl  33 x 26 inches.

I happened to unroll a pile of smaller quilts, and out comes my quilt titled Sewn Together. This piece features a featherweight machine that was used by 3 generations of Harvey women.  The first was my Aunt Nelda Vibrans who first purchased the machine.  She grew up in Indiana and spent quite a bit of her life in Chicago. Nelda was the only fiber artist in my family; painting, knitting, sewing and making quilt tops.  Color was what she loved; the two of us used many of the same colors: blue, rose, red, turquoise and purple.

Nelda with her husband Frank Vibrans Sr. in about 1949. She was still sewing with the Featherweight.

Some time later, Nelda gave the machine to her niece Mary Edith Jones.  Mary Edith was a young mother that also liked to sew. Years later, when I was 12 years old, I visited her for a whole month, in Forsyth Georgia; my first time away from my family.  Mary Edith let me sew on this machine, the first time I had ever sat down at one in my life.  I have no idea what I stitched, but it started me down a path of a lifetime of sewing.

Mary Edith with Jasmine the dog in 2005 at age 84.

She exposed me to sewing, and I loved it.  My mother was a pianist who didn't like sewing.  I owe so much to these two women in my family.  They gave me the gift of sewing. This has given me so much creativity and the sense of accomplishment and purpose in my life. One never knows what little idea or craft might spark a child to the extent of changing their life. It certainly was a skill of a lifetime for me!

Teach someone to quilt.

Ann Fahl

My Loughry Grave Project

Jeremiah Lochry 1700-1749

When I first discovered Jeremiah’s gravestone on findagrave I thought to myself, “This headstone needs to be replaced.” His grave and cemetery information can be found there.  The opening page shows his 6 x great grandson near a small rock, which is all that remains of his grave marker. Mr. Lochry was the second person to be buried at the Lower Marsh Creek Burial Grounds in what is now Gettysburg PA. It is a very old cemetery and the Presbyterian Church nearby seems to be taking good care of it.

 Jeremiah's grave today

In 2011, I called the Presbyterian Church and asked them for a photo of the headstone, then contacted their historian, who led me to Codori Memorials in Gettysburg PA.  All this time we’ve been waiting for research to tell us how Jeremiah’s last name should be spelled. The Historical Society in Adams Co. did the work and we’ve determined it should be LOCHRY.  It has been spelled: Lockry, Lochra, Lochery, Loughry, Loughery, Loughrey, Lawry, Lowry, Lowery, etc. so there is reason for some confusion.

Jeremiah Lochry is ancestor #1 in the book titled A Brief Genealogy of the Loughry Family of Pennsylvania by Julia A. Jewett. He came from Ireland to America before 1740 with some of his family. He and his wife had 8 children; at least 5 came with him to the New World. They settled in what is now called Pennsylvania. Several of his sons fought in the Revolutionary War. His descendants are now too many to count, have gone on to accomplish many things. My mother’s family came from PA, and that it how I descend from Jeremiah. He is my 6 x great grandfather, he deserves more than just a remnant of a gravestone to mark his resting place.

Mr. Jim Codori has designed a new stone, taking into consideration the requirements of the ancient cemetery, for Jeremiah.  It says: “ Here Lies Jeremiah Lochry, Died December 1749, Founder of the Loughry Family.”  My goal is to have it in place in the spring of 2014 at the latest.

Planned grave marker 22 x 10 inches, level with the ground.

My plan was to ask all Loughry Family members for donations, but discovered the paperwork and tax implications would make that a difficult project. When I went to the bank to set up a "benefit" account, I had the ladies is tears telling them why I was doing this.  I like to keep things simple, so I am going back to my original plan, and will pay for the stone.  There may be some changes in the above proposed stone.  I will show you a photo of the stone, when it lies above Jeremiah.  This is just something that needs to be done.

This blog has been updated with new information here.

Ann Fahl