Wednesday, August 8, 2012

B is for Beatrice




 

Beatrice Elizabeth Graver was the daughter of Wilson Graver and  Jennie Lauer of Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania.  Her birth on January 16, 1900  heralded in the 20st century, and she never lost the delightful lilt in her voice that reflected her Pennsylvania Dutch background.






      Mammy, as she was know to her grandchildren,  loved to quilt  and if you were to visit her home in the wintertime  you would see her large quilting frame set up in the living room.  She made numerous quilt tops designing her own appliqué patterns.  Often finishing quilts others had begun, there were years that she completed the hand quilting of as many as twenty quilts.  It was with pride that she produced a baby quilt for each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Her goal was to give each grandchild a full size quilt as a wedding gift.

  This is the quilt Mammy Smith made for her grandson, Ronald B. Smith.  We have always cherished  and displayed this work of art in our home.                                                


































   
Beatrice married Russell V. Smith, the son of  Arthur  and Estella Kunkle Smith  in April of 1919.   They  raised their  three children, Clarence, Arlene and Margaret, first in Bath, PA  and later moved to their home on a 30 acre property outside of town on Rt. 248 where they raised a few chickens and pigs and rented out the fields.  Mammy and Pappy Smith  were married 67 years before she passed away June 12, 1986.  This tattered photo from their 60th anniversary was carried  by their grandson, Ron  for years in his wallet. Thank you,  for inspiring a love of quilting in me, a tradition that I will carry on  making quilts for my grandchildren. 


This page  © 2013,  Cynthia H. Smith
 Send email  to chsmith47@yahoo.com

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2 comments:

  1. Helen V SmithDecember 4, 2012 at 1:37 AM

    I can quite understand why you would display this quilt. It is indeed a work of art.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gould GenealogyDecember 4, 2012 at 4:23 AM

    It is an amazingly beautiful quilt in your photo. And for you to have inherited the love of quilting, your grandchildren will be getting something very special from you. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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