E is for Eliza

My grandmother, Sarah Eliza Long, was always known as Eliza.   She was born in Spring City, Pennsylvania on March 24, 1899 where her father,  Rev. Howard H. Long, was the pastor at the St. Vincent Reformed Church.  Her parents had this beautiful window placed in the church in her honor.  I have always wondered about that window and recently was able to contact the church to ask about it. A kind soul sent me this picture and told me the window was recently restored.  Gram would be so pleased to know that.

                                            

In 1901 the family moved to Stone Church, Pennsylvania where  he was assigned to minister at Christ Reformed, now Trinity UCC  Church.   Eliza grew up in Stone Church and attended the two room school house there.  In 1919 she graduated from  "Normal" School at what is now East Stroudsburg University where she studied to become a teacher.  By age 20, she had completed her education and accepted a teaching position in York, Pennsylvania.

                       

                     

  

               Eliza was the daughter of  Howard Herbert Long and Ella May Heffner.
                             Here is the marriage license of my great grandparents.

Eliza married Wm. Homer McEwen on August 5, 1920 in Red Lion, Pennsylvania.  After a honey moon  to Portland Maine, Niagara Falls,  and Chicago  they returned to Richmond, Pennsylvania to the  McEwen family farm where Homer worked along side of his father.  Eliza decided that their  homestead needed a name and  dubbed the farm,  Maple Hedge Farm.  "Liza"  McEwen  loved music and played the piano and organ for the Richmond Methodist church for many years where she was also a Sunday School teacher.   She was an excellent cook who served dinner at noon and supper for the evening meal, both meals being hardy fare for her farm family and anyone else who stopped in.  Gram's  pie tins were full of the best pie fillings and her cake plate was never empty.   She could always be found in her kitchen where there was plenty of room at her table for unexpected guests.

50th Wedding Anniversary, 1970

Gram, just like her mother before her,  was short and plump.  The best seat  in the house was found in her lap where ample  doses of loving hugs were given to all her grandchildren.   Eliza and Homer were the parents of  three children;   my mother  Lois,  Homer Jr.,  and  Howard.

Left to right: Homer,Jr.,  Eliza, Howard, Ella May Heffner Long, Lois.

McEwen Reunion 1984.

Gram and Pap were married 57 years before he passed away October 21, 1977.  Before Gram died on May 9. 1987 she had become the great grandmother  of 13,  pictured above.  We made a great looking family!

Thank you Gram McEwen for being the best Grammie a little girl ever wanted!  If I am half the Grammie you were, I will have filled very big shoes indeed!   Oh yeah, and thanks for passing on the gene for your body structure and that confounded  Heffner foot!

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                                             This page was updated September 21, 2020

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