Tombstone Tuesday: The Little Heroine of Hannastown.

It was mid July in 1782. The new country was at war. The militia were fighting the British and the British hired Indians and Canadians to do raids on the families left behind. 

This was the frontier then. 

People would guard family members as they harvested their crops because the raids were frequent and on this day  people harvesting at the Huffnagle's farm noticed the Indians and they ran to the safety  of Hannastown and the fort.

On this particular day, July 13, many were still at a celebration of a wedding at the Miller's Farm the day before so most of those left behind were children, elderly and women. 

The Moses Shaw family were among those at Fort Hannastown when the Indians under Guyasuta and the Canadians arrived. The group burned the town down and fired on the fort.  As a toddler was crawling toward the stockade pickets and an opening in the wall  young Margaret "Peggy" Shaw ran for the child to pull it to safety and was shot in the breast piecing her lung. The child was safe. Peggy lingered for 14 days before dying. 

Peggy Shaw is buried in the Middle Presbyterian Graveyard in Mt. Pleasant, PA. 

Peggy was the daughter of Moses and Margaret (Patterson) Shaw.

Different accounts of the story have Peggy aged form 12 to 16 years old, none the less a heroine.

I wonder how many people actually know this!

Now I wonder how many people know that there is an election held every six monthes where you live?

I'm NOT going to get political on you, really I'm not.

But every 6 monthes there is an election in your district.

Yes, every 4 years we go to the polls to elect a president but all the elected officials in your area are voted for, by you the constituents!

Judges, commissioners, mayors, Prothonitaries, coroners, tax collectors, etc. are all voted for.

People go to the polls every six monthes and first pick someone to run, in the primary, then vote them into office.

These officials do have something to do with your lives.

Well, the reason I'm here today is tomorrow is the primary election here in my state.

Every November and every May there is an election. Yes, every 6 monthes.

If you want to get involved in who makes choices in your community register to vote and vote!

Every American citizen has the right to vote. We have since the beginning of this great nation.

So take control, get involved.  Get your neighbor involved. I don't need to know who you voted for or what your political affiliation is but don't complain to me about the elected officials doing something you don't like if YOU DIDN'T VOTE!

Ok, we can get back to your regularly scheduled shows...

thanks for listening to my rant!

BTW, I'm one of the poll workers who takes your name and has you sign in at the polls. I've done this for decades. I always took a vacation day to do this.

You can do this, just sign up!

Get involved!

Sad Day on Cemetery Hill

 

Sad Day on the Cemetery Hill

Hubba and I went gravin' over the weekend.

It was a beautiful spring day. The grass in the cemetery was full of wild violets and phlox subulata. The air was fresh and the wind was sutble. What a great day to be gravin'.

We picked several graves, that people had requested, because they had what lot in this hugh cemetery the requests were located.

If you have read past blogs we fill photo requests for Find A Grave in local cemeteries. We had found at least two or three and drove up the hill to the next lot that follows a hill going down toward the old part of the cemetery. My husband started down the out side of the lot and I started at the very top in a small section walking slowly down the hill backwards where the stones started facing down the hill rather than toward the road. I noticed I had just stepped on to the edge of a recent burial. I stopped and stepped to the side. I looked up and read the name.

Oh, my I knew this lady. She had an influence in my life while I had cared for her. She had moved and I didn't see her again.

She was a vibrant personality.

She smiled most of the time. And she just oozed with the love of life. You couldn't help but get caught up in her youthful exuberance. I thought a lot about her and tried to be positive in my daily life. When I was down I always thought of her, said a little prayer for her and remembered if she could be positive in the face of her physical limitations anyone could!

She was the same age as my mom and so I often wondered if she was doing okay or had she passed.

I was riveted in my place when I saw her name.

The date of her death was not carved into the stone yet.

I became very sad for I knew how much she loved life. As I stood there for quite awhile my husband called to see where I was.

From shear shock to stepping on her very burial place to sadness at her and her families loss I began to realize she had lived a very full and vibrant life. Everyday was an adventure to her. She had raised 5 devoted and very active children who were all very active in her life.

We took a picture of her stone vowing to return to get a new picture when the date has been transcrided on her stone.

At home we added the new pictures to Find A Grave requests that we had fulfilled. Then looked to see if she was listed in the FAG memorials. Yes, she was added so we added her picture.

I was numbed for a few days by her being gone from the face of the earth but vowed to continue to celebrate her life as she loved it, happy and looking at everyday as an adventure!

Thanks for visiting our blog. Enjoy this beautiful spring.