Folklore Commons^™

Dieffenbach On Swine, September 1, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Swine", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated September 1, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details various anecdotes concerning breeding practices, pig-chases, hog raffles, butchering and more.

Letter From Helen J. Moser To Alfred L. Shoemaker, August 14, 1952, Helen Moser

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Helen J. Moser addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated August 14, 1952. Within, Moser provides four riddles and answers in Pennsylvania German.

Dieffenbach On Sheep, August 11, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Sheep", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated August 11, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details a number of stories and practices involving the care of sheep, including the process of cleaning and dying wool.

Dieffenbach On Horses: Equipment, July 1, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Horses", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated July 1, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details traditional ways of maintaining and crafting various horse equipment, ranging from harnesses to stirrups and saddles.

Dieffenbach On Horses: Diseases And Remedies, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "The Stallion - "Der heugscht"- Diseases and Remedies", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated July 1, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details a number of ailments that plague horses and describes the various folk cures and remedies needed to alleviate them.

Dieffenbach: Butchering-Time On The Farm, June 20, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Butchering-Time on the Farm", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated June 20, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach provides a detailed account of traditional ways of butchering pigs, ranging from the killing process to the cleaning of entrails for sausage casings.

Letter From Mitford M. Mathews To Alfred L. Shoemaker, June 6, 1952, Mitford M. Mathews

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from Mitford M. Mathews, an editor at the University of Chicago Press, addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated June 6, 1952. Mathews inquires about the word origins of the Seckel pear of Philadelphia to be used in an American English dictionary.

Letter From Blodwen Davies To Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 29, 1952, Blodwen Davies

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed letter from Blodwen Davies addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 29, 1952. Davies inquires about a piece of fraktur art, possibly a baptism certificate of Fanny Risser, with a heart and rose motif. A rough translation of the German writing is provided by the author.

Letter From Alice G. Fischer To Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 23, 1952, Alice G. Fischer

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Alice G. Fischer addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 23, 1952. Fischer asks Shoemaker to recommend Pennsylvania Dutch humor books for her daughter, who is doing missionary work in Argentina.

Letter From Emilie J. Diefenderfer To Alfred L. Shoemaker, May 11, 1952, Emilie J. Diefenderfer

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Emilie J. Diefenderfer addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated May 11, 1952. Diefenderfer writes to inform Shoemaker about a pamphlet titled "Pennsylvania German Riddles and Nursery Rhymes," compiled by John Baer Stoudt while a student at Franklin & Marshall College.

Dieffenbach On Cows, April 26, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten material on cows, compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated April 26, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details anecdotes from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania on a number of topics including foods harmful to cows, home remedies, cats in relation to cows, stable lore and other subjects.

Dieffenbach On Steers: Anecdotes, April 12, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Steers: Anecdotes", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated April 12, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details a number of anecdotal stories revolving around steers, including a practical joke played on a cattle dealer and an encounter with the devil.

Dieffenbach On Steers: Superstitions, April 12, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Steers: Superstitions Relating to", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated April 12, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details various superstitions surrounding the practice of gelding, including ways to induce proper healing and warnings of death post-surgery.

Dieffenbach On Cows, April 11, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten material on cows written by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated April 11, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details a number of personal anecdotes about cows, including eating habits, selection, birthing complications, and other lore associated with cows.

Dieffenbach On Cows, April 1, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten manuscript entitled, "Cows", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated April 1, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details anecdotes from Berks County, Pennsylvania farmers concerning all aspects of cows and raising calves including needed equipment, milking, de-horning, and breeding. It also contains related folklore surrounding the products of cows (veal, beef, butter, cheese, dung) and cures for disease and bewitchment.

Dieffenbach On Cows: Addenda, March 24, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten manuscript entitled, "Cows: Addenda", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated March 24, 1952. Within Dieffenbach lists a series of anecdotes involving butter churning, farm irrigation, planting seeds and producing and selling hay and dairy products. It also includes a section about the many uses of cow parts after butchering and a list of superstitious beliefs surrounding cows.

Dieffenbach On Cabbage, March 21, 1952, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten manuscript on cabbage, by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dated March 21, 1952. Within, Dieffenbach compiles anecdotes and humorous stories from Berks County and Lebanon County, Pennsylvania on a range of topics related to cabbage including its use as livestock feed, parts of the cabbage, uses for cabbage leaves, uses in cooking, and cabbage seeds.

Composition: A Review, February 1952, H. Wayne Gruber, Michael Alvin Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed composition entitled, "A Review", by Michael A. Gruber with notations by H. Wayne Gruber, dated February 1952. Within, a compilation of memories of the Gruber family farm, especially of birds and other animals, is composed in the form of a poem, including remarks and additions provided by H. Wayne Gruber.

Planting, Seeding, Or Sowing And Harvesting On My Parent's Farm, In North Heidelberg Township, Berks County Pennsylvania From 1876 To 1893, H. Wayne Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed essay entitled, "Planting, Seeding, or Sowing and Harvesting On My Parent's Farm, In North Heidelberg Township, Berks County Pennsylvania", by H. Wayne Gruber, dating from January 1952. Within, Gruber recalls the agricultural practices his parents practiced in relation to the moon and star signs and details the methods of planting and harvesting corn, potatoes and grain.

Proposal For The Preparation Of A Book On The Costumes Of The Plain People, Melvin Gingerich

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

This typed paper outlines a proposal for a book on the history of plain costumes worn by Mennonites and other groups primarily in Pennsylvania. It lists the qualifications of the author, Melvin Gingerich, as well as the estimated costs and timeline to produce the work. It provides a description of the proposed book and tentatively outlines its contents.

Ua37/44 Tidbits Of Kentucky Folklore, Gordon Wilson

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Tidbits of Kentucky Folklore nos. 900-989, 999-1049:

• A Cheerful Liar – 252
• A Mother in Israel – 219
• A Neighborhood Sheik – 215
• A Thin Veneer – 244
• Amen – 109
• Appropriate Food – 99
• Asafetida Bags & Sulfa Drugs – 250
• Awards Day – 278
• Bad Connections – 276
• Ballad Situations – 113
• Becoming a Back Number – 27
• Bells, Bells, Bells – 83
• Blab Schools – 169
• Bottomless Pits – 201
• Burning Off the Woods – 151
• But Not Homer – 47
• By the Highway – 159
• By the Side of the Road – 25
• Calf Rope – …

History Of The Farm Of My Parents, January 1952, H. Wayne Gruber

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed document detailing the history of the family farm, house and surrounding land of H. Wayne Gruber, dating from 1876 to January 1952. Within, Gruber details the history of ownership of the land, the parts and functions of each area of the house (including Pennsylvania Dutch terminology) and the surrounding outbuildings, sheds and barns as well as the fields and orchards. Gruber also describes repair work and expansions to the house and other buildings over the years.

Dieffenbach On Horses: Peculiar Habits And Tastes, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

Handwritten manuscript entitled, "Horses: Peculiar Habits and Tastes", by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dating from circa 1952. Within, Dieffenbach details some of the eating habits he's seen horses possess, describing stories of horses who eat eggs, cheese, bread and other items.

Dieffenbach On The Bull, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "The Bull", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dating from circa 1952. Within, Dieffenbach provides two humorous tales involving preachers and cow breeding.

Dieffenbach On Meat: Addenda, Part I, Victor C. Dieffenbach

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten manuscript entitled, "Meat: Addenda", compiled by Victor C. Dieffenbach, dating from circa 1952. Within, Dieffenbach covers a variety of topics involving meat, including butchering, family recipes, and various humorous anecdotes from his youth.

Letter From Arta M. Bortner To The Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center, March 30, 1951, Arta M. Bortner

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Arta M. Bortner addressed to the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center, dated March 30, 1951. Within, Bortner provides details on a childhood school game and rhyme that young children used to play involving a bear and stolen sheep.

Letter From Russell S. Baver To Alfred L. Shoemaker, January 15, 1951, Russell S. Baver

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Russell S. Baver addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated January 15, 1951. Within, Baver details his feelings on barn decorations and describes superstitions surrounding horseshoes and cattle castration.

Folklore Term Paper: Aspects Of Amish Folklore, William J. Pietchke

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A typed term paper completed at Franklin and Marshall College by William J. Pietchke, dating from circa 1951. Entitled "Aspects of Amish Folklore", Pietchke details various beliefs amongst the Amish ranging from pregnancy lore to marriage, divorce and horse trading practices.

Letter From Bertha Brophy To Alfred L. Shoemaker, December 10, 1950, Bertha Brophy

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter from Bertha Brophy addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated December 10, 1950. Within, Brophy provides Belsnickel lore from her childhood while living in the Oley Valley in Pennsylvania.

Letter From Erma Coldren To Alfred L. Shoemaker, Erma Coldren

Alfred L. Shoemaker Folk Cultural Documents

A handwritten letter by Erma Coldren addressed to Alfred L. Shoemaker, dated July 18, circa 1950. Within, Erma details the recent birth of 6 snow white kittens from her black cat as well as other cat stories.