Mountain Laurel & Coal

The Duvet Cover The Double Wedding Ring These quilts from Clarksville, Pa. have been tucked in with my belongings for about 35 years. One was given to me by my grandmother Ruth Brown Ross, who lived on Market Street, while the other was purchased at the estate sale of her neighbor Jean Fowler. Unfortunately, I’m not 100% sure which quilt is which.  When my grandmother gave me one of these quilts she told me that it belonged to my great grandmother Lelia Sanders Ross. At the time, I only had this one quilt, so I didn’t mark it. So, now I’m hoping Jean’s son Gerald Fowler will be able to tell me if his mother’s quilt is the double wedding ring quilt (a design that was popular in the 1920s) or the duvet cover with buttons. I’m thinking the duvet cover is from the Ross family, but I can’t be sure. Maybe one of my Ross cousins, Lelia’s other great grandchildren, can help clear this up.  Either way, these quilts are both beautiful works of art made by talented women with a connectio...

My Aunt Janet sent me this photo and it’s just too precious not to share. I believe it was taken at an outdoor church service on Market Street in Clarksville. That’s my dad Wayne Ross (blocking the sun with his program), my mother Roberta Ross, and my grandfather Vance Ross, with my cousin Nikole Kiralis sitting on his lap. That’s Hackney’s Hardware store in the background. I think this was taken during the Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. 

Here’s a lovely photograph of my Great Grandmother Mary Brown holding on to her friend Leota Nyswaner of Clarksville, Pa. I'm guessing this photo was taken in the 1950s. Leota was a dear lady who lived on Market Street, just a block from the home of Mary and her husband Isaac and my Grandparents Forest Vance and Ruth Brown Ross.  When we were young, my friends and I would visit Leota at her little house often. She would invite us in, give us treats, and tell us stories.  She told me about the day she sat with my Grandmother and helped deliver my father, Wayne Ross, who was born at home on August 13, 1942. She was very proud of this, but I was too young to think about asking any questions. Was she a midwife? Did my grandmother have a difficult time? Did the birth take a long time? Was my dad a big baby? Nope, I didn't ask a thing. I was about 7 years old, so I was probably thinking, “Wow, that’s interesting, Mrs. Nyswaner. May I have another cookie, please?”  I also rememb...