Birth certificate is hand done by artist using design elements from printed fraktur. Multicolor text is enclosed in a central arched arbor w/ flame finials. Text names Christian, a son of Jacob and Barbara (KIndig) Bachman, born 1827 in Lampeter Twp. Two confronting angels flank arbor and 2 additional text blocks of religious verse support arbor. A pavilion at bottom is flanked by blue trees & large colorful pinwheel flowers.
Border at sides and top have colorful, repeating floral/foliate motifs; top is arched. Hearts and flowers fill top corners. Above arbor is a large 4-point stylized star flanked by reclining trees.
Artist uses red, blue, light blue, black, yellow, white, green, orange and brown.
Inscribed on reverse in black ink is "No 4 made by Eli Haverstick 1834."
Provenance
Descent in Bachman family to donor. Two nearly identical birth certificates are known, for older sister Anne, b. 1823 (private owner-Barbara Ann Mable) and younger brother John, b. 1832 (G.96.9.1). Similarity suggests all were made at the same time in 1834.
Bachman family genealogy in file. See info on Christian Bachman in Mennonite Arts, 2002, pp. 56-57.
Conserved by Susan Duhl in 2001. Generally worn and discolored. Repair to edge tears & corner loss. Abrasions & paper fill in top right corner were in-painted with watercolor. Tape at back of top edge is now removed w/ remaining stain. See report in file.
Object ID
G.00.23.1
Notes
Haverstick is believed to be a teacher due to being absent on tax rolls for Conestoga Twp.
Christian Bachman (1827-1901) became a prominent cabinetmaker in eastern Lancaster County, just like his father Jacob Bachman (1798-1867). He married Barbara Buckwalter in 1855. After marriage, he moved to Strasburg where he set up his own shop.
Place of Origin
Conestoga Twp.
Role
Artist
Credit
In memory of Charles Bachman, grandson of Christian Bachman, by his son Charles Bachman, Jr. and family.
Framed vorschrift on laid paper with German text penned on both sides with dark iron gall ink. Paper is folded with two strong creases, creating four quarters of the sheet. Half of "front" side contains illuminated vorschrift with four letter styles.
Top line in very large, ornate letters reads, "Wohl dem der..." Initial letter "W" is oversize and decorated with scrolling acanthus leaves. Arching over this line is a horizontal vine with flowers and pomegranate. The religious text in script ends with what appears to be Psalm 112. It ends with a final line in fraktur lettering reading, "Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, Anno 1782."
One quarter of same side states, "Vorschrift Vor Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, den 5ten Martz, Anno 1782."
Reverse side has a text in German script framed with a lined border. It has ten lines including numbers and alphabet, and it ends with the same line as above, "Heinrich Miller, in Canastogen Townschip, 1782."
Fraktur scholar David Johnson identified this artist as Friedrich Hartman, likely a schoolmaster. Hartman is found on no records but the 1790 Census, in Conestoga Twp., suggesting that he owned no property. Other Hartman pieces were found in the 1986 Fraktur Harvest (see this file).
This vorschrift relates closely to work done in northern Lancaster County near Ephrata Cloister although the artist is not known to have had connections in that community.
Provenance
HC purchased at Scott's sale through Christie's for $1265.00, Jun 11, 1994. This piece was likely collected by Scott in his usual manner, purchase at sale in Lancaster Co. or region.
Mounted in frame folded in half: H: 8.25" W: 13.125"
Frame is H: 16.25 W: 19.25"
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2016-10-24
Condition Notes
Overall soil with many stains. Edges are ragged, a 2-inch-long sections is cut from one corner. There is breaking at creases and losses where heavily inked. Paper loss where crease coincides with lettering as well as tulip-shaped flower.
Matted and framed by Carlisle conservator Brian Howard in 1996.
Object ID
P.94.13.3
Notes
This fraktur is recorded in the Winterthur Library: Decorative Arts Photographic Collection, NEH 475, 17-19 (per Christie's)
Pictured on p.15, of Fraktur: Folk Art & Family by Corinne & Russell Earnest.
Fraktur is a simple hand done birth record in German for Adam Kindig and Anna Kindig. Page is likely removed from a Bible. Adam was born 17 Sept 1794 in Conestoga Twp. and Anna was born 22 Oct 1799 in Conestoga Twp. Layout of Fraktur lettering with serifs is simple and straightforward but not with an accomplished hand. Letter colors vary from red to ochre to green. No additional decoration except for curlicue lines surrounding the upper case "A" of both Adam and Anna.
Mounted in a brown modern frame with white window mat. Kraft paper dustcover on back. A "#10" is written small in pencil at lower right corner.
Paper has foxing, brown stains and fly specks (bottom right). Two horizontal fold lines across middle; the one with the greater crease shows breaking and some holes at several points.
Object ID
2017.999.6
Notes
See Mylin Family Genealogy 929.M513 in library.
Adam is the son of Christian Kendig and Barbara Mylin. Anne is the daughter of Michael Haverstick and Eve Bender. Adam Kendig married 1) Anne Haverstick and 2) Mary Helm. Six children by Anne, nine children by Mary Helm. Anne H. Kendig was b. 22 Oct 1799 and d. 17 Jan 1833. Likely buried in Reformed Church, Conestoga Centre or Rush Farm, New Danville.
Adam and Anna's daughter Mary Amanda Kindig was born 1821 and baptised 1837 by Pastor Martin Bruner of the Reformed Church in Lancaster City. Her Taufschein in English is done free hand by Eli Haverstick and is signed on reverse "E Haverstick / No. 11" This document is in the collections of the Evangelical & Reformed Historical Society. Eli Haverstick was likely a relative of the family and was almost certainly a schoolmaster. (See similar examples done for brothers John and Christian Bachman in the Heritage Center Collections).
Appraisal conducted by Pastor Fred Weiser, Sept. 2, 1988. A slide transparency is in file.
