The Family Fraktur

By Lydia Dolly

L.M.Dolly@iup.edu

A piece of parchment can say a lot such as love for one person, the hatred for one thing, or maybe telling an interesting story. This parchment is the announcement of birth in my family. Written back in 1889 when Barbara Ann Bachman was born. Her birth was written on a 11X14 piece of parchment using a pen and ink. It explains when she was born, her parents, and where she was born. We know that she was the daughter of Jacob Bachman. Overall, it is almost like a birth announcement.

The reason it was called a Fraktur was because of the writing. The writing looks almost like Old English writing but it is called Fraktured writing. Not many people have heard of the Frakturs but that is because it is mostly a Pennsylvania Dutch custom.

This particular fraktur was done by Eli Haverstick, a schoolmaster. Many schoolmasters made these frakturs because they could read and write and also help them supplement their income. Eli Haverstick made the fraktur very colorful using bright and brillant watercolors. The words are surrounded by colorful birds, flowers and people. It is almost like you are looking at a rainbow its so colorful. To keep up the good condition that it is in, we must keep it in a place where not a lot of sunlight can get to it.