Into the Promised Land
Sarah’s debut is due to be released December 10th by Masthof Press. Books will be available for purchase on Amazon and other outlets on the 10th. Pre-order available at Masthof.com or order signed copy by clicking the link below
Enjoy bits of insight into her family history.
Research for my novel.
Writing a historical novel takes a lot of research. Writing one about your own family, well that is fun because you are exploring your own history in a sense. Sarah spent hours combing through boxes of pictures, visiting locations in Ohio, listening to audio recordings, and reading writings of my grandparents. She thought she would share some of her findings along the way.
Audio Recordings of Andy telling his story
This is a patch made when Andy and Sylvia were courting.
Below Andy dines with his sister Mary who eventually also left the Amish and became a long haul truck driver
Above – Andy poses with is Crown Victoria. Andy and Sylvia always owned large cars
Above is Sylvia’s report card from the Troy school. Amish did not develop their own school system until the 1950’s. Amish young people attended school with Englisher’s.
Below, Sylvia poses for an illegal photo in the photomatic automatic picture machine.
Sarah’s family visited Geauga County to see if they could find the old homestead. Above is a picture of Sarah at the corner of Jug Rd. Below is Jake and Lizzie’s Amish farmhouse, from the front and side.
Above is the Burton Public School which is now the library
Below Andy reads the newspaper while his children pose for a picture
The only known picture of Any before he left the Amish. He is located on the far left
Sarah’s family visited the Maple museum in Burton Ohio
The lovebirds. Andy and Sylvia
Lizzie Slabaugh. Sylvia’s mom. The only known photo of her.
LIsting of all the children born to Eli and Mary Troyer
Rudy Fannie actually existed and here is the recipe of her Fruit Cake to prove it! Sylvia always talked about how much she loved her wedding cake and copied the recipe down by hand.
Above are the writings of Eli after Mary passed away. This card he sent to each of his children in recollection of her life.
Below is the obituary of Betty–Sylvia’s sister. I received this after the book had been written. It gave me chills to read this poem.
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