Scarlet Letter Elizabeth Mitchell

I am one of the lucky ones!  I was blessed to have two wonderful Grandmothers.  They were totally different:  Grandmother Rebecca was tall and quiet, she was the quilter.   Grandmother Bessie was short and had steel blue eyes, she was the gardener.  Both of these women were a huge presence in my life.

I have two memorial samplers:  one for Grandmother Rebecca and a second for Grandmother Bessie.  I took liberties with a sampler from the Scarlet Letter called Elizabeth Mitchell which you can see here.  Elizabeth Mitchell became Grandmother Bessie.

Please note the spelling of Grandmother's last name Shults.  The spelling was changed by a census taker and the correct spelling is Shultz.  Grandfather, Johan Martin Shultz was a surgeon and was with John Sevier when the Over the Mountain boys defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain (Revolutionary War).  As compensation for his service in the war, Governor John Sevier  granted Grandfather Martin several land grants in Sevier County. 

A few memories about Grandmother Bessie

1. Her fear of snakes had no boundaries

2.  She was an excellent gardener and cook

3.  She had an eighth grade education and was a voracious reader.  She never stopped learning

4.  She always wore a bib apron to keep her dress clean

5.  She was more of a dog person than a cat person, but respected cats who earned their keep

6.  She ate two apples every day and lived to the ripe age of 95.  Peppermint was her favorite candy

7.  In a five year period, she experienced the death of her Mother and two sisters.

8.  She never learned to drive a car

9.  Jeopardy was one of her favorite game shows and she was awesome.  Watch out Ken Jennings, Bessie is good

10.  She giggled like a school girl when she was with her best girlfriends