The Legend of the Poinsettia

     Poinsettias are known as the Christmas flower. The red flowers, which are really leaves, are in the shape of a star, such as the one that shimmered over Bethlehem when Jesus was born. The red color symbolizes the blood of Christ that was shed for the salvation of the world.

     There are several legends concerning the poinsettia.  One was that a small boy, wanting to have his very own gift to lay before the Creche at his church,  knelt to pray outside.  When he arose he discovered that the ground was covered with beautiful plants with scarlet leaves and yellow flowers.  He then picked the flowers and laid them at the Creche as his gift to the Christ-child.  Another legend is about a girl named Pepeta, whose mother was asked to weave a new blanket to cover the Baby Jesus in the manger for the Christmas Eve service.  Because the mother became ill, she was not able to complete the blanket.  Pepeta tried to weave, but could not do it alone.  The best she could do was pick an armful of green weeds to lay over the Baby Jesus.  As Pepeta prayed the green weeds were transformed into flaming red stars with green branches.  Today they are referred to as “La Flor De Noche Buena,” the flowers of the Holy Night.

     However, there was a time when there were no poinsettias in the United States. They were discovered growing wild in Mexico sometime between 1825 and 1830 by Dr. Joel Roberts Pointsett, the first ambassador to Mexico. Poinsett, a skilled botanist, was captivated by the beauty of the wild plant and called it “painted leaves.” He grew the plants in his greenhouse in Greenville, South Carolina and shared cuttings with his friend and neighbor Wilson Barton, great-great grandfather of Suzanne Barton Fisk. It was Wilson that gave the plants the name poinsettia after Dr. Poinsett. Wilson named his eldest son Joel Roberts Poinsett Barton in honor of his friend and neighbor. Joel Roberts Poinsett Barton, great grandfather to Suzanne, then named one of his sons the same. This son was Suzanne’s grandfather. Her father, who is now 92 years old, was named Joel R. Poinsett Barton. Suzanne’s brother is Joel R. Barton, the Poinsett being left off in this generation. Joel named one of his sons Robert Joel Barton.

     While the poinsettia is a beautiful Christmas flower to most people, for our family it is a symbol of love and unity and a reminder of our strong heritage.  Nothing seems to say “Merry Christmas” better than a beautiful red and green poinsettia.

The Heirloom

In the 1890s, west of what is now Ballinger, Texas, Susan Cobb Abernathy, great-grandmother of Suzanne Barton Fisk, was the recipient of a family heirloom. It is more precious because of the courage and love it represents.

The west Texas prairie was a harsh and lonely land in the 1890s. Charles and Susan Abernathy watched wagon trains roll westward across their dusty ranch, everyone searching for the promised land. One day they noticed that one of the covered wagons had stayed behind. Upon investigation, they discovered the family needed help. The mother and several of the young children were quite ill. Everyone was transported to the Abernathy homestead, where Susan valiantly worked to nurse them back to health, while attending to her own small children and the many other chores required of a rancher’s wife. Despite Susan’s valiant efforts, the mother died; however, all the children regained their health. Because Susan came to love these children, it was with a heavy heart that she watched their still grieving father load them into the covered wagon several months later and head back east.

Time passed. Then Susan received a package sent to her from the father and his children, who Susan and her family had helped some time back. Opening the package, Susan was amazed to discover six gleaming silver tablespoons with the inscription Matthew 25:35-36 engraved on each one. In the large family Bible she read:

“For I was hungry and ye gave me food; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in; Naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me; I was in prison and ye came to me.”

These silver tablespoons would become a treasure, a family heirloom.

Charles and Susan had six children. Each of them was given one of the spoons. Joel R. Barton III has the spoon given to Susan Abernathy Barton, grandmother to Joel and Suzanne Barton Fisk. The spoon belonging to Luther, one of the sons, now hangs on the living room wall in Suzanne’s home. It is a reminder of the courage and faith, heritage and love, which has always been an inspiration for this family. For it is in giving that we receive.

Getting Organized

 

How in the world did I ever get organized? Even though I am a librarian, organization for me is frantically pulling it all together at the very last minute and never fully understanding how it got done. It began with thinking…… Family history is an important tool in discovering who we are. I wanted to help my grandchildren know more about their ancestors in order to help them better understand how those who lived before them helped shape who they are. I decided the first “bite” of family history that I would explore would be a much loved story of my great-grandmother Susan Cobb Abernathy, because it depicts the faith and courage that have always been such a part of our family. I wanted my story to “inform, enlighten, and entertain” as stated in chapter 2, page 13 of our text book. So my organization entailed:
1. Deciding what “bite” to write first
2. Collecting and rereading data about the story
3. Writing
Not too bad for a disorganized librarian!

A Sneak Peak! - Suzanne Fisk

Suzanne’s Sneak Peak

Did you know that I’ve been Mother Goose for over 40 years? (Oh, my gosh! That is hard to believe, since I am only barely over 45.) Over the years I’ve had several different costumes, and once I even had a live goose, which rode in my car from place to place. Now my goose is a tricky puppet called Mr. Goose. He is much less trouble than the live one! Mother Goose and Mr. Goose are in high demand at libraries, schools, day care centers, and parties. What a surprise for you to discover that I have an “undercover job.”