Mary Jane Weaver Hartman

     Nancy Jane Ogden Westerdahl’s Grandmother

Mary Jane Weaver Hartman

The following description of Mary Jane Weaver Hartman is from her  obituary, memories of her granddaughter, Nancy, and an interview with her daughter-in-law, Grayce Hartman.

Grandma Hartman was born on March 15, 1867, and lived most of her life in the Hampton and New Oxford area in Adams County Pennsylvania. She was married to J. Robert (Bob) Hartman, and she was the mother of Ima, Ira, Lloyd, Mary Catherine and Grace, Nancy’s mother.

Nancy remembers visiting Grandma Hartman in Hampton for dinner every Sunday when she was just a little girl. She remembers the house which is still there, the large front porch, a cherry tree she used to climb, a pigsty and the attic where she found small china figurines. Nancy inherited a few and still has them today.

Aunt Grayce described her mother-in-law, who she called Mother Hartman, like this,”With her hair pulled back and dressed in dark calico with black stockings, she was very Amish looking."  Grayce said Mother Hartman kept the two story house spic and span. Once while Grayce was visiting, she tied up her skirt, got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed the floor. Grayce said, “It wasn’t an insult. She just didn’t want to visit.”

Nancy remembers that Grandma prepared meals on an old, cast iron, wood cook stove, and Aunt Grayce was especially fond of her biscuits, corn bread and waffles. Grayce also recalls a bowl of apples on the dinner table that she cut, peeled and cored for each person when they visited.

Although she waited on her husband hand and foot, carrying his bath water, pumped from a well, upstairs and laying out his clothes each morning, Bob never treated her with affection. As a matter of fact, according to both Nancy and Aunt Grayce neither one showed much affection for the other.

Grandma Hartman was very dependent on Bob, and she lived in fear that he would leave her. Nancy remembers her constantly telling Grandpa not to leave her. How sad to  live with such fear.

Mary Jane Weaver was 95 when she died on November 24, 1962, at Nancy’s home at 336 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg.

                                                       Bruce Westerdahl, January 10, 2014