Richard L. Dotta Auction Company of Nazareth, Pa., recently reconnected multiple generations of the Lily family of Northampton County through an early fraktur dated 1793 from their online auction held March 8. Julie Kresge, a local historian who serves as the marketing and media coordinator at the Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm in Stroudsburg, Pa., was the buyer. This sale offered an array of early local items, Pennsylvania German antiques primarily from the local estate of Steve Hilberg. The hand-drawn birth and baptismal certificate fraktur attributed to artist Martin Brechall had the date 1793 and was filled out for Susanna Lily, who was Kresges four times removed great grandmother. One never knows what will turn up at an auction, especially at Dotta Auctions online sales, from unusual smalls in diverse lifetime collections. Its a thrill to follow, and this one I was very eager to secure, said Kresge. This fraktur from their March sale is a beautiful piece of art, but more importantly it has tremendous sentimental value to my family, and its unbelievable to think its almost 230 years old! Though the document was written entirely in Pennsylvania German, Kresge recognized the name of the baby and the babys parents. She checked records and confirmed by the name and birth date of the baby, it belonged to her very own four times removed great grandmother, Susanna Lily, born in 1793 in Northampton County. Susannas parents names on the document, Michael Lily and Anna Maria Laubauchin (Laubach), also matched Kresges genealogical records. Kresges genealogy also documents Susanna married Johannes Schott in 1817. Susanna and Johannes great-granddaughter, Minnie, who was born in 1890, was Kresges great-grandmother. She is the individual whose family knowledge started Kresges interest in family history at an early age. After the sale concluded, Kresge joined her daughter, Rachel Kresge, at Dottas Auction Center in Nazareth to pick up the item. Having a piece of our family history return to our line of Susannas descendants after more than 200 years is truly remarkable, said Rachel Kresge, the fifth great grand-daughter of Susanna Lily. As a public historian, artifacts, like this one, are proof that our stories are never truly lost, just waiting to be found by those willing to continue caring for them so they can be shared into the future. Julie Kresge, as previously mentioned, works at the Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, and so does daughter, Rachel, who is the director of education and programs. Dotta Auction has been serving our Lehigh community, and beyond, for over 40 years, and this reconnection is one for the record books, noted Richard Dotta. In all that time weve seen a lot of items, including unusual pieces, high interest items, and extensive collections. When Julie asked me how often we come across historical items of this age with a direct connection to the buyer, I replied with a grin, Well, have you ever been hit by lightning, continued Dotta. This auction experience proved to be one of those rare times. Were so happy to have had a role in bringing a familys 200-plus year-old-history back into our customers family hands. The fraktur is now proudly displayed in the family home next to a collage of Susannas descendents, explained Julie Kresge. To learn more, visit www.dottaauction.com.