Hand-Crafted Family Tree Wall Hanging
By Haley Conley-Cloughessy
Haley Conley-Cloughessy spent an entire year cross-stitching a beautiful wall hanging of the Spiker Family Tree which she donated to the family auction during the 2011 reunion.
Jake and Gay’s names were printed on the trunk. Their children’s names were stitched onto the main branches, the grandchildren on the limbs, the great-grandchildren on the leaves, and the great-great-grandchildren on acorns. Each of Jake and Gay’s descendants, including those lovingly brought into our family, were equally represented on the tree. The problem (although not truly a problem at all) was that the tree continued to “grow” acorns during the year, and Haley had to continuously re-design her layout. But the final outcome was a beautiful labor of love.
The soon-to-be family heirloom generated the highest winning bid from any auction to date at a whopping $550, and will hang on the wall at the Spiker Farm for all to enjoy. The charity auction benefits the South Fork Baptist Church Cemetery Fund.
