Taufschein (Marriage Certificate)

Inscription:
Miss Rebecca From and Mr. Samuel Bair were lawfully joined in the hand of matrimony January the 22nd A. D. 1857 by the Reverend P.P. Lane

Henry Young was a minister and schoolmaster and an extremely prolific creator of fraktur of many kinds over a forty year period.  He is one of the few fraktur artists to practice portraiture.  By far the greatest number of his works feature a conventionalized format of a man and woman in full-length profile opposite a candle stand or small center table, usually accompanied by a vase, bouquet of flowers or a wineglass. 

The detailed decorative treatment of the costumes seen in this example is typical of his style. Although somewhat flat and linear in handling, the composition has a charming appeal and was repeated often with slight variations according to the type of presentation fraktur. 

Young was born in Saxony and immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1817, settling in Union County before moving to Centre County c. 1843.  This fraktur celebrates the marriage of Samuel Bair (born 1835) to Rebecca From (born 1835) who settled in Potter Township, Centre County.  Samuel Bair is recorded as a journeyman or day laborer.  They had four children before his death in 1866.