1872-present Polly Heckewelder
of the Moravian Church
of the Moravian Church
The Person-Polly Heckewelder
Polly was born Johanna Maria Heckewelder (1781-1868) in Salem in what would eventually be Ohio. She was the first white
girl born in the Ohio Territory. Her parents were John Heckewelder and Sara Ohneberg, Moravian missionaries. John was a
noted authority on Native American Indians. Salem was founded between the American headquarters in Pittsburgh and the
British headquarters in Detroit. Both parties were suspicious of the peace loving Moravians. Huron natives destroyed the
settlement when Polly was just 5 months old. Her father was sent to Detroit to stand trial as a spy. He was later acquitted.
Two years later, John entrusted Polly to a group of Moravians who returned to Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Becoming a boarder
at the first school for girls, she followed a strict schedule. Up at 5:30, students cleaned, had lessons, attended chapel and
went on walks. She did not see her father again until he came for a visit in 1788 when she was seven years old. In 1800, at
the age of 19 years, Polly went to the girls boarding school in Lititz, Pa. to teach needlework, and read history and geography to
the girls. Five years later, at twenty four, Polly lost her hearing and resigned. Returning to Bethlehem, Polly lived at the Sisters'
House until 1810. Now twenty nine, Polly reunited with her parents, who had returned to Bethlehem due to her mother's poor
health. Her mother died in 1815 and her father died in 1821. Now alone again, Polly, thirty eight, moved back to the Sister's
House to spend the rest of her life, some forty seven more years.
The Church
The movement that became the Moravian Church was started by followers of Jan Hus (English: John Huss) as a continuation
of the church formed in 1457 in Kunwald. Hus objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to
return the church in Bohemia and Moravia to what were the practices in these territories when it had been Eastern Orthodox:
liturgy in the language of the people (i.e. Czech), having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine), married
priests, and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory. Evidence of their roots in Eastern Orthodoxy can be seen today
in their form of the Nicene Creed; which like Orthodox Churches, does not include the filioque clause. In rejecting indulgences,
Jan Hus adopted a doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone. In doing so, the Moravians became the first Protestant
church. The movement gained royal support and a certain independence for a while, but was eventually forced to be subject to
the authority of Rome. Hus was tried by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake (1415).
Within fifty years of Hus's death, a contingent of his followers had become independently organized as the "Bohemian Brethren"
(Čeští bratři) or Unity of the Brethren (Jednota bratrská), which was founded in Kunvald, Bohemia, in 1457. They received
episcopal ordination through the Waldensians in 1467. These were the earliest Protestants, rebelling against Rome more than
a hundred years before Martin Luther.
In the 1700s, the Moravian missionaries were the first large scale Protestant missionary movement. The missions spanned the
globe including North America. For more information on the beliefs and history of this Church see the article on the Moravian
Church on Wikipedia.
The Doll
The Ladies Sewing Society of Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem Pennsylvania has been sewing since 1872. Four years
after the death of Johanna Marie Heckewelder, known as Polly, they chose to honor the daughter of Reverend John
Heckewelder. John heckewelder was a Moravian missionary who worked with and chronicled the lives of the Delaware
Indians. Johanna was born in 1781 and passed in 1868 at the age of 87 years. To give perspective, Polly was born with the
country and lived through the civil war. She was a teacher and active in the church. The doll is the longest continuously
produced doll in America.
In 1861, at the age of 80, Polly founded the Ladies Relief Society of Freedmen's Aid or Freedman's Aid Society. The group was
formed to sew clothing and blankets for the soldiers. In 1865, the group changed its name to the Ladies Sewing Society. In
1872, the group decided to make a doll as a fund raising mission. The funds were used to aid wounded soldiers and assist
freed slaves. Additional support was given to the Moravian missions as well as to make surplices for the newly ordained
ministers. They named the doll Polly Heckewelder after the Society's founder. In a way, the doll and her namesake trace back
to the beginning of this country and represent the classic American doll: simple in design but exacting in execution, designed to
be played with and loved yet contribute to a larger cause, and based upon the skills and entrepreneurial spirit of people coming
together in community.
The Ladies Sewing Society still meets at the Central Moravian Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Heckewelder Place,
Tuesday mornings with a break for the summer. They still make dolls as well as the surplices for the newly ordained
ministers. They also repair the dolls and surplices as needed. Though the painting has updated as the painters' have passed
their brushes, the doll is still essentially the same. Polly takes 80 hours of work, almost all by hand. The dolls are painted on a
flat face. The machine (a treadle sewing machine) is used to baste the bodies together to support them as they are stuffed
earlier with cotton and now with synthetic fiberfill. The shoulder and elbow joints are sewn at an angle unique to this doll.
Fingers are indicated by stitching with long thumbs. There are no markings on the early dolls. Dolls made after2003 are
numbered. The dolls are made assembly line style as opposed to one seamstress to make one total doll. In this way, the
painted faces have the characteristic style of one painter for a given period. The same is true of the stitching of the various
body parts and clothes. The group completes between 40 and 70 dolls on average per year.
The clothes are that of a young girl in the early 1870s-when the group was founded. Those dressed in pink gingham generally,
though not always, have brown eyes and brown hair while those in blue gingham are usually blue eyed blondes. The clothes
are exceptionally well made with hand worked buttonholes and finished seams. The dresses are covered with an apron,
finished with lace. They were white cotton underwear and socks. The dolls wear two bonnets. The first forms the back of the
head. The second is a crocheted cap worn over the hat. The shoes are the only part of the ensemble not made by the ladies.
Earlier dolls had a little handbag with information about the doll and her mission. Newer ones have a tag on the arm and come
with a letter describing the doll's history.
When asked about the two caps, I received the following from a member of the Church:
Your question about caps is interesting. In addition to answering the two caps, I will risk boring you with a brief history of
women's head dress in 17th & 18th century Moravian Communities. One of Polly's caps is a traditional bonnet. The other is a
child's head piece (crochet) worn attached to the top of one's head. Moravian Communities were more or less closed in the
sense that it was a self-sufficient industry. The people committed to the faith (Moravians) owned land, farmed, had a tannery,
water works, smithy, woodworking shops, and of course, needle crafts. Single men and single women lived is separate
dormitories until marriage. Married couples resided in individual homes. Church life was the center of their focus and profits
from their industry went to support outreach ministries in the USA and globally. This lifestyle persisted until around the start of
the 20th. Century. Within this context, Moravian Women wore a headpiece to various church services similar to the crochet
child's cap. The name of this cap is of German origin Haube. Attached to the crochet headpiece was a red ribbon for little girls
not yet confirmed in their faith, usually under age 12; a pink ribbon for confirmed girls/young women until marriage; blue ribbon
for married women, and white ribbon for widows.
Dating the dolls is a function of the style of facial painting.
Picture 1 face possibly turn of the century painting. Note the very almond shape eyes common in the early dolls.
Picture 2 face possibly turn of the century but definitely before 1915. Highlighting was made in India ink. No hair color is
indicated. Note the very almond shape eyes common in the early dolls.
Picture 3 face Not a Polly according to a former member of the Society but??????
Picture 4 face Note the chin line on this doll.
Picture 5 face Painted by Gustav Gerhardt, the only known male painter of the faces. Painted between 1915 and 1920s. This
time period was also when my Polly was painted by Clara Turner.
Clara painted between 1915 and 1925. This appears to be the time
when the eyes shift from the almond shape to a more rounded shape.
The lips are frequently slightly parted. There are usually 6 eyelashes
on the bottom and 8 lashes on the top.
Picture 6 face Center Parter--unknown artist. Painting is distinctive
for the noticeable center part.
Picture 7 face Center Parter--unknown artist. Painting is distinctive
for the noticeable center part.
Picture 8 face Marion Rau painted faces with a lazy "m" for a nose,
quizzical eyebrows and heavy eyelashes at the corners of the eyes.
The eyes are frequently slightly crossed.
She painted faces from the late 1920s through the 1950s. Some of
these dolls wear plain blue or pink cotton as gingham was not
available during the war years.
Picture 9 face Sarah Fehrer painted the doll faces in the 1970s.
Picture 10 Current painters include Debra Dubbs (left) and
Jo Brosnahan (right)
There were many other artists who contributed to the face painting
over the years. But identification of the painter is not the essential
factor of the doll. The dolls are made as a group effort with each
member contributing to the development of a special doll, treasured
by its new owner and for the positive impact the doll contributes to
the community as a whole. Polly painted in 1915-1920 by Clara Turner
Polly is not the only doll made by the Moravians. Other famous Moravian women lent their names to dolls including Countess
Bengna von Zinzendorf (cloth dolls), Anna Nitschmann (porcelain doll) and Rebecca Langley (commercially made doll of which
little is known). Approximately 275 of the Anna Nitschmann dolls have been made. Maggie and Bessie Pfohl of North Carolina
were also Moravians known for their doll making skills.
The Church was formed in the 15th Century. This mission to make dolls was formed in 1872. This doll was sold on ebay in
2009 for its family owner as she aged. The Ladies Sewing Society watched the auction on a borrowed laptop as they sewed.
They were pleased to see that there love and care is still valued. The future of the doll has some challenges. Most of the doll
makers are octogenarians. The fine fabric is not readily available. The demand is far greater then the number of sewers can
fill. Younger potential members of the Sewing Society often work outside the home. More of a stumbling block, most younger
members do not have the fine sewing skills necessary to create the dolls. My doll is an example of 550 years of history and
purpose. May the obstacles be overcome so that the longest continuously made American doll which touched cultures from
Europe to Native Americans and spanned the history of the country, will continue to be made.
Currently made dolls can be ordered from the Church: 73 West Church St. • Bethlehem PA 18018 • 610.866.5661 •
office@centralmoravianchurch.org
Bauder, Jackie. Personal communication. Ms Bauder was one of the members of the Sewing Circle in the 1970s.
Csencsits, Sonia. Polly Doll "The Morning Call". May 29, 1994 p1,6.
Edward, Linda. Moravian Rag Dolls. No other source information available.
Judd, Polly; Judd, Pam. Moravian Dolls Doll Reader October 1987 p88-89.
Kurtz, Karen. Little Dolls of Bethlehem: Part 1. Dolls June July 1998 p101-4.
Ladies Sewing Society Scrapbook
Livingston, Barbara. Polly Heckewelder-Moravian Doll. Moravian Museum Bethlehme Pa. 2003.
Michel, Bernard. Dolls, Surplices adn Service. The North American Moravian. July August 1972,
Pamphlet attached to the new Polly Heckewelder dolls produced by the Ladies Sewing Society.
Personal Communication Mae Long Leader of the Ladies Sewing Society 2009. Thank you Mae!
Personal Communication John McKeown, husband of former owner of my doll, Treasurer of the Archives Board of Directors
and member of the Church. Thank you John!
Personal Communication Paul Peucker of the Moravian Church Archives. Thank you Paul.
Ruyak, Jacqueline. The Polly Heckewelder Doll. Piecework May June 1995. p84-88.
Story of the Moravian Ladies Sewing Society publication of the Ladies Sewing Society
UFDC region 13 Philadelphia. October 3-6 1996 A Vagabond Song.
Polly was born Johanna Maria Heckewelder (1781-1868) in Salem in what would eventually be Ohio. She was the first white
girl born in the Ohio Territory. Her parents were John Heckewelder and Sara Ohneberg, Moravian missionaries. John was a
noted authority on Native American Indians. Salem was founded between the American headquarters in Pittsburgh and the
British headquarters in Detroit. Both parties were suspicious of the peace loving Moravians. Huron natives destroyed the
settlement when Polly was just 5 months old. Her father was sent to Detroit to stand trial as a spy. He was later acquitted.
Two years later, John entrusted Polly to a group of Moravians who returned to Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Becoming a boarder
at the first school for girls, she followed a strict schedule. Up at 5:30, students cleaned, had lessons, attended chapel and
went on walks. She did not see her father again until he came for a visit in 1788 when she was seven years old. In 1800, at
the age of 19 years, Polly went to the girls boarding school in Lititz, Pa. to teach needlework, and read history and geography to
the girls. Five years later, at twenty four, Polly lost her hearing and resigned. Returning to Bethlehem, Polly lived at the Sisters'
House until 1810. Now twenty nine, Polly reunited with her parents, who had returned to Bethlehem due to her mother's poor
health. Her mother died in 1815 and her father died in 1821. Now alone again, Polly, thirty eight, moved back to the Sister's
House to spend the rest of her life, some forty seven more years.
The Church
The movement that became the Moravian Church was started by followers of Jan Hus (English: John Huss) as a continuation
of the church formed in 1457 in Kunwald. Hus objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to
return the church in Bohemia and Moravia to what were the practices in these territories when it had been Eastern Orthodox:
liturgy in the language of the people (i.e. Czech), having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine), married
priests, and eliminating indulgences and the idea of purgatory. Evidence of their roots in Eastern Orthodoxy can be seen today
in their form of the Nicene Creed; which like Orthodox Churches, does not include the filioque clause. In rejecting indulgences,
Jan Hus adopted a doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone. In doing so, the Moravians became the first Protestant
church. The movement gained royal support and a certain independence for a while, but was eventually forced to be subject to
the authority of Rome. Hus was tried by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake (1415).
Within fifty years of Hus's death, a contingent of his followers had become independently organized as the "Bohemian Brethren"
(Čeští bratři) or Unity of the Brethren (Jednota bratrská), which was founded in Kunvald, Bohemia, in 1457. They received
episcopal ordination through the Waldensians in 1467. These were the earliest Protestants, rebelling against Rome more than
a hundred years before Martin Luther.
In the 1700s, the Moravian missionaries were the first large scale Protestant missionary movement. The missions spanned the
globe including North America. For more information on the beliefs and history of this Church see the article on the Moravian
Church on Wikipedia.
The Doll
The Ladies Sewing Society of Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem Pennsylvania has been sewing since 1872. Four years
after the death of Johanna Marie Heckewelder, known as Polly, they chose to honor the daughter of Reverend John
Heckewelder. John heckewelder was a Moravian missionary who worked with and chronicled the lives of the Delaware
Indians. Johanna was born in 1781 and passed in 1868 at the age of 87 years. To give perspective, Polly was born with the
country and lived through the civil war. She was a teacher and active in the church. The doll is the longest continuously
produced doll in America.
In 1861, at the age of 80, Polly founded the Ladies Relief Society of Freedmen's Aid or Freedman's Aid Society. The group was
formed to sew clothing and blankets for the soldiers. In 1865, the group changed its name to the Ladies Sewing Society. In
1872, the group decided to make a doll as a fund raising mission. The funds were used to aid wounded soldiers and assist
freed slaves. Additional support was given to the Moravian missions as well as to make surplices for the newly ordained
ministers. They named the doll Polly Heckewelder after the Society's founder. In a way, the doll and her namesake trace back
to the beginning of this country and represent the classic American doll: simple in design but exacting in execution, designed to
be played with and loved yet contribute to a larger cause, and based upon the skills and entrepreneurial spirit of people coming
together in community.
The Ladies Sewing Society still meets at the Central Moravian Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Heckewelder Place,
Tuesday mornings with a break for the summer. They still make dolls as well as the surplices for the newly ordained
ministers. They also repair the dolls and surplices as needed. Though the painting has updated as the painters' have passed
their brushes, the doll is still essentially the same. Polly takes 80 hours of work, almost all by hand. The dolls are painted on a
flat face. The machine (a treadle sewing machine) is used to baste the bodies together to support them as they are stuffed
earlier with cotton and now with synthetic fiberfill. The shoulder and elbow joints are sewn at an angle unique to this doll.
Fingers are indicated by stitching with long thumbs. There are no markings on the early dolls. Dolls made after2003 are
numbered. The dolls are made assembly line style as opposed to one seamstress to make one total doll. In this way, the
painted faces have the characteristic style of one painter for a given period. The same is true of the stitching of the various
body parts and clothes. The group completes between 40 and 70 dolls on average per year.
The clothes are that of a young girl in the early 1870s-when the group was founded. Those dressed in pink gingham generally,
though not always, have brown eyes and brown hair while those in blue gingham are usually blue eyed blondes. The clothes
are exceptionally well made with hand worked buttonholes and finished seams. The dresses are covered with an apron,
finished with lace. They were white cotton underwear and socks. The dolls wear two bonnets. The first forms the back of the
head. The second is a crocheted cap worn over the hat. The shoes are the only part of the ensemble not made by the ladies.
Earlier dolls had a little handbag with information about the doll and her mission. Newer ones have a tag on the arm and come
with a letter describing the doll's history.
When asked about the two caps, I received the following from a member of the Church:
Your question about caps is interesting. In addition to answering the two caps, I will risk boring you with a brief history of
women's head dress in 17th & 18th century Moravian Communities. One of Polly's caps is a traditional bonnet. The other is a
child's head piece (crochet) worn attached to the top of one's head. Moravian Communities were more or less closed in the
sense that it was a self-sufficient industry. The people committed to the faith (Moravians) owned land, farmed, had a tannery,
water works, smithy, woodworking shops, and of course, needle crafts. Single men and single women lived is separate
dormitories until marriage. Married couples resided in individual homes. Church life was the center of their focus and profits
from their industry went to support outreach ministries in the USA and globally. This lifestyle persisted until around the start of
the 20th. Century. Within this context, Moravian Women wore a headpiece to various church services similar to the crochet
child's cap. The name of this cap is of German origin Haube. Attached to the crochet headpiece was a red ribbon for little girls
not yet confirmed in their faith, usually under age 12; a pink ribbon for confirmed girls/young women until marriage; blue ribbon
for married women, and white ribbon for widows.
Dating the dolls is a function of the style of facial painting.
Picture 1 face possibly turn of the century painting. Note the very almond shape eyes common in the early dolls.
Picture 2 face possibly turn of the century but definitely before 1915. Highlighting was made in India ink. No hair color is
indicated. Note the very almond shape eyes common in the early dolls.
Picture 3 face Not a Polly according to a former member of the Society but??????
Picture 4 face Note the chin line on this doll.
Picture 5 face Painted by Gustav Gerhardt, the only known male painter of the faces. Painted between 1915 and 1920s. This
time period was also when my Polly was painted by Clara Turner.
Clara painted between 1915 and 1925. This appears to be the time
when the eyes shift from the almond shape to a more rounded shape.
The lips are frequently slightly parted. There are usually 6 eyelashes
on the bottom and 8 lashes on the top.
Picture 6 face Center Parter--unknown artist. Painting is distinctive
for the noticeable center part.
Picture 7 face Center Parter--unknown artist. Painting is distinctive
for the noticeable center part.
Picture 8 face Marion Rau painted faces with a lazy "m" for a nose,
quizzical eyebrows and heavy eyelashes at the corners of the eyes.
The eyes are frequently slightly crossed.
She painted faces from the late 1920s through the 1950s. Some of
these dolls wear plain blue or pink cotton as gingham was not
available during the war years.
Picture 9 face Sarah Fehrer painted the doll faces in the 1970s.
Picture 10 Current painters include Debra Dubbs (left) and
Jo Brosnahan (right)
There were many other artists who contributed to the face painting
over the years. But identification of the painter is not the essential
factor of the doll. The dolls are made as a group effort with each
member contributing to the development of a special doll, treasured
by its new owner and for the positive impact the doll contributes to
the community as a whole. Polly painted in 1915-1920 by Clara Turner
Polly is not the only doll made by the Moravians. Other famous Moravian women lent their names to dolls including Countess
Bengna von Zinzendorf (cloth dolls), Anna Nitschmann (porcelain doll) and Rebecca Langley (commercially made doll of which
little is known). Approximately 275 of the Anna Nitschmann dolls have been made. Maggie and Bessie Pfohl of North Carolina
were also Moravians known for their doll making skills.
The Church was formed in the 15th Century. This mission to make dolls was formed in 1872. This doll was sold on ebay in
2009 for its family owner as she aged. The Ladies Sewing Society watched the auction on a borrowed laptop as they sewed.
They were pleased to see that there love and care is still valued. The future of the doll has some challenges. Most of the doll
makers are octogenarians. The fine fabric is not readily available. The demand is far greater then the number of sewers can
fill. Younger potential members of the Sewing Society often work outside the home. More of a stumbling block, most younger
members do not have the fine sewing skills necessary to create the dolls. My doll is an example of 550 years of history and
purpose. May the obstacles be overcome so that the longest continuously made American doll which touched cultures from
Europe to Native Americans and spanned the history of the country, will continue to be made.
Currently made dolls can be ordered from the Church: 73 West Church St. • Bethlehem PA 18018 • 610.866.5661 •
office@centralmoravianchurch.org
Bauder, Jackie. Personal communication. Ms Bauder was one of the members of the Sewing Circle in the 1970s.
Csencsits, Sonia. Polly Doll "The Morning Call". May 29, 1994 p1,6.
Edward, Linda. Moravian Rag Dolls. No other source information available.
Judd, Polly; Judd, Pam. Moravian Dolls Doll Reader October 1987 p88-89.
Kurtz, Karen. Little Dolls of Bethlehem: Part 1. Dolls June July 1998 p101-4.
Ladies Sewing Society Scrapbook
Livingston, Barbara. Polly Heckewelder-Moravian Doll. Moravian Museum Bethlehme Pa. 2003.
Michel, Bernard. Dolls, Surplices adn Service. The North American Moravian. July August 1972,
Pamphlet attached to the new Polly Heckewelder dolls produced by the Ladies Sewing Society.
Personal Communication Mae Long Leader of the Ladies Sewing Society 2009. Thank you Mae!
Personal Communication John McKeown, husband of former owner of my doll, Treasurer of the Archives Board of Directors
and member of the Church. Thank you John!
Personal Communication Paul Peucker of the Moravian Church Archives. Thank you Paul.
Ruyak, Jacqueline. The Polly Heckewelder Doll. Piecework May June 1995. p84-88.
Story of the Moravian Ladies Sewing Society publication of the Ladies Sewing Society
UFDC region 13 Philadelphia. October 3-6 1996 A Vagabond Song.
