Eleanor (Lafferty) Sadot 1983
(8-29-20 – 9-27-83)
This
Broadside Balladeer Blog is dedicated to my mother Eleanor (Lafferty) Sadot for her birthday, August 29. She
grew up on a small farm in Landenberg, Pennsylvania on Mercer Mill Road. She graduated from Kennett Square High School. Then Eleanor Lafferty served in the US Navy in New York City as an office worker during WWII.
Eleanor
Lafferty married Jean-Henri Sadot. Jean (aka John) was born in Bethune in Picardie. He grew up in the town of Carentan in Normandy, France. Jean-Henri went from
joining the French Army Air Corps in Normandy, to joining the French
resistance camps in the Pyrenees mountains on the Spanish border about a month after the fall of Paris, to
leaving Toulon harbor on a Free French battleship. His ship went to
Brooklyn Navy Yard for re-tooling by the American allies. Eleanor met Jean in a Broadway cafe. They
wrote love letters during the rest of the war. After the war, Jean and Eleanor had five children together: Victor, Jeanne, Joseph (RIP 1978), Robert and Marie.
The Rugged Hills of Landenberg (5:46)
Free mp3 song download at SoundCloud by Broadside Balladeer Vic Sadot
takes you through the seasons of rural Landenberg, PA from days gone
by as the song salutes my mother’s roots and character. Rob Sadot
on electric guitar. Recorded by Dean A. Banks for “Songs Of The
Seasons”.
https://soundcloud.com/broadsideballadeer/the-rugged-hills-of-landenberg
SoundCloud Description: The Rugged
Hills of Landenberg was inspired by a poem by C. Edwin Smith from a
1936 news clipping that Eleanor Lafferty Sadot kept as a bookmark
from her childhood days. (Lyrics
below!) She shared the
poem with her grown children when she found it still being used as a
bookmark after all those years. In the poem Edwin Smith was dying and
his last wish was to live long enough to see Landenberg in the autumn
one last time. According to the legend as told by Eleanor Sadot he
did live to enjoy the autumn and had the pleasure of having his poem
applauded in the local rural circles when it was published in a local
newspaper and read by the teachers and students like Eleanor Lafferty
in the Kennett Square, PA schools.
Vic’s song, which was inspired by Edwin
Smith's poem, is a completely different poem. It is a tribute to his mother, Eleanor Lafferty Sadot.
Vic's song celebrates the wonder of all four seasons, and each
season gets a verse. The song salutes his mother’s roots as a farm
girl growing up on Mercer Mill Road and attending a one room school
house for 8 grades at the corner of Good Hope and Auburn Roads. The teacher was Mrs. Weaver, who taught that whenever there is a war one should look for the economic reasons.
Eleanor attended the 1990 Landenberg Day events
along the White Clay Creek at which Vic first performed the song. Vic
was accompanied by Lester Craig Maurer on the fiddle, who created the
music and concept of The Frog Jog, and was a founding member of C. P.
Swampgrass with Vic and Joe Sadot, who first performed the song at Frog Town Farm south of Newark, DE, which soon became part of the suburban sprawl. The song was lovingly dedicated to
Eleanor Lafferty on that 1990 Landenberg Day.
The Rugged Hills of
Landenberg was first released on a Limited Edition home burn CD from studio and live recordings. It was titled "Songs of the Seasons". It's a romantic,
poetic, and environmentally green and engaged set of songs. This version of The
Rugged Hills of Landenberg was recorded by Dean A Banks, who also provided the percussion. Vic Sadot
sings and plays acoustic guitar. Rob Sadot graces the song with a
sweet country soul style of electric guitar. (Below the lyrics, check out the video for "The Fog Watch" and the SoundCloud for "White Clay Creek"!)
The
Rugged Hills of Landenberg
The
rugged hills of Landenberg, robed in rolling shades of green
Challenge
us to wander thru the woodland summer scene
Where
children laugh and splash away endless days down by the stream
And
lovers stroll to the music of the rippling water’s theme
Chorus
#1
Oh
the rippling waters theme… And the way it makes you dream…
Oh
the rippling waters theme… And the way it makes you dream…
The
rugged hills of Landenberg of my mother’s childhood days
Must
be the inspiration for her persevering ways
Yes,
they must be the source of wholesome values that she shows
In
the love she has to offer and how generously it flows
Chorus
#2
Oh
how generously it flows! Oh how generously it flows!
And
how genuinely it shows the rugged hills of Landenberg!
Oh
rugged hills, we know your raiment will soon turn to autumn’s hues
And
we know the price of progress cause we’ve seen what we can lose
Still
I hope we have the vision! Still I hope we have the will!
To
be Guardians of these wildlands that still flourish in these hills!
Chorus
#3
Oh
they flourish in these hills!
How
they flourish in these hills!
Oh,
the wild and rugged hills!
The
rugged hills of Landenberg!
The
rugged hills of Landenberg become majestic robed in white!
When
the snowflakes come a’tumblin’ from the heavens hazy height…
May
it stun you into wonder of a rare and pure delight!
May
these rugged hills inspire you to keep your spirit burning bright!
Chorus
#4
Keep
your spirit burning bright!
Let
it ride the misty light!
Through
the rugged hills tonight!
The
rugged hills of Landenberg!
Copyright
1990 Vic Sadot, BMI, Orbian Love Music
Vic
Sadot is a singer-songwriter based in Berkeley, CA who grew up in
Newark, DE. He delivers a selection of mostly original songs in his
solo repertoire. The topics range from the kind of subjects you would
expect from one who claims and celebrates the folk tradition of Woody
Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, and Phil Ochs as his
heritage. Crazy Planet Band has been around since 1979 and serves as
Vic's showcase for his original folk rock and blues songs while
Planete Folle features
Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans R&B covers, many in Louisiana
French. Vic gives away rough mixes of songs at SoundCloud.
Related songs:
The Fog Watch (4:52) Vic Sadot YouTube Channel Official Video by Vic Sadot https://youtu.be/AxExNpKZvlI
Photo
by Vic Sadot during a family hike along the White Clay Creek just
north of Second Dam on July 30, 2017 recalls this verse:
"Witness the wonder, you may be, a guardian of this precious land... For the children of the human race. These children blessed may they be when they take younger ones by the hand... To this charming, cherished place... To this charming, cherished place." - Poetry of Jean-Henri Sadot
White
Clay Creek
(3:42) SoundCloud
by Broadside Balladeer Vic
Sadot
On
9/11/11 Vic released a new 16 song CD called "9/11 Truth &
Justice Songs", which is available at
www.cdbaby.com/cd/vicsadot3
On
the same day Vic launched the new Official Web Site for Vic Sadot
Music at www.vicsadot.com
Vic's
two previous CD's are also available at CD Baby:
"Comin'
Home", a Cajun/Zydeco offering released in 1997 is at
www.cdbaby.com/cd/vicsadot
"Broadsides
& Retrospectives", a "Best of 25 Years of Vic Sadot
Recordings" released in 2005 is at www.cdbaby.com/cd/vicsadot2
