Do you know what a Sarvis tree is ??
Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:02 pm
Years ago, before all these imported early white blooming landscape trees, and yard bushes began to pollute our woods, in the Appalachian Mountains. As one traveled roads and highways in March. There was only one white blooming tree they saw on the hillsides. The Sarvis tree bloomed before any other trees in our woods. I saw this as a kid. It was the first blooming tree period. And it bloomed before any green leaf budded on other trees. The eatable berries from those trees were sometimes called "service berries'', and for a good reason.
I spent many hours eating such berries, as a kid. The "Sarvis Tree" got its name by the poor pronunciation of us Hillbillies. When someone died during the winter, we had to bury them quickly, before embalming became a wide spread practice. Not every church had a pastor. Many small churches had a circuit riding preacher. He was the pastor of several churches on his circuit. His horse riding circuit ended during the worst weeks of winter, for safety reasons. When they saw these trees bloom, they knew the preacher was coming by to preach the funeral "Sarvis" for those families that lost their loved ones back in the Winter.
As Paul Harvey would say-- And now for the rest of the story. If those of you that live in other places have ever eaten Juneberries, Saskatoon, Shadbrush, Pigeon Berry, or from a Currant tree. You have ate the same berry, or a berry of the same family. But you lack our hillbilly story of the Sarvis tree. LOL
I spent many hours eating such berries, as a kid. The "Sarvis Tree" got its name by the poor pronunciation of us Hillbillies. When someone died during the winter, we had to bury them quickly, before embalming became a wide spread practice. Not every church had a pastor. Many small churches had a circuit riding preacher. He was the pastor of several churches on his circuit. His horse riding circuit ended during the worst weeks of winter, for safety reasons. When they saw these trees bloom, they knew the preacher was coming by to preach the funeral "Sarvis" for those families that lost their loved ones back in the Winter.
As Paul Harvey would say-- And now for the rest of the story. If those of you that live in other places have ever eaten Juneberries, Saskatoon, Shadbrush, Pigeon Berry, or from a Currant tree. You have ate the same berry, or a berry of the same family. But you lack our hillbilly story of the Sarvis tree. LOL