Sandra Leonard, who formerly lived in New Hanover Township and Bedford County, is a Fairmount resident who is especially interested in genealogy. So interested, in fact, that the former librarian has written two books - "From Sea to Shining Sea," about her own family history, and "From Bavaria to Brady," about relatives of her husband, Keith.

While researching her own family history, Sandra discovered important information about a Bedford County woman, who came to be known as Indian Eve after being kidnapped by Native Americans. Sandra shared Eve's story in a multimedia presentation to other Fairmount residents on Feb. 17.

Sandra began her presentation by recalling her first day in seventh grade in 1955. Raised on a dairy farm in Bedford County, Sandra was excited to learn that she would be learning about Bedford County history that fall. Another girl in the class shared a story about Indian Eve, who was the girl's great-grandmother several generations back.

Sandra forgot about the story until 2007 when she purchased a book about Indian Eve and her descendants. While studying the genealogy section, Sandra realized she too was descended from Indian Eve. "She was my great-grandmother eight generations back," explained Sandra.

Sandra went on to tell the tale of Eve's life, including her birth as Eva Catherina Hellebart in 1740 near Philadelphia. "Her father's name was George Adam Hellebart, and he had a large farm in New Hanover Township," explained Sandra. Eve married Adam Ernst in 1757. The pair had several children and eventually settled on their own farm in Bedford County, where Adam was a weaver. In September 1777, Eve's homestead was attacked by Shawnee Native Americans, and her husband and two neighbors were killed. Four of Eve's children escaped, and she and her two youngest boys were captured and made to walk to Fort Detroit, which was held by the British. Eve was detained there until 1776. She and her two boys then traveled back to Bedford County on foot, arriving eventually at their homestead, where she found her eldest son with his wife and children. She was soon reunited with her other children. A year later, she married Conrad Sammel, the father of her eldest son's wife. She died in 1815, and her tombstone at Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church in Dutch Corner tells her story.

Eve's daughter Mary was taken in by a family named Imler following the Native American raid, and the girl came to be called Mary Imler. This led to confusion about Eve's maiden name, but Sandra's research uncovered her true origins.

In closing, Sandra read 1 Corinthians 13, known as the "love" chapter, and compared Eve's love for her children to the verses. "When I think of Eve's life and all she endured, I think of this chapter," noted Sandra. "Her life was showing that much love for her children by enduring all those things. That was Eve, and I am so honored to be carrying her DNA in my body."

Fairmount is a nonprofit retirement community located on two adjoining campuses in Ephrata. Readers who would like to know more about the organization may visit https://fairmounthomes.org.