Thursday, August 27, 2015

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ Grandma Mary's Quilt Block


Mary C. Taylor
Today's installment of treasures fits quite nicely with last week's Treasure Chest Thursday ~ Relief Society Magazines

A couple of days ago I received a copy of the book The Salt Lake City 14th Ward Album Quilt, 1857. I have wanted this for a long time. 

There's an interesting story leading up to the publishing of this book. Carol Holindrake Nielson the author tells how her husband inherited half of a quilt.  I know right. Half of a quilt.

At the age of twelve Richard Stephen Horne won the beautiful quilt that was hand stitched by the Relief Society women of Salt Lake City's 14th ward. The year was 1857. He held on to that quilt until his first wife died in 1896. That's when he cut the quilt right down the middle. One half for his oldest daughter, and the other half for his second oldest daughter. And to quote Carol's words and my own sentiments "Only a man could do that!"


130 years later the quilt halves were reunited thanks to a little research from Carol. Not only a reunion of an heirloom, but a meeting of distant cousins. How cool is that!

I am so grateful that the author felt that this treasure should be shared with the posterity of these crafty pioneer women. She researched and learned about the women of the 14th ward Relief Society and voila...a book. 

I have three connections to this quilt. The block above was embroidered by my 3rd great-grandmother Mary Edwards White Cannon Taylor.

The block below was done by her daughter and my 2nd great-grandmother Elizabeth Edwards Cannon Piggott. She was 12 years old at the time.

Elizabeth C. Taylor
Unfortunately a piece of hers is missing. However, thankfully her signature is intact. She used her step-father's last name of Taylor.

The other connection is a block done by Leonora Cannon Taylor. She was the aunt of Elizabeth Cannon and the sister of my 3rd great-grandfather.



I may not be able to pass down a quilt, but I can pass down this book with a snippet of the beautiful needlework of my ancestors. Thank you Carol Holindrake Nielson!


Leslie Ann

2 comments:

  1. Aren't these old quilts fabulous? I am lucky enough to own two quilts stitched by my husband's great grandmother in the 1920's. My father in law found them stored in a garden shed in his mother's yard after she passed away. No other family members wanted them except me and they are in excellent condition. Although you don't have your ancestor's quilt, it is great that the quilt has been remembered in a book.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're right, only a man could do that!

    ReplyDelete

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