Trust But Verify

As a quilt historian, I am always thrilled to find a quilt with family history attached. But can you really believe the history that comes with a quilt?

I always welcome all the information that I can get about a quilt. Just knowing where it was found before going up for sale can be helpful. So, when I found and purchased a quilt that had not only a year appliquéd on a corner but three sets of initials in the other three corners - I was already excited. Oh, but there was more! The previous owner of the quilt passed on the family history (provenance) to explain all of this.

Seriously - what could be better!!!

If you check out the quilt, you find the three sets of initials: “BS”, “MS” and “JJ” plus the year “1857.” The family story: Betty Small made the quilt for her daughter Mary Jane Small in 1857 when she married Johannes John from Franklin County, Pennsylvania. While it is specifically mentioned that JJ is from Franklin County - they all lived in that county, but it is worth noting that this bit of identification was added.

Do these hearts have a meaning?

Well now, that all makes perfect sense. The quilt has appliquéd hearts as part of the design. It is in perfect, unused condition as many commemorative quilts are - too special to be used as daily bedding.

Honestly, I was happy just having this information and didn’t check into it. I had (and still have) so many quilts begging to be researched and I had answers on this one. So, for 15 years, that is the story that remained with the quilt.

As I pulled the quilt out to use it in one of my lectures, I got curious and decided to to verify this information.

There were so many “Betty Small” listings that I began to track backwards from what I knew about the previous owners to follow the chain of custody in reverse and see if I could find Betty or Mary Jane or Johannes.

Many rabbit holes later, I did find the right Betty Small. This should have been a satisfying discovery but - of course not!

The Betty that I found was an ancestor of the family that owned the quilt, so that part of the story appeared to be correct. Betty did have a daughter named Mary - Mary Ann not Mary Jane. Small mistake and an easy one to understand.

Now I have Betty and Mary Small, that should make it easy to find Mary’s wedding year and her husband Johannes John.

Ummm….

Except Mary Ann Small married someone else and not in 1857 but in 1860!

There isn’t even a Johannes John (or John Johannes) in the area at that time. More on that in a bit.

What do I actually have here?

•  I have the right family.

• I have a year - 1857.

• I have three names. Two of those names have been traced back through the family of the previous owners.

•  I have records of the only marriage for Mary Ann Small. It was not to “JJ.” It was not in 1857.

Solid, verifiable information.

Now - about “JJ” - Johannes John. Nope - no one by that name in Pennsylvania at all in the 1850s! There was a man with that name in Maryland but he was already married with a family.

I did find a John Johns in the area at that time. Sure, it makes sense - Johannes = John.

Sorry the color is off here. The rusty red of the fabric is surprisingly hard to photograph.

This John Johns was born and lived in the same township that the Small family lived in, yes - in Franklin County. He was nine or ten years older than Mary Ann, who would have been 16 years old in 1857.

It could have been a reasonable match but it never happened. John did marry - in 1862 - two years after Mary Ann had married.

This is where we leave the firm footing of fact and step onto the slippery slope of supposition. Mind you, I do not put forth any of what follows as fact, only as questions which (most likely) will never be answered.

The color in this photo is much closer to what it looks like in real life.

Question: Was there supposed to be a marriage between Mary Ann Small and John Johns in 1857?

Supposition: Maybe so, it wouldn’t have been unheard of for the engagement to be broken - it still happens.

We do have the quilt with that date and those initials.

Question: Could “JJ” stand for someone else?

Supposition: Yes - but nothing happened in 1857 between any member of the Small family and anyone, no matter what initials you choose.

Question: Why would Betty put her initials on her daughter’s wedding quilt?

Comment: Seems a little strange to me.

Question: Why was this quilt, in perfect unused condition, passed down through Mary Ann’s sister’s family rather than her own?

Supposition: Yes, she had daughters but the ownership did not go through them or their descendants. Maybe Mary never had ownership of the quilt? Maybe she didn't want it?

Question: IF the quilt represented a wedding that never happened, why didn’t Betty just take the date and initials of the “not groom” off the quilt?

Supposition: Instead, the quilt was kept in the original format and the sister became the keeper of the quilt. Maybe Betty had already moved on to other quilts? She didn’t have any more fabric to match?

The family story or the provenance that stayed with the quilt seems to be partially true.

We can suppose that probably Betty Small made the quilt for the (upcoming) wedding of Mary Ann Small and probably John Johns in 1857 but the wedding did not take place. We cannot say that for certain. It is only supposition and I will add a label to the quilt with what is known but not what is supposed.

As time passed and the quilt changed hands, the story that remained was the one that made sense when looking at the quilt. I love the fact that the family kept the quilt and cared for it as a special heirloom of family past that they did not know.

I often hear harsh comments from quilt lovers about those who part with family quilts. My belief is that if there is no one in the family with an interest in the quilt, the most loving thing to do is to make the best attempt to place that quilt with someone who does have an interest and will love it.

This quilt has a home with me now along with some information and some mystery but mostly love!