Lebanon's Woven Coverlet

"Moist" coverlet possibly connected to Virginia

NEW December 15, 2008...See newest page McDonald Family Tree for initial details. Comments and additional information always needed. Call 541-258-1774 or email.

Thanks folks

Thanks to all who are working to bring this project to Lebanon...

Pat Dunn...
Hard working Lebanon researcher in history, historic resources, genealogy, library volunteer, cemetery care, Lebanon Museum and much more.

Gifford & Mary Jones...
Donating this important part of Lebanon's heritage & brining it back home.

Denise Lee, Lebanon City Librarian...
Offering to display this coverlet in the new Library in July 2009.

AK Dugan, Editor, Lebanon-Express... Providing info on Moist family in Lebanon & for personal interest & professional coverage.

Noel (Moist) Storms, Susan & Renee Wilson... Moist family descendants.

Larry Nelson... Lebanon Museum

Ray Weldon, Pete Boucot & others... Scroggin's Mill Rural Heritage Foundation

Ginger Allen... Assistant to the Lebanon City Manager/HR Manager

Amelia Endorf... Quilt historian in Portland

Shirley Metsger & Linda Machuta... Latimer Quilt & textile Center

and
Peggy Christopherson... Quilter, B&B cook & master& very, Very hard worker.

Click on images to see larger pictures

Jacquard loom
(www.english.ucsb.edu/)

Where was Kathryn Cornwall "KC" Smith in Oregon's mid-valley in "mid thirties" and who is "Aunt Luella Allen"?
Story published 12/21/08 9:30 pm PT

NEW Peggy's Alaskan Cabbage Patch B&B, LEBANON OREGON Sunday December 21, 2008...In spite of snowy, rainy, freezing weather, Giff and Mary Jones drove over 250 miles, all the way from their home in Seattle, to bring the Moist jacquard woven coverlet back home to Lebanon, Oregon.

During the small donation ceremony, Giff told the assembled Lebanonite guests, how he and Mary, his wife, came to receive the coverlet from "KC" Smith back in the mid 1980's.

this led directly to questions as to how "KC" came to own this bit of Lebanon's heritage.

Giff's answer to that question referenced the little 3 by 5 card on which "KC" had typed her knowledge of the coverlet. (See this note at the bottom of the center column on this page.)

Giff added, Kathryn probably attended college courses here in Oregon back in the mid-thirties.

Given this limited data, local researchers are looking for input and information about Kathryn Corwall Smith attending college in Oregon in the mid 1930's.

The second main question is, "Who is Aunt Luella Allen?" Is she a member or friend of someone in the Moist or McDonald family trees?

Is there a Moist, a McDonald, a Ralston, a Reeves, a Wilson, or a Crawford family member, or anyone else, who knows of "Aunt Luella Allen" or "Kathryn Cornwall Smith" living in the mid-valley in the "mid thirties?"

Please contact Peggy and Chris Christopherson, 541-258-1774 or 541-451-4910 or Pat Dunn. Lebanon historian, 541-258-5062.

Historic woven coverlet comes home to Lebanon, Oregon
Donation Ceremony on Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 4pm (See story to right)

Being a historical bit of Lebanon's early pioneer days...This jacquard woven cotton and woolen coverlet was likely a staple of everyday use in the early Moist or Ralston or McDonald homes.*

*Lebanon Museum researchers are attempting to determine where, when, who and how this coverlet originally came to Lebanon.

Amelia Endorf helps discover age—1830 to 1855

Amelia Endorf, a Portland quilt historian, obtained this info via the web & on 12/7/08 5:42 PM, wrote and email to Peggy Christopherson..."Hi this was posted to the American Quilt study group. Hope this helps." Amelia

Subject: Oregon trail woven coverlet
On Fri, 12/5/08, textique wrote:
"Amelia;
   This is an indigo wool weft and white cotton warp, woven jacquard dating approx. 1830 to 1855 (although for some reason, I think more towards the 1840s than earlier).
  The ground pattern is birds feeding their young (obvious) and the border is Boston Town.
  Both patterns are pretty generic and could have been woven anywhere along the way through PA, OH, IN, IL or one or two other mid-western states. although I've seen a lot of these in OH.
  If you know any provenance, send it to me and I'll do a quick search for you.
  That is the only way to determine a possible origin if there is no corner block or weaver's name on it. Sometimes combinations of particular patterns help in determining where they are from. If anyone else can pinpoint the weaver's location, I'd love to hear it.
An overall pic would be nice."
Jan Thomas

Woven Coverlets, An American Story

The following, taken from this website, tells a bit about how these coverlets were woven back in the early 1800's.

 " It may have been woven by a weaver in er of towns from one central location, the situs of their loom.
   The weaving of one quilt took one or two days, and usually involved the assistance of an apprentice.
   The cost to the purchaser was usually $6 to $12. At least one weaver could be found in most county seats.
  Most nineteenth century coverlets involved imported indigo and madder dyes and local wool. Often natural home dyes were used as well.
   The most common form of weaving in those days was called "overshot", but double-weave (two layered) coverlets were also popular.
  In the early days of coverlet weaving, most weavers employed a rather primitivee "four harness" loom, which was limited in its ability to incorporate complex or original patterns.
   But in the 1800s all of this changed. A loom termed the "Jacquard" after its French inventor enabled the weaver to incorporate many more intricate designs...including in many instances the name of the client or the location of the loom.
  Thus the decades before the Civil War saw the Jacquard coverlet progress from a rather limited functional item to one of aesthetic beauty, present in most homes.
   After the Civil War, the demand for such quilts faded. Thus if you have an 1800-1860 bedroom, a woven coverlet is one of the best bets for authenticity."

Possible Weaver & Appropriate Display from Latimer Quilt & Textile Center

Shirley Metsger, Latimer Quilt and Textile Canter, Tillamook, Ore.—12/12/08—phone call to Peggy Christopherson...
Item description
• Jacquard Coverlet - not quilt or blanket,
• Woven on Jacquard Loom of Cotton and Wool or Linen and Wool
• Really valuable, exceptional piece
• Jacquard weaving began in US about 1830
Possible Weaver from Virginia
• If from Virginia... Only one Jacquard weaver there.... David Kennedy 1799-1899 (From book on Jacquard weavers at Latimer QTC)
• Stopped weaving in1860
• Picture in book shows similar style to GT Jones photos
Recommended display from Latimer QTC
• Piece should not be displayed for long periods. It will fade
• Only display for month to six weeks at a time.
• Keep textiles at constant temperature & humidity
• Room painted with paint which doesn’t emit fumes.
• Stored in acid free boxes with acid free tissue paper
• Boxes stored on baked enamel shelves.
Suggested we contact the Virginia Historical Society & try to find Virginia weaver’s guild.

Linda Machuta, Manager
Latimer Quilt & Textile Center via emails on 12/12/08...
"Hi Peggy,
  Check "Woven Coverlets, An American Story" on Historic American Quilts website...#644 it is your coverlet & has good info.
  Please refer to American Coverlets and Their Weavers, Coverlets from the collection of Foster & Muriel McCarl, published by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with Ohio University Press.
  Page 244 shows a picture of your woven coverlet.
  This book refers to the pattern as "Birds Feeding Their Young" where to web page we sent you earlier referred to it as "Christian/Heathen". Hope this helps.

How it came to Lebanon... Kathryn Cornwall Smith tells what she has been told

Click on note to see page with larger version

In spite of snowy weather, Seattle couple donates historic jacquard coverlet to Lebanon Museum
Donation ceremony Saturday, December 20, 2008–4pm
Photo by Sam Bauman
Story published 12/22/08 12:22 am PT

UPDATED LEBANON, OREGON Saturday, December 20, 4 pm...At a small ceremony, Gifford and Mary Jones, of Seattle, Wash., donated a bit of Lebanon's heritage to the Lebanon Museum and community of Lebanon.
Lebanon Museum accepts gift
   Pat Dunn, board member Lebanon Museum, accepted the woven coverlet on behalf of the entire community. Pat, who has done extensive research on the Moist and McDonald families, also provided Giff and Mary, a folder about ongoing research on the coverlet plus charitable tax deduction info and museum donation forms.
   The Lebanon Museum is an IRS 501(c)(3) organization which accepts, documents and preserves historical items from Lebanon’s immediate area. Their goal is preserving local articles that would otherwise be discarded until a suitable building is acquired.
Other Lebanon folks attend
   Also representing Lebanon were: Denise Lee, Lebanon City Librarian; Noel Storms, Moist family member, and her husband, Jerry Storms; Ray Weldon, board member of Scroggin's Mill Rural Heritage foundation; and B&B hosts, Peggy and Chris Christopherson.
Sam Bauman took photos
    Sam Bauman took many fine photographs of the ceremony. Sam, Director of Marketing,
Maresh Red Barn Wine Tasting Room in Dundee, and his wife, Rebecca, Deli Manager at Roth's Fresh Market in Lebanon, were B&B guests as a result of the terrible winter weather up north.

Peggy Christopherson, Mary & Giff Jones and Noel (Moist) Storms look for jacquard weaver's signature
Photo by Sam Bauman

Ceremony graces local B&B
   The small gift and donation ceremony took place in the living room of Peggy's Alaskan Cabbage Patch B&B at 194 S Second St, Lebanon.
    Giff and Mary Jones, were complementary B&B guests and left Sunday morning, on their way to Christmas down in sunny Santa Barbara, California.
Give us a call
   If you are interested in hearing more about the coverlet, the ceremony or a tour of the B&B, please call Peggy at 541-258-1774 or email.

Email offers return of Lebanon's heritage
LEBANON, OREGON Thursday, November 20, 2008...In an email "G T Jones" wrote:
"We have an antique blue and white hand-woven blanket/quilt that crossed the plains by covered wagon in the late 19th century from Virginia to Lebanon, Oregon.
    It belonged to the pioneer MOISE family.
   We are looking for an appropriate donee in the form of a museum or historical society that would appreciate this article's cultural significance.
   We could hand-deliver it to any suitable custodian the weekend of December 20 on our way through Oregon. Are you interested? Or, can you suggest someone who might be?
    Thank you. Sincerely,
Mr/Mrs Gifford and Mary Jones, Seattle, WA"

"Moist" vs. "Moise"–Typewritten note tells part of story
SEATTLE Thursday, November 27, 2008...Email from "GT Jones" tells...
"Attached (See copy at bottom of center column) is a scanned image of Kathryn Cornwall Smith’s typewritten note that accompanies the blanket.
    This document and the blanket itself are the only items we have with which to retell the story of its traveled beginnings.
   You will note that the blanked changed hands several times between ourselves and its original owners.
    I think it's a definite possibility that "MOIST" could have been accidentally transposed into "MOISE" as most of the early communications relating to the blanket's ownership and history would likely have been verbal.
   We acquired the piece in the mid-1980's from "KC", as we reverently addressed K.C. Smith, a journalist, a very close friend, my valued mentor, and the blanket's interim owner. She actually gave it to my wife, believing this would best-guarantee the item's safe-keeping. We'll share more about KC and her Santa Barbara "Diggings" when we visit with you in December. She was a most unusual, and loved, character! It is her to whom we dedicate our endeavor to return this piece to its rightful home.
   Meanwhile, we hope you're enjoying a Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers, Giff and Mary"