Out of the blue a woman emails me asking if any of the names she mentioned in her email had any significance to me. She is not a researcher. She purchased a quilt on ebay from a company in Canada. She calls it a "friendship quilt", and has been sending me pictures. Almost every 'block' or 'star' has a name on it. She had found my website as there were a couple of the same surnames on it.

Okay. I was intrigued :)

She had no idea the original location of the quilt. After about an hour, I found out it was definitely Shelby Co., IL.

In helping confirm for her that this is where it came from, I sent her info on the few I had in my own database. Then I got so darn interested in everyone ELSE named in this quilt that I was off and running.

The quilt is 7 blocks by 7 blocks, with a potential of 49 names. Some squares don't have any names, whereas others have 2. So far I have not received all the names. She's having trouble reading some of them and so far has sent me photos of the squares in which she CAN read, but not the ones she can't. I'll start getting the remainder next Monday.

I've been writing up a little history about each individual listed on the quilt, and finding out that some are mother and daughter, sisters-in-law, etc.

Here are some of the names. The ones marked with an asterick * means I've found info on them. I'll list their ENTIRE name, although no maiden names are shown on the quilt.

Ida (CURRY) FOOR*

Mildred (FOOR) KIRK*

Myrtle Anna (LOWE) MOSE or MASE* [cemetery info shows MOSE for parents]

Olive L. (MILLER) ROBERTS* - I know she was the d/o David O. and Eliza A. (SMITH) MILLER but she was widowed very early and I can't find the name of her husband, though she might be the one who married Joseph S. ROBERTS in Sangamon Co., IL 1897

Eliza A. (SMITH) MILLER* (mother of above)

Doris (SPECHT) KIRK*

Alta (BARE) SPECHT*

Annie Viola (DAVISON) BARE* (mother of above)

Minnie Alice (BARNES) EYER ECKERT*

Lillian (YENCER) AUGENSTEIN*

Jessie Idela (JOHNSON) IDLEMAN DEAL*

Mollie (Mary A.?) (AUSTIN) BOWMAN*

Minnie (_?_) ECKERT

Emma E. (___) McKITTRICK

Nora (_?_) BETZOLD (h/o George Fred BETZOLD) need maiden name

Leola GLICK

Bennett Family

Vera Johnas - she's not sure of spelling of last name and has not sent me pic of this square yet

(Nelms?) GLICK, she has not sent me the photo of this one and is unsure of first name

Marjorie EYER - (census shows it was Minnie Alice BARNES dau. from marriage to EYER)

Gertie BENSON

Jean A. GEARHART

Marie PERRY

Hilda PLOAMAN/PLOUMAN (haven't seen image of this one)

Aunt Carrie

Laura

Lillian

Myrtle MILLER

Lor--- MILLER

Mrs. SL--PPE or DL--PPE (haven't seen this one yet, either, and I'm wondering if she read the infamous double-s as the two letter p's.)

Chaude/Chande and Le--- PAULY/PAULEY

Agnes Cecil Samantha (?) - have not seen image.

I do have quite a bit of info on SOME of these people - most coming from the online databases of the Illinois State Archives, cemetery databases and old newspapers. However, some that I have quite a bit of info on I still may be lacking death info and burial location.

So... if you know anything about any individual listed, post here or email me and I'll let you know what I already know and then you can help fill in the blanks. If for some reason (wouldn't that be GREAT?) if anyone out there has a photo of any of these people, it would be wonderful to put a copy of it with all this info I'm drudging up.

Why am I doing this? I have absolutely no idea. Being a researcher for well over 20 years, maybe it's just a diversion into something else. But I am absolutely intrigued and having a blast finding more info on all these ladies. I feel I'm beginning to 'know' them.