Hello
I am researching the family of Elizabeth Fergusson, said to be of Guinness farm , Caledon. I am a volunteer researcher for the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, and Elizabeth made a patchwork coverlet that is now in our museum collection. You can see it here:
http://www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/collections/heritage/irish-crazy-patchwork-coverlet.htmlThe museum curators date the quilt to around 1880, and the family story is that Elizabeth made it in her teens. It was given to the guild by Elizabeth's second cousin, Eveline Quinn, who was from Manchester and who died in 1993, so we were told. Neither woman was married.
I have found an Eveline Quinn dying in Rochdale in 1992, and a Sarah Elizabeth Fergusson from around the right time in Caledon.
I have taken a temporary subscription to Roots Ireland, and found very little.
If anyone knows of these women's families, or can give me any guidance on researching County Tyrone, I should be very grateful. I am interested in Elizabeth's social history, what kind of life she might have had, and how she learned to sew. From her Mother presumably? Who was she? How come she had religious fabrics? I know we can't answer all our questions, but any ideas or hints would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much
Anne Spendiff
