by Susan Peters
Every now and then an artifact or document is donated to the Dundas County Archives that firmly reflects on a moment in time. One such item was donated to the Archives recently. This is what has been called a “signature quilt” as it is embroidered with over 475 names. These names are all local individuals, some men, some women, 18 of them were members of the military. Signature quilts from this period are very rare today. This one is even more rare as it is in amazing condition. It was created by a local group in support of the Red Cross. The whole purpose of these quilts was to raise funds in support of the local Red Cross. In this case, the quilt was made some point in 1916 in Mountain Township somewhere between Van Camp, South Mountain and Inkerman.
This signature quilt that was donated in September by Norah Frobel, a descendant of one of the persons named on the quilt. According to the lore associated with the artifact, everyone paid either 10 cents or 25 cents to have their name included on the quilt. In 1916, this was a considerable sum. There are several names that appear more than once. One can assume that they were paying more towards their support of the project. A note attached to the quilt stated that it was organized by two local schoolteachers, Phoebe Colborne, who taught at the Van Camp School and Helen Taylor, the teacher at the South Mountain School. Their names appear numerous times. According to a letter, most of the embroidery was done by Mrs. George Walter and “Helen Taylor’s mother”, who remains nameless. After the quilt was completed, it was raffled off with the funds going to the Red Cross. The quilt was never made to be used as a covering for a bed. It was sewn to reflect the local community in support of the War effort. It was created for the sole purpose of serving the Red Cross. According to our donor, the quilt was won by Mrs. Rose, who lived on Highway 43. It appears that it was tucked away after this point. Mrs. Rose later gave it to Helen Taylor and then to Mary Johnston. She passed it on to her daughter, Norah Frobel.
What do we know about the Red Cross? Everyone has a vague recollection of what the Red Cross is today. You may not know that today there are over 16 million volunteers today dedicated to the ideals of the International Red Cross. This is best summed up as an organization founded to protect human life and health to ensure respect for all persons and to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Humanitarian origins of this organization dates to 1863, when a Swiss businessman, Jean-Henri Dunant happened upon the aftermath of the battle of Solferino, which was part of the Austro – Sardinian War. Over 40,000 soldiers died in one day. He observed the total lack of any medical care for the wounded soldiers. When he returned to Geneva he wrote about his observations. He argued for the need of an organization to provide care for wounded soldiers.
He got the attention of Gustave Moynier, a lawyer in Geneva. In 1863 Moynier introduced the concept of the Red Cross to the Geneva Society for Public Welfare. A conference was held in October 1863 to develop measures for the care of wounded. The original meeting included delegates from many kingdoms. They resolved to provide relief for wounded soldiers and the medical personnel who treated them, and to operate with neutrality in the care of wounded. The symbol that they adopted for the protection of medical personnel in the battlefield was the red cross.
As of 1864, they adopted the “Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the condition of the wounded armies in the field”. The convention agreed on 10 principles establishing neutrality and protection of those caring for the wounded. They eventually included the mandate of the care of prisoners of war. This included the distribution of care packaged by the Red Cross to Prisoners of War in the Second World War.
Women on the home front were expected to do their bit by knitting socks or sewing blankets for the soldiers in the battlefield. Local newspapers write about how the women at home could also do their bit by adhering to the strict ration system so that goods could go to feed the army. They were also welcomed to provide home made goods for the care of the soldiers in care. This eventually included the canning foods and to make jam. But in 1916, one of the best ways to serve was to raise funds for the Red Cross. These funds would go to purchasing medical supplies, care packages and other materials to support the soldiers and the War effort.
According to the oral tradition passed down with the quilt, it was raffled for over a thousand dollars. In 1916 that was a massive amount of money. It shows the extent to which the local community supported the cause. The quilt was then put in a wooden box and left for 108 years before it was donated to the Dundas County Archives. It is also invaluable to illustrate who lived in the community in 1916. Many of the names on the quilt are representative of local families in the area today. The Rose family, the Hoys, the Marquette’s, Suffels, and Mulloys, as well as Barrys were all on the quilt. It also includes the names of 18 men who served in the First World War, this includes the men named on the Van Camp Cenotaph, who made the ultimate sacrifice. Several were British Home Children.
Since this artifact reflects a moment in time in Mountain Township, it serves to document the community. It also serves as a research tool for examining the local history at that time. With this in view, the grade 7 and 8 classes of North Dundas Intermediate school have been working on a project to document the names on the quilt. I have gone into Lise Thurler’s classes several times to help the students learn how to conduct such research. I have shown what resources we can examine and how we can find more about what happened to these people after the quilt was made. One of these skills includes how to read an historic document, and how to figure out what is important as a clue to the past. This project has been a learning opportunity for all of us. Carol Goddard has also been to the classes to assist the students.
The students plan to create a publication containing their research findings. This will be used as their own fund raiser to support a fellow student who is fighting cancer. I am hoping that the local population will support this project as whole heartedly as the original community did in 1916. This is truly a wonderful opportunity to learn, and to support our community. This story will continue through the next months. I hope to be able to share these accomplishments of the students, especially how one can support their fund-raising efforts. Stay tuned… in the meantime, if you have any family connections to any of these names, I would love to hear from you at dundascountyarchives@gmail.com.
