The first assignment has led me on a fascinating quest for information in two directions: my own family history, as well as the history of needlework and its significance. This post will focus on the people involved with my Victorian needle case. Prof. Mulready raised an interesting possibility that perhaps the needle case was made as a gift for Ruth Broadwell, rather than made by her; in modern times, it’s common to have a gift engraved with the recipient’s name. However, in my experience collecting antique needlework items, the most common inscription is the maker’s name and a date, frequently found on a quilt or embroidered sampler. In “1898” Ruth would have been 78 years old, and “Vern’s oldest daughter” (my grandmother Nellie) was about nine years old. According to rootsweb.com, Ruth died in 1910, and so wrote the bequeathal note when Nellie was between the ages of 9 and 21. My grandmother was proficient in sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery and tatting. It makes sense that her great-aunt would leave her this precious item. I just wish I knew where it was that Ruth was going — a trip? a hospital stay? “If I don’t come back…” That may remain a mystery forever.

The photo above includes my great-great-grandmother Amanda Lee Howe, seated on the right, with her sister Ruth Lee Broadwell seated on the left and her brother Spencer Lee, standing with his wife Mary. The photograph was taken in Iowa where Spencer lived. It was common to have photographs taken during rare family visits. Amanda lived in Potter County, PA — remember, no automobiles! A long-distance visit was a special occasion. I found a note from my third cousin Karen, with whom I corresponded via email during our joint family history search in 2003. She speculates that the visit may have taken place after the death of my great-great-grandfather Simeon Powers Buck Howe in 1873, which is backed-up by other photographs I have of Amanda. If so, this photo precedes the making of the needle case by Ruth, but is the only picture I have of her.

Having deduced that Nellie received the needle case between age 9 and 21, I include two photos of her, above. The first was taken in late 1893, when she was around age 4. Nellie is in the center, with older brother Clinton and younger sisters Louise and Mabel. My assumption as to Nellie’s age is based on the apparent age of her baby sister Mabel who was born in May 1893, and the absense of younger siblings not yet born. The second photo shows the whole family: Lavern Buck Howe (son of Amanda Lee), his second wife Mary Daniels Howe (sister of his first wife, my own great-grandmother Ella Estelle Daniels Howe who died from complications of childbirth) and five children. Nellie is standing in the center; her older brother Clinton is missing, having been married in 1904. Based on the apparent age of little brother Lavern (b. 1900), Nellie would be about 18 years old in this photo. Did she have the needle case yet?

Finally, this is a photograph of the Howe family farm. According to a published history of Potter County, PA, in 1832 Isaac Howe relocated his family from Lansing, Tompkins County, NY, to Bingham Township where the farm is located. Isaac’s son Simeon, would have been age 14. Family tradition holds that the farm in the photo was built by Simeon, and would have been occupied by him and wife Amanda Lee. (I hope to verify this someday by doing a deed search.) After Simeon’s death in 1873, Amanda married a neighbor Ebenezer Ryan. The farm was passed to her son Lavern Buck Howe, and later to his son Lavern Burdette Howe, the little boy in the family photo. It was in this farm house that the embroidered needle case resided after it came to Nellie.

My mother inherited a box of old family photos from her mother Nellie, including those posted here, and the velvet needle case. It now belongs to me, but next? I have two daughters and one granddaughter so far…