quiltsquare

Courtesy of: The Bourne Historical Society

Twelve of the individual squares bear the signature of local women, including Thirza A. Keene, Susan E. Perry, Rebecca Atkins, and Martha F. Rowell; one square, however, is signed by a man, Henry W. Weeks. Loring says Weeks’ signature on the square could indicate that he had made the quilt for someone he knew or for someone special. “It was quite unusual back then for a man to do any sewing,” Loring says. She adds that one local battalion, Company D, 29th Regiment, saw action in the South, and records show several local soldiers had the family name, Weeks. Loring says it is nice to think that the quilt may have been carefully crafted with someone special in mind.

Another clue may also point in this direction. Loring says one of the squares features the short phrase, “When this you see, remember me,” and the signatory is Hannah Blackwell. “It’s a personal touch that means, to me, that it was someone she knew,” Loring says.

Sicchio, however, says the theories about the Weeks square have not been substantiated. “It could very well have been made for a specific soldier,” she says, “but I’ve never found the smoking gun, so for now it is just speculation.”