 |
| 1915 Friendship Quilt Created by Nellie Lyons Massera, Monterey County, California © Teresa L. Fraser 2011 |
Last summer I traveled from the San Francisco area to San Benito County to meet a 92-year-old woman who actually remembers my great grandfather, Vincenzo Lawrence Massera (1870-1962). [[1]-[2]] She also has a quilt dated Nov. 9, 1915 made by my great grandmother, Nellie Olive Lyons Massera (1886-1928). [[3]-[4]] It was given to her mother years ago. Click on the photo above to see a variety of decorative embroidery stitches my great grandmother used to piece together this friendship quilt.
After driving 80 miles through a patchwork
of fields of California crops, I parked my car next to an old red barn and
walked through a cottage garden
of beautiful pansies, hot pink peonies and roses. Her garden reminded me of
Monet’s impressionist paintings I saw in Paris.
After she offered me a cup of steaming English
tea and plate of sugar cookies, she shared stories and pictures of my great
grandfather. She said she remembered my great grandfather “Vic” because he used
to give her silver dollars when he came to visit her parents. Apparently, that
was a lot of money during the Depression.
Then, she showed me the quilt my great
grandmother made for her mother. I thought it looked like a Crazy Quilt, with
an array of different fabrics and colors, pieced together with decorative
stitching. It was approximately 54” X 90” and was in great condition for nearly
100 years old. Seeing and touching my great grandmother’s quilt made me feel
close to her. It gave me an appreciation of her quilting skills, creativity and
persistence in finishing this quilt. I was proud of her.
[1] 1900 U.S.
census, Monterey County, California, population schedule, Gonzales Township, p.
206 (stamped), enumeration district
(ED) 6, sheet 12-A, dwelling 258, family 267, V. Messera [Vincent Massera]; digital image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2012) citing NARA microfilm
publication T623, roll 94.
[2] Monterey
County, California, death certificate no. 914, Vincenzo Massera; County
Clerk-Recorder’s Office, Salinas.
[3] 1900 U.S.
census, Monterey County, California, population schedule, Castroville Township,
p. 175 A (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 4, sheet 9-A, dwelling 157,
family 157, Nellie O. Lyons, digital image, Ancestry.com
(http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 May 2012) citing NARA microfilm
publication T623, roll 94.
[4] “Mrs.
Massera’s Funeral Set For Monday Morning,” Society Section, Salinas
Index-Journal, 3 Nov 1928.
