Maggie Lucille (Gowens) Galloway Friendship Quilt

    My grandmother, Maggie “Lucille” (Gowens) Galloway (1913-2008), referred to this as a "Friendship Quilt." Lucille created and assembled the quilt in Texas between 1932 and 1934. She was just out of High School when she started and finished just after she was married. My grandmother would send each square to family members, who would then hand-embroider their name, date, and location onto the fabric before sending it back to her. After she had all the pieces back, she stitched them together.

My grandmother's "Friendship Quilt"

Provenance:

   After the death of my grandmother in 2008 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, it was handed down to her daughter, Juanita (Galloway) Fallon. Last year (2024) Aunt Juanita gave it to my mother, Faye (Galloway) Hawthorne, during a family reunion.

My mom with the quilt 

The Squares

There are twenty squares: Four across and five down.

In the following descriptions I will number each square left to right, top to bottom.

1.     This is most likely Mary (Jones) Bass, the mother of her sister-in-law, Minnie Bell (Bass) Gowens. Minnie married Lucille’s older brother, Slyvester Bernard Gowens.

2.     Debra Shaw could be a friend. I have found no family connections yet.

3.      Rosa Evelyn Ray is her niece, the daughter of her older ½ sister, Charity Evelyn (Gowens) Ray. But, Rosa would have been 5 years old, so maybe it was completed by her mother?

4.     Mrs. Charlie G. Ray is her older sister, Charity Evelyn (Gowens) Ray. Note: She is also the same person in square #15.

5.     Nadine is her niece. Daughter of her older sister, Stella Vera (Gowens) Perry.

6.     Lena Georgia (Gowens) Perry is her older sister.

7.     Frances Delilah McCallister is her niece. Daughter of her older sister Lena (Gowens) McCallister and Henry Matt McCallister.

8.     Nota Mae (Phariss) is her maternal 1^st. cousin. Daughter of her maternal uncle Joseph William Phariss and Maude Mae Close.

9.     Crystal Elizabeth (Gowens) Reedy is her older sister.

10. Mother is her mother Frances Emily (Phariss) Gowens. I am not sure why it says “Lubbock.” They lived in Crosbyton, which is almost 40 miles east.

11. Cordie Loraine Gowens is her older sister.

12. Lora Eva (Atchison) Gowens is her sister-in-law. The wife of her older brother Clarene Preston Gowens.

13. Maude Mae (Close) Phariss is her aunt-in-law. The wife of her maternal uncle Joseph William Phariss.

14. Minnie Belle (Bass) Gowens is her sister-in-law. The wife of her older brother Sylvester Bernard Gowens.

15. Charity Evelyn (Gowens) Ray is her older sister. The same person as in square #4.

16. Tishe [?] Bass. I have not identified this person yet. There is Theresa (Davis) Bass, wife of Henry Bass, who was living in Crosby County at the time.

17. Virginia Lea Reedy is her niece. Daughter of her older sister Crystal Elizabeth (Gowens) Reedy and Charles Leslie Reedy.

18. Lila Mae Reedy is her niece. Daughter of her older sister Crystal Elizabeth (Gowens) Reedy and Charles Leslie Reedy.

19. Sarah S. (Millican) Perry is the step-mother-in-law of her older sister Stella Vera (Gowens) Perry. Clyde Perry’s step-mother.

20. Juanita Linsly[?] I have not identified. Could be a friend. But, my grandmother’s maternal great-grandmother was Emily (Linsley) Phariss who died in Coleman County, Texas. There may be a connection there.

TOP ROW (L-R)

NEXT ROW (L-R)

NEXT ROW (L-R)

NEXT ROW (L-R)

BOTTOM ROW (L-R)

 

   My grandmother learned how to sew from her mother. She became a seamstress for the rest of her life. She made all the clothes for her children when they were young. After they moved to California in 1942, she worked for several companies, including one in Costa Mesa that only made men's suits. She learned to use the big industrial sewing machines that they had. My mom said she made her a skirt to wear the next day at school all in one night! 

Lucille Gowens and Sammie Galloway - Wedding Day 1933 Scurry Co., Texas

My Colorful Ancestry 9-Year Anniversary

 It was 9 years ago today that I came up with an idea to color-code a 5-generational chart of my ancestors birth places. A viral social media movement ensued and the rest is history. Since then, several genealogy companies now include a form of that idea.

Here is a link to the original blog post that I wrote about it: BLOG POST

I was also recognized by the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) for this concept.

I made a t-shirt too! I wore it to several genealogy conferences over the years.

Since that time period, I thought I could come up with a ‘new’ tool to use, but I am not a coder and my ideas of somehow incorporating maps, time-periods, and people are too complex for me. Better leave that to the experts.

RootsTech 2025 ~ Virtual

This is a quick post to document the classes I attended during the RootsTech 2025 genealogy conference. I attended the conference virtually again this year, which makes this my 10th. time in a row. My only in-person was in 2012, 2013, and 2015.

Each year RootsTech calculates how many relatives you are related to through their FamilySearch Family Tree. This year I have 36,109! I can usually confirm whether they are related to me up to the 4th. cousin range. 

 Classes I attended each day.

 

I am hoping to attend next year’s conference in-person. It would be nice to drive up this time from San Diego and visit some canyon country wilderness areas. We’ll see!