Featured Can anyone read this

"Since that time I have this thing in my care"
"This material was 1 dollar a yard"
"Maria L. ______"

That's what I read. (But, of course, I may be wrong.)

Debora

 

Here's a list of early Hannover surnames. The writer's does appear to have a "b" or "l" in it which would make it unusual.

https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~culbert/history/Hanover/hanlists.htm

Debora

 

Or here. German surnames starting with "D." (Of course, the writer may not be of German descendent but many, many Germans settled in the area so not unlikely.)

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:German_surnames#D

Debora

 

Given the connection to Hannover, PA, a good place to start with writer's name is the local historical society. If old settler family, someone may recognize with a glance.

https://hahs.us

Debora

 

This woman an expert in early Pennsylvanian textiles.

https://stellarubin.com/pages/about-stella-rubin

Debora

 

This is a pieced Colonial American bolster cover. You may want to compare dimensions.

Debora

 

I had an uncle named "Duby" wich we pronounced "Doobie" . For some reason I thought it was a German name.

 

I agree that the last name of the writer begins with a D - compare with the known capital Ds of "Died" and "Dollar". "Dubs" is a German surname.

 

That's a tough one. It is a very big topic, with lots of specialized terminology. The field covers the fibers used, methods of processing and spinning, looms and weaving, dyes and other decorative techniques.

You might try starting with The Art of the Loom: Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing Across the World, by Ann Hecht. This provides a good overview of textiles in general, and looks more specifically at the characteristics of several different traditions such as Navaho weaving, west African strip cloth, as well as Indonesian, Guatemalan, Peruvian and others.

The book I have cited in this thread is an excellent example of how technological details can be used to understand and date a particular type of textile, in this case quilts. The author explains the nature and significance or the fibers, types of weave, dyes, printing and other decorative techniques, as well as construction techniques.
The full title is:
Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts. Author: Barbara Brackman.

 

A quick search on ancestry.com and... Dubs/Dubbs is a surname found in Hanover, PA.

Debora

 

From familysearch.org: Maria Louisa Dubs (1844-1933) Buried in Hanover.

Debora

 

Thank you very much I will look into those!

 

That has to be her! Great find, Debora.

Any evidence in ancestry.com of a Catherine Schultz in the Dubs family? I imagine this type of object would be handed down within the family - but the women's surnames would change, of course.

 

That bolster cover looks a lot like my thing! Thank you Debora

 

Think this is original owner.

Debora

 

Interesting that Catharina's mother's name is Maria. Undoubtedly a common name, but would also be consistent with Maria Louisa Dubs being a descendant, perhaps Catharina's daughter.

 

She had no children according to the internet so likely there is some connection between Schulz and Dubs families.

Debora

 

Did Catharina have any siblings, and thus possibly some nieces who might be named after their grandmother?

 

I'm not terribly familiar with German naming patterns but... I believe girls were traditionally christened with a religious name, most often Maria, followed by a second name by which they were called. So a Maria Louisa would be called Louisa within the family.

Debora

 

The staining may be bleeding of the brown dye - a common problem with dark colors in the 19th century that were mordanted with manganese or iron. I see some damage/deterioration in the brown triangles, which is also typical.