The Quilt

For years the finished squares of a quilt have been in my sewing collection. I never had the time, space or energy to finish the quilt. Finally I asked a friend if she would be willing to sew it for me. She has a reputation for creating beautiful quilts. In a weeks time she finished the quilt and then made a small runner with the left over six squares. It is amazing. She purchased a lovely backing fabric and had enough for both. This is truly a gift of love. I am not even sure how I came to have it, but I believe it is from my Great Aunt Anne whose house I helped to prepare for their move to senior housing. It most likely came from my grandfather Olsen's older sister Helen Olsen Erickson who owned a sewing shop in Hillsboro, Oregon. My friend feels the fabrics date from the 1930s to the 1950s and she is amazed how well they have held their colors. This is a serendipity moment for me!

Genealogy Serendipity Moments - Davis/Olsen Family

Today I am going to share a personal story about my great aunt and uncle, Ben Davis and Anne Olsen. She was the younger sister of my grandfather and she was the youngest of seven siblings. All of the children were born on a farm the family owned in Orenco, Oregon. Their parents were John Philip Olsen and Julia Brown, both of Norwegian born parents. As Anne's parents and siblings passed on, she and Ben would collect their important personal belongings, and crowd them into their four-bedroom house. They never had children of their own, but became very close to their nieces and nephews and their children.