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1861 Mary Rockhold Teter's "Stars and Stripes" Quilt

National Museum of American History

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Object Details

Associated Name
Lyon, Nathaniel
Lincoln, Abraham
Butler, Benjamin Franklin
Scott, Winfield
made for
Teter, George
quilter
Teter, Mary Rockhold
Description
In 1940 Eugene Teter donated to the Museum this patriotic quilt made by his great-grandmother in 1861 for his grandfather, a Union soldier from Indiana. Mary Rockhold Teter based her pieced and appliquéd quilt on a design published in the July 1861 issue of Peterson's Magazine , a popular women's periodical published in Philadelphia. She personalized it by quilting the name of her son, George Teter, and the names of Generals Scott and Taylor under whom he served. Also found in the quilting are "Abe "and "Ab Lyncoln," "Genral Lyon," the word "Cat" and the year "1861." There are thirty-four stars appliquéd in the center diamond and the same number appliquéd in the border. They represent the number of states in the Union from July 4, 1861 until July 4, 1863, the Civil War years.
Mary Rockhold was born in Ohio in 1817 and married Thomas E. Teter in 1838. They moved to Indiana in 1846 and had seven children; four daughters died in infancy, three sons attained adulthood. Mary and Thomas were fortunate enough to celebrate their Golden Anniversary in 1888. Mary died in 1897 in Noblesville, Indiana. This "Stars and Stripes" patriotic quilt is a reminder of her devotion to family and country.
"She was of a family of strong, patriotic Revolutionary stock, and inherited a willingness to do and to labor that the country might grow. Her grand-father was Capt. John Rockhold a native of Pennsylvania, who served in the War for Independence. Her father, Joseph Rockhold, moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1800. He was a captain in the War of 1812. This trait of patriotism was one of the strongest in the character of Mrs. Teter. During the late war she showed her great love for the soldier boys in many ways, aiding in every way she could to encourage and help in the country's peril."
(From the obituary of Mary Rockhold-Teter, 1897)
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Eugene A. Teter and Martha Brown Teter
1861
ID Number
TE.T08420
accession number
157340
catalog number
T08420
Object Name
quilt
Object Type
quilts
Physical Description
fabric, cotton (overall material)
thread, cotton (overall material)
filling, cotton (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 86 in x 87 in; 219 cm x 220 cm
Related Publication
Peterson's Magazine
See more items in
Cultural and Community Life: Textiles
Military
Quilts
Textiles
National Museum of American History
subject
Quilting
Patriotic
Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
Civil War
Record ID
nmah_556337
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-c4cd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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