The Quilt Arrived

Dear Paula,

It arrived FedEx late yesterday afternoon. I laid it out on our quilt easel last night and it is every bit as fabulous as I had hoped. Thank you so much for letting us show it.

I just looked through the packet of information and photographs you sent with the quilt. This is really wonderful--you've done a terrific job of researching the background of the quilt. There are several Roblees around--and in fact one works at our store.

Who are the three children in the picture (Alice, Richard, and
Archie)? Did Joseph ever marry? It seems like the older woman in two of the pictures is the same one, which would make her Martha Maynard Bruno, according to the note on the back. She looks too old to be his wife--is she his mother? Do you know his birth and death dates? It seems as if I've asked you before (If so, I apologize), but I can't find them in my notes. I
also have a note that when he left the North River Hotel in 1894 he moved to Warrensburgh. What did he do then? I love all the pictures, but will probably use the one of him in his apron because it relates better to the quilt.

The studio photos are great, though....he'd probably rather I used one of them. I particularly like the hand-tinted tintype.

The "heavenly twins" certainly are black women, and it looks like
they have turbans on their heads. Where did you find that they were maids at the hotel? It does seem likely, but it doesn't relate much to the book.  My guess would be that the hotel folk nicknamed the two "heavenly twins" in reference to the book....but it was probably an inside joke we'll really
never know about.

Thanks again--it will have its portrait taken--in detail--today.

Hallie