Tryphena Burnham Seavey Quilt

Tryphena Burnham Seavey was born July 12, 1823 in Saco, Maine.  She married Ira Calvin Foss on November 1, 1848, just five years after completing her quilt.

 Ira and Tryphena had 6 children, five girls and one boy:
Sarah Jane  1849 - 1874
Martha        1851 - 1874
Olive           1852 - 1871
Ida               1854 - 1919
Ira, Jr.          1856 - 1919
Phebe Tryphena  1864 - 1951

Phebe had a daughter, Tryphena Ida, 1906 - 1999.  It appears that the quilt was passed down through the Tryphena descendants, and was eventually gifted to the Cave Creek Museum where the AQDP was able to document it.

In the 1870 Census, Sarah, Martha, Olive and Ida were listed as working in the local cotton mill.

http://cavecreekmuseum.org/

More can be found at http://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/760/slideshow/410/display?format=list regarding the cotton mills and other local history.


You never know what treasures you will uncover when visiting a museum.  Most museums are willing to share their collections if you give them plenty of notice of what you are interested in seeing. 

There are also lots of opportunities to be part of the Arizona Quilt Documentation Project.  Check out our other posts for more information.  You can also find us on Facebook.  Stop in and say Hi!