A Dress of the Past

This dress was worn by a woman of Southwest Virginia who loved, lived, raised her family and died, all in the same little valley.  She lived during the early 19th century and is buried not far from where she lived her life.  She never travelled more than 15 miles from the area and so the area was her whole life. 

She married a man from the little valley, and this was where they raised their family.  She worked long hard hours for her husband and family, but never complained about that was the life of a woman of Southwest Virginia, and she loved her family very, very much.  The lady's soft tender hands grew rough and callous as the years rolled past without her even realizing it for her days were filled with cooking, gathering, cleaning, washing, sewing, spinning, darning, and other mundane chores which were laden to a woman in that century.  She raised her family in a little, but clean log home (only three very small rooms).  All her children were sons so there was no little girl to teach her many skills to, all to soon the lady's beauty faded as she grew worn and tired.  Her husband had long ago died when she was finally laid to rest by her loving sons.  Their parents' graves were lovingly care for and the sons soon settled into the same way of life as that of their parents. Work from daylight to dark each day just to squeeze out a meager way of life was the way.  The oldest son taught in a mountain school for his father had educated him to read and write, history, and arithmetic just as his father had taught him as it had been taught to him.  The two other sons worked on the fertile creek bottom farm and raised nearly all that the men needed to live.  They grew winter wheat which they harvest in the spring for their flour, corn, beans, tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, beets, melons, cabbages, apples, peaches, pears, nuts for canning and storing, hickory "kane" corn for cornmeal, field corn to feed their livestock such as milk cows (for milk, cream, buttermilk, and butter) goats (meat, milk, cheese), sheep (wools, mutton), fowls (chicken-eggs, turkey-eggs/meat, pigeons-meat, doves-meat, guineas-eggs/meat, ducks-eggs/meat, hogs and pigs (for ham, shoulder, tenderloin, sausage meat).  Most things could be grown on the farm and what they could barter or traded for what they needed that they did not have.  So, the youngest son ended up with a little country store where he could barter and trade for what the family would need.  The brothers never married and one by one they died and were buried beside their parents and brothers in their little valley.  The old farmhouse is no longer there, time has taken the little cabin, but if you happen by the little cemetery stop by to visit their graves and say a little prayer for these long-forgotten souls.

The handmade dress is of the same black and white checked cotton cloth as the apron.  The dress has a white laced collar and white pearl buttons.  All have been sown with a quality short stitch.  The brooch is a silver metal with black rhinestones. The dress has been lovingly preserved through time and is of museum quality.

This oak basket holds the woolen hose and the black and white checked cotton apron worn by the lady.  This is a story of a woman true who lived in a little valley long ago.