Was not uncommon for the slaves to take on the last name of the owners or the name of the plantation. If the name of the plantation was for example "Rose Hill' they may use Hill as their last name.
Originally Posted by
Geri B
Interesting site. Have heard of this group before and have seen some of their work. Very imaginative way of using bits and pieces for quilts. Done originally out of necessity. In the intro it mentions the original slaves worked the Pettway plantation, but in the gallery of photos of identified quilts several bear the sirname Pettway. Was this the norm of the day...to carry the name of the plantation owner? Just a question that popped into my head as I was looking at the pics/names of the makers of them. These quilts have certainly put Gee's Bend on the map!