The most likely of my quilt ladies to have relatives out that way reported back that no names rang a bell. Again, close names made her think of people she hadn't thought of in years....
I am a big believer in 6 degrees of separation sort of things, and am often amazed at how fast you can connect things once you find that one connection.
There are groups that are only loosely affiliated, my Tuesday group has no name or charter and people at the table have come and gone... most but not all of the ladies belong to an actual "quilt guild", and then they meet with a "quilt group" in a different area as well. You may never find the story behind that particular quilt, other than quilters have come together. I find a joy in my historical connection to those I will never get to meet through our shared form of expression -- but it's always so nice to find out "the rest of the story"!
I don't usually label my quilts... I usually don't even sign them. I do document most of them... every now and then I think maybe it does matter and I should do better but ooo! there goes my attention to the next project.