I think it is wonderful that your friend would like to connect with family of one or more of the ladies mentioned. Some of those ladies may still be living and if not this might be a wonderful surprise for a member of their family. Those ladies may well have children and grandchildren who would be pleased to know about the quilt top. Why not write directly to some official of that county and see if they could be of help to you. They may well have a group who would be very pleased to have the opportunity to help your friend. I would think that the public library in that county would be a good place to start. If your friend is unsuccessful in locating family of those named she can always just sit back and enjoy the quilt but if she does nothing she may be unable to experience the joy that might await just around the corner. If the distance is no prohibitive it might make for a fun little road trip to see what information she can gather. Please keep us posted on the search and any results you may find.