How very fascinating...first to be able to track family, let alone a quilt. In the history it mentioned a plantation..portobello plantation..is it still in existence. Do you have any other things from your ancestors?
Portobello was on Queen's Creek, on the York River side of I-64 as it goes by Williamsburg toward Newport News. The property now is the highly secure government property known as Camp Peery. I had just arranged to receive a guided tour to explore the old home place (used as a training area for special forces apparently at some point) when 911 occurred and the whole Tidewater area shut down tight. I moved back to TX before I could make another try. We do not know the actual boundaries of the original property owned by Thomas's father John Collier. (John, by the way, was a British surgeon who had served in Africa, of all places.)
Jan in VA
Originally Posted by ShirlinAZ
(Post 7544640)
Jan that is a beautiful quilt and a wonderful story. I was most interested in the family provenance. I also have Collier ancestors who were in Surry County VA in the 1700s. Perhaps we are cousins.
I'll really bet we are related!! How cool is that, to meet here rather than thru Ancestry.Com, LOL! I'll look around for the family genealogy book and PM you with the names from the maker of this quilt - her children. There were more than one Collier family in Virginia at this time, though; I had the impression they were all related.
Jan in VA
mjhaess
05-10-2016 04:14 AM
What a wonderful treasure...
rj.neihart
05-10-2016 04:22 AM
Awesome! Donating this was a very very great thing! More generations will see how lovely this is!
snel001
05-10-2016 05:23 AM
What a wonderful part of your family history. Thank you for sharing with us. Now this heirloom quilt is forever protected. What an amazing legacy!
maryellen2u
05-10-2016 05:22 PM
This is so interesting and captivating. Just think all those borders and quilting styles and applique and stitching was done by needle and thread! How amazed little Miss Martha would be to know that we are admiring her work all these years later! I should be so lucky!
nature lover
05-10-2016 06:59 PM
Thank you for sharing the story, pictures and link to museum. Spent a rainy evening looking and reading about some of the wonderful quilts at Williamsburg. What a treasure!
oksewglad
05-11-2016 12:28 PM
A treasure indeed...thank you for sharing...
zozee
05-11-2016 12:56 PM
Marvelous quilt. Just beautiful. I'm not seeing 10 borders. Are some of them the same fabric?
