In the early to mid-30s fund raisers for churches were a little different than they are today and seemingly had a personal flair as well.

      At this time, some inovator (possibly a member) of West Union Friends Meeting, east of Monrovia, came up with a very different and intriguing idea for a fund raiser. And from this idea the "Name" quilt became a reality.

      People of the church and community could purchase a "spot" on the quilt for the purpose of having their name embroidered on the quilt. Each block of the quilt contained two names and were sold at a cost of 25 cents per block. Each name cost 10 cents.

      The ladies of the West Union Friends Meeting made the quilt as a fund-raising item.

      In the fall of the year the church group had an event called "Harvest Home" which was also a money-making affair. This sale was either at the old gym or the Legion Hall, which was located above the gym at Monrovia.

      The year 1932 was the 100-year anniversary of the founding of West Union Friends Meeting and this quilt was sold at an auction at the Harvest House event. It was purchased by John and Marcia Van Den Bosch. It has been in the family since that time and is now a treasured item in the home of Billy Mac and Martha (Van Den Bosch) Fisher of Mooresville.

      It is believed, that for conformity, all of the names were written by Sadie Johnson who was Gordon Hadley's mother. And the tedious art of embroidery was likely artfully created by the nimble fingers of Cena Cook, mother of Betty Fields.

      The ladies of the church then assembled and quilted the quilt.

      The quilt is a pale orange and white and has 30 squares that contain two names each. The balance of the names are all single for a total of 459 names to complete the "Name" quilt.

      Many decendants of some of the names that appear on the quilt make up a generous portion of the Monrovia area yet, today.

      The quilt is definitely a historical "one of a kind" item and would be treasured by any number of local residents today for just that reason.

      The quilt is a priceless item of local history and would be treasured by any family member who's name appears on the body of the quilt.

      The Van Den Bosch family name was one of many family names (158 families) that helped to make up this lovely old quilt and is most assuredly a treasure to the Fisher family.

      The 65-year-old quilt has been on display for the past two years at the Monrovia Festival Historical Room and many persons commented as to the uniqueness of the quilt. It has been well taken care of through the years, which adds to its historical value.

      Quilting is an art that has earned its place in history. It dates as far back as 1752 and was very much a part of the Colonial days.

      A sense of idealization derives from the quaint patterns and descriptive names given to some of the unique patterns of each quilt.

      In the old days a quilt was usually given to the newlyweds as a house-warming gift. This gift was highly treasured by all family members, first, because of the warmth it offered on cold winter nights back when houses weren't kept warm around the clock by a furnace. Secondly, it was treasured by the lady of the household because it was a product of the female occupation.

      Some of the old quilts tell a story within the pattern name, such as the Name quilt or the Friendship quilt, which was another variation of the Name quilt, made up of the names of family members who participated in the making of the quilt.

      Other quilts were expressivily named for reasons unknown to the quilters.

      The "Wedding Ring" design is and has been popular for many years, as is the love knot pattern. Some patterns, such as the World's Rose and Dove in the Window pattern seem to have dropped from the list of popularity over the years and newer patterns have been added. The Lone Star is one of the most popular of today's patterns.

      Today you can buy quilt patterns and materials in almost any department store but years ago patterns were made from cutting pieces of paper or cardboard or sometimes a flattened piece of tin into a pattern. Then old items of clothes or flour or feed sack materials were used to cut into quilt pieces and sewn together into a continous pattern to form the quilt. Each piece was hand sewn, not machine sewn. When this was all finished it was placed on a quilting frame and base stitched to a flannel backing with cotton or other filling between. Then it was hand stitched together to form a lovely decorative piece of art to beautify your boudouir.

      I have quilts once pieced by my beloved mother-in-law and my children also have quilts pieced by her in their possession. These, like the "Name Quilt" are family treasures and are treated with love as is the historical "Name" quilt.

      It is always heart warming to know that some people still understand the value of precious historical items and go to so much trouble to preserve these items as Billy Mac and Martha Fisher have practiced in their efforts to preserve and be caretakers of this lovely piece of past Monrovia history.

      Who knows maybe it will be around and on display in 2032, when it will be 100 years old.