This story is adapted from a digital exhibit published online by the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.
By Sandra Laws
Jackie Paxton Rose never knew her grandmother, but when her mother passed away in 2018, she inherited a box that would become one of her most cherished possessions. Jackie was born in Greeneville, Tennessee, in 1952. From time to time her mother would open a cedar chest that contained quilts and a black cardboard box that belonged to Mary Helen’s mother, Mollie. A seed was planted.
After graduating from Tusculum College in 1975, Jackie married Glen Rose and moved to Jonesborough. In 1998, that seed planted long ago began to germinate prompting Jackie to take a quilting class with Polly Reed, then owner of Tennessee Quilts. In order to hone her skills and become more proficient, in 2006, Jackie joined the Old Town Quilters Guild in Jonesborough, Tennessee, a forum for sharing patterns, ideas and quilting techniques. After retirement in 2022, as Children’s Director at Jonesborough United Methodist Church, Jackie began quilting in earnest, making 12 to 15 quilts each year, many of which are donated to local charities including Isaiah 117 House and Ronald McDonald House. Now President of the Old Town Quilters Guild, Jackie’s passion is to carry on the tradition of quilting so loved by her grandmother.
Mollie Franklin was born April 10, 1884, to Shadrack “Shad” Franklin and Sarah Elizabeth Gentry Franklin of Big Laurel in Madison County, North Carolina. Shad’s father, Russell Franklin, was shot at his home by a Confederate soldier during the Civil War, when Shad was just a small boy. This left Shad and his siblings to help their mother on the homestead after the war. Shad was the fourth son of six. Eventually the homestead was divided between the six sons. Shad, Sarah, and their children lived in the cabin he built on his portion of the land in Big Laurel, where they raised tobacco and farmed. Life was difficult after the Civil War, but due to hard work and diligence, at the time of his death in 1915, Shad had accumulated 600 acres.
Mollie was the second of eight children. On June 31, 1904, at the age of 19, she married Roscoe Hensley of Marshall, North Carolina. Roscoe attended Tusculum College, and upon graduation he and Mollie operated a store and post office in Carmen, North Carolina. In 1912, the family moved to a farm in Caney Branch, Tennessee. In 1920, the family moved to Tusculum, Tennessee, where Roscoe was a farmer, merchant, and postmaster. He was described as “never slothful, but ever busy, always faithful to put his best energies into the task.” The Hensley’s were good neighbors and parents with a stellar reputation in the Tusculum Community. They were often mentioned in the Greene County newspapers. Roscoe and Mollie raised six children: Emma, Stella, Kenneth, Arnold, Robert Maloy, and Mary Helen. The family attended church services at Roscoe’s beloved alma mater, Tusculum College, in McCormick Hall, where Roscoe was an active steward. The Greeneville Sun described church as Roscoe’s “greatest love which he was ever faithful to attend. He lived a life that was hid with God, brave, cheerful, quiet, and uncomplaining.”
If asked, Mollie would probably say there was nothing extraordinary about her life, but those who appreciate cultural history know that every life is important, has meaning, and contributes to the rich tapestry of the place we now call Appalachia. Tapestry is apropos for Mollie, as she was an avid quilter. It is not known whether Mollie learned to quilt from her mother, or whether she learned on her own.
Molly left behind a story and a legacy of her love of quilting. Her story, for many years, was enclosed in a 16-by-9 inches suitcase or valise. The unassuming black box, made of cardboard, has a leather handle with stainless steel latches. The latches bear the engravings “Joe Dix, NYC” and “H. Fleisig, Inc. New York.” Looking at the box today, it would be easy to miss the historical significance. In the 1930s, cardboard was considered a modern material and lightweight. More people had automobiles and needed something much lighter for traveling than cumbersome and heavy wooden trunks, or steel and leather suitcases. Mollie used this particular box to hold items precious to her. The box is filled with quilt and needlecraft patterns, transfer sheet patterns, tatted lace, and quilt block samples.
There are pieces of Mollie’s story in this box, clues to tasks that occupied her time. During the Great Depression, paper was a precious commodity, and every scrap was saved. Making use of available materials is a well-known trait of Appalachians. The numerous cardboard cutout patterns, often made from cereal boxes, newspaper, Sunday School leaflets, brown paper store bags and batting wrap, have multiple pinholes indicating repeated usage. Many pattern pieces are held together by
straight pins, an indication to Jackie that Mollie was organized and used her time efficiently. While many of the pins are now rusted with age, the patterns have stood the test of time.
Other clues in the box are store brands and available catalogs with popular merchandise of the day. One pattern is traced onto the back of paper with the advertisement “Roscoe Hensley & Co. General Merchandisers.” There are several envelopes from various places holding mail-order patterns. Women often shared patterns in person and through the mail. Mollie has patterns in envelopes addressed to other women.
While it is unknown what sort of quilting society, if any, Mollie participated in, it is well documented that quilting bees and parties were thriving in Greene County in the 1930s. The Greeneville Sun and East Tennessee News reported on quilting events and activities. Ladies’ aid societies, various clubs, local churches, and individuals all reported good attendance, good times, and successful outcomes. These events were usually accompanied by a meal, which could be a picnic, a covered-dish supper, or “schoolgirl lunches.” Shiloh has no record of quilting groups within the church. Perhaps Mollie chose to quilt on her own at home. Regardless, the contents of this box are proof that she definitely knew her way around a needle.
Although her grandmother died when Jackie was only 2, the little black box has brought a connection — through the tradition of quilting — to the woman she never knew. While Jackie’s mother, Mary Helen, treasured this precious heirloom left by her mother, and passed it on to her daughter, she was not able to share her mother’s love of quilting. This inheritance has been passed to Jackie, an avid quilter herself, and helps to close a gap of the unknown.
Jackie began quilting later in life. With every stitch, she is connected to her grandmother. While her reason for quilting is probably different from her grandmother’s — more as an artistic expression than utility — the continuity of the traditional process is both comforting and rewarding. Jackie is honoring her grandmother by working hard to pass on the tradition by teaching others to quilt. She is president of the Old Town Quilters Guild of Jonesborough, an organization that works to keep the art of quilting alive by sharing the tradition.
Each and every precious quilt pattern, precisely cut out and stored in this box, provides a tangible connection between grandmother and granddaughter. The number of mottled pinholes in individual patterns, conveys to Jackie which patterns were her grandmother’s favorite. Mollie placed the straight pins, that have now rusted over time, into carefully measured and cut pattern pieces, never realizing that one day, this would be a precious heirloom and loving link to her granddaughter.
Sandra Laws is an assistant archivist for the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University.
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