These two quilts were given to me by my mother, Joyce Womack Matthews, who lived in Everett from 1917 until 1979. Like most of my relatives, she attended Garfield Elementary, North Junior High, and graduated from Everett High. She attended the Delta Baptist Church near her childhood home on 1602 Chestnut. Upon her wedding on July 2, 1939, she was presented with these quilts which were made by the ladies’ quilting guild there. The purple one is a double-wedding ring pattern. The pink one is Dresden plate. Both patterns were very popular during the 1930’s. The cotton prints used in them are also typical of quilts of this era. My mother passed the quilts on to me in the 1970’s when she saw that I was interested in quilting and sewing.
My father’s grandmother, Sarah Jane Bailey, came to Everett in 1907, from Home Camp, Pennsylvania. She left when she became a widow and needed to find a new home to support herself and two of her daughters, Nell (my grandmother) and Gertrude. Her older son, Chance, had already moved to Snohomish County and sent for them. Sarah Jane enjoyed crocheting and made several pieces that were passed down to my generation. This cotton coverlet in a snowflake popcorn stitch was one of them. She made it in the 1920’s.
This set of Spode Gainsborough china was a gift to me from my parents upon my wedding in 1978. My mother’s mother, Bertha Womack, originally bought the set. Bertha lived in Everett most of her long life. She was an orphan who left Texas in 1907 to marry my grandfather, Edward Decatur Womack. My grandfather came to Everett from Texas to work on the Great Northern around that time. After he got settled, he sent for my grandmother. Together they raised 4 children, Eva, Ruth, Rex, and my mother, Joyce. My grandmother loved china and collected it. The family would often travel to Vancouver, BC on the train. My aunt explained that my grandfather was eligible for free passes on the railroad, so the family went on many trips. My grandmother especially enjoyed buying china teacups and knick-knacks. My mother passed some of them on to me.
My father, Paul R. Matthews, was born in Everett in 1910 and was raised there. He attended Garfield Elementary and liked to tell me about what it was like during the great flu epidemic. He was often scared to attend school because he lost so many of his friends due to the Spanish influenza. Another memory from his time at Garfield was early release when the Armistice was declared. He was in the first class to attend North Junior High School. He went on to attend Everett High and peddled The Herald with Scoop Jackson. He especially enjoyed woodshop in high school and made several lovely pieces that were passed down to me. He made this chest and 2 plant stands for his mother before he graduated in the class of 1929-1/2.
My grandparents, E.D. and Bertha Womack, were the original owners of this tea service. They entertained friends in a more formal age, when they hosted gatherings in their formal parlor where people dressed up to attend and ladies always wore hats. This tea service is from that era (1948) when fine china cups and Spode dishes were also used. My mother would also loan this service out for church functions such as weddings and special dinners. The last time it was used was for my parents’ (Paul and Joyce Matthews) 50th wedding anniversary celebration at my home in Bellevue in 1989.
My aunt, Ruth Womack Mitchell (who was born in 1911 and raised in Everett) and her husband Nelson Mitchell, were in the entertainment business. They owned and operated the Dog House Tavern on Colby by the B & M grocery store for a few years before moving on to Las Vegas. When entertaining at home, they often used these wine glasses and cordial glasses. They date from the 1940’s.
My parents, Paul and Joyce Matthews, gave me this Olympia manual typewriter in 1965, when I was a sophomore at Everett High. They knew I was likely to write many papers in school and figured I should learn to type. I took to it with ease and typed many of my papers at EHS, to the relief of my teachers. My handwriting was hard to read.
Definition: Depression glass is clear or colored translucent glassware that was distributed free, or at low cost, in the United States around the time of the Great Depression. The Quaker Oats Company, and other food manufacturers and distributors, put a piece of glassware in boxes of food, as an incentive to purchase. Movie theaters and businesses would hand out a piece simply for coming in the door. My grandmothers both collected these pieces, which are still popular today.
Somayaki (Soma ware) is characterized by the blue-green crackling that covers the surface. An apple ash and sumi-kannyu (crackle) glaze is used to achieve this effect. Somaware is known for its double-walled construction. The inner and outer pieces are thrown separately by the potter and allowed to dry and firm for a short period of time. The inner piece is then joined to the outer piece. This design not only keeps the liquid inside hot, but also the outer surface cool, allowing one to easily hold the cup.
My cousin, Josephine Matthews, was born in 1939 and raised in Everett. She graduated from Everett High School in 1957, then went on to graduate from the University of Washington. She bought this sake and tea set in the late 1950’s and used it often. It was one of her nicest and favorite possessions as a young college student living on her own.
If any of my dear relatives read these notes and find a glaring error in the accuracy, I could send the corrections on to Barb, the director. If it is close enough to the truth, let's just keep it the way it is. Larry and I are likely to donate more things to the museum as we proceed with our down-sizing. First, we'll offer the things (mainly furniture) to our usual relatives, then on to the museum.
