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Mamie Lee Bryan

Quiltmaker

  United States    

Blue Ridge Parkway Folklife Project Collection

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Was the maker a woman, man or a group?

Female

When was the quiltmaker born?

1900

If the quiltmaker was married, what was the wedding date.

Ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

African American

Occupation (if retired, former occupation):

Mamie Bryan assumed responsibility for the home, family, and farm while her husband worked away from home.

Quiltmaker's maiden name:

Parks

Spouse's/Spouses' name(s):

Bryan, Leonard

Spouse's/Spouses' ethnic/tribal background:

African American

Spouse's/Spouses' occupation:

Leonard Bryan worked as a coal miner in West Virginia for thirty-two years in a company house and returning home, along with other North Carolina men, every two weeks.

Number of children:

6

Number of female children:

4

Number of male children:

2

Other reasons the quiltmaker makes/made quilts.

Mamie Bryan learned to make quilts from her husband's mother, Alice Goans Bryan. Mamie Bryan made quilts to keep her family warm and because quilting provided a pleasant way to keep busy and productive while her husband was working in West Virginia or out foxhunting at night. At the time of the interview in 1978, Mrs. Bryan had not made quilts for several years because of failing eyesight.

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