Historic 1888 Shaftsbury Signature Quilt

Quilt Block #14 - Quilt Signers:

Ella (Galusha) Burgess

Nellie Jane (Harrington) Corey

Ella Galusha (born Elenora) was a twin daughter of Richard and Mary (Wheelock) Galusha (BLOCK #1 of the quilt). She and her twin Elenor were born 9 June 1862 (they had one birth certificate with both of their names on it). Elenora goes by the name of Ella and her twin goes by Nellie. (The Nellie with whom she shares this block is not her sister.) When the quilt was signed Ella was 26 years old. The twins are also, the sisters of Marcus Galusha (BLOCK #27 of the quilt).

The census of 1870 shows Ella and Nellie (6) living with their parents, Richmond and Mary Galusha (both 40) and their siblings Marcus (14), Martha (10) and brother David who was only 8 months old. The same 1870 census documents Herbert Burgess (6), Ella's future husband, as living in Bennington with his parents, Henry (35), Mary (30) and sisters Harriet (8), Olive (4) and Laura (2). There is also, an Arnold Burgess recorded with no age. One could assume he was a baby brother who had just been born.

Herbert William Burgess was born 2 January 1863 to Henry and Mary (Woodward) Burgess in Pepperell, MA. He was 25 when the quilt was signed. He first marries Flora C. Pratt daughter of Issac and Cornelia M (Blake) Pratt. They married on 10 March 1890 when she was 20. They had two children, both born in Bennington. A son, Urban Pratt Burgess born on 13 April 1891 and a daughter Flora (Burgess) Parker born on 26 November 1892. Flora C. dies 7 September 1893 after only three years of marriage, and the birth of two children, at the age of 24. Her death certificate does not list a cause of death. Their son Urban Pratt (Burgess) Chapin (1891-1969) was adopted by Walter S. and Minnie H. (Poland) Chapin and was raised in Massachusetts. Minnie was a cousin. Urban is buried in Crystal Lake Cemetery in Gardner, MA.

Herbert then marries Ella Galusha on 1 January 1896 when she was 32 years old and he was 33. Their marriage license lists his occupation as Veterinary Surgeon. The Census of 1900 lists Herbert (37) and Ella (37) living at 314 West Main Street in Bennington. His daughter, Flora (7) is also a member of the household. His obituary states he practiced veterinary medicine in Bennington for more than 50 years.

Ella dies first on 3 January 1936 at the age of 73 from cancer. Herbert lives to be 88 and dies 18 August 1951 from pneumonia. Herbert, Ella and Flora C. are all buried in Center Shaftsbury Cemetery. Along with his daughter Flora (Burgess) Parker and her husband, Frank Edward Parker. Ella's twin sister Nellie/Elenor (Galusha) Shaw is buried in Southview Cemetery in North Adams, MA.

Nellie Jane Harrington was born February 1868 to Neuman/Numan Harrington and his second wife Elizabeth Jane Brown.
Numan's first wife, Mary J. (Winslow) Harrington (1833-1866) was born in Whitingham, VT. They had four children before their formal marriage license date of 1864. They may have been handfasted or handbound, which was a common tradition during this nation's early years, when minsters were not readily available. Their children were Edna R. (Harrington) Matteson (1853-1880), Charlotte Amelia (Harrington) Lyons (1855-1946), Clark Stone Harrington (1859-1946) and William Edgar Harrington (1859-1946). Mary J. (Winslow) Harrington passed 15 August 1866 at the age of 33. She is buried in Bennington Village Cemetery. Numan dies 19 March 1895 and is buried there with his wives.

Numan's second wife, Elizabeth Jane Brown, Nellie Jane's mother was also, from Whitingham, Vermont. Their marriage license documents Neuman/Numan as being born in Shaftsbury. They married on 11 April 1867 when Elizabeth Jane was 22 and he was 40. Nellie's grandparents were Abraham and Electa (Galusha) Harrington and Joel and Rhoda (Beeman) Stratton. Abraham and Joel were both soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

Numan and Elizabeth have two more children, Jennie Elizabeth (Harrington) Coulter (1870-1930) and Fred B. Harrington (1874-1950). Nellie's mother Elizabeth Jane died 22 May 1879 at the age of 44 from typhoid pneumonia. Numan was left to raise seven children on his own. The Federal Census of 1870 documents Newman Harrington (46) living in Bennington with Jane (35) and the children from his first marriage; Ednah (17), Charlotte (15), Clark (10) William (8) and his first daughter with Jane, Nellie (2). Another 1870 Census records the household of Nellie's future husband George Corey. George (10) was living in Shaftsbury with his parents Charles Corey (40), Sophia Corey (32) and his sister Julia (8). They have a servant, Jane Mark (25) and her 3 month old daughter were counted in this Census.

Ten years later the Census of 1880 records Newman/Numan (52) living in Bennington with his children Nellie (12), Jennie (12), Frederick (6) and Clarence (4) and Newman's brother William (18). Jane's sister, Martha Brown (30) was part of the household. Jane had died the year before in 1879 so perhaps Martha was helping Newman/Numan with her nieces and nephew.

Another Census of 1880 shows George E. Corey (20) living in Shaftsbury with his parents Charles (50), and Sophia (42) Corey. George was born 19 August 1860. His father, Charles, was a lumberman and farmer. Also, counted in this Census were his siblings Julia P. (17), Martha (8), Bertha (6) and Frederick (4).

When the quilt was signed in 1888 Nellie was 20 years old. She married George Eli Corey about 10 years later on 9 March 1898 when he was 37 and she was 29. The Federal Census of 1900 documents George Eli (39) and Nellie Jane (32) living in Shaftsbury with their first born son, Perle (1). As the winner of the quilt it is unknown as to why she never finished it but one would assume life circumstances may have interefered with its completion.

Unfortunately, George's father, Charles Corey was killed Jan. 26, 1902 after being struck by a train at “Bates Crossing” in South Shaftsbury near the “Marshal Mill”. This awful accident was reported in the Bennington Banner, January 3, 1902 describing in the Victorian Era “Penny Dreadful” style, the horrific details of his death.

Nellie and George have three children in quick succession. Their first son, Perle/Pearl, was born 9 January 1899 d.1969, a second son, Frank was born 6 September 1902 d. 1984 then followed quickly by a daughter Jennie Sophie (Corey) Hewitt 6 December 1903 d. 1975. In looking at a time line of Nellie's young life, she lost her father in 1895, was married in 1898, and had her first child in 1899. She next loses her father-in-law in a horrible accident in 1902, and gives birth to her third child in 1903. Her mother-in-law dies in 1905 at which time Nellie is sent to the Brattleboro Retreat where she dies five years later on 5 April 1910 from nephritis and Insanity. Postpartum and generalized depression is thought to have also been contributing factors to her hospitalization and passing.

The Censuses of 1910 shows George Eli living in Shaftsbury with his sons Perle/Pearl M. (11) and Frank H. (8) as well as George's brother Fred Corey (33). Anna Foster (68) a widowed boarder was helping with his two son. George's occupation is listed as farmer but he was also a Sheriff and was one of the first ones to be notified about his father's train accident in 1902.

Another household from the 1910 Census shows George and Nellie's daughter Jennie/Jenney (6) living with her Aunt Martha (Corey) Elwell (39) and her family, sons Raymond (19), Corwin (19), Fred (11), John (9) and Martha's daughters', Alice (13) and Josephine (11). Two years after that census George died on 23 November 1912 from apoplexy (cerebral hemorrhage or stroke) thus leaving their three children orphaned. Perle would tell family of how he remembered running to fetch the doctor but his father died about a week after his stroke.

The 1920 census shows Perle living on Harwood Hill in Shaftsbury with his appointed guardian, Uncle Fred B. Harrington (45) and Aunt Isa/Iva D. Harrington (42) and cousin Robert (14). Jennie remained with Martha (Corey) Elwell and her family. Both George Eli and Nellie Jane (Harrington) Corey are buried in Shaftsbury Village Cemetery, along with his father and mother, Charles and Sophia Phoebe (Stone) Corey.