Title: The 1929 Kelsey Quilters: The Brave Sisters Who Found a Safe Place to Worship and Raise Families in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Author: Beverly Burnett Hamberlin
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 9798823023191
Pages: 340
Genre: Memoir
Reviewer: Barbara Bamberger Scott

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In this remarkable chronicle, family member Beverly Burnett Hamberlin becomes an enthusiastic, self-educated genealogist and an emotive memoirist, all based around an unusual relic – a handmade quilt created by early ancestors of her religion and relation. Her saga begins when a relative passes away, and she learns from another woman in the family that for years a quilt fabric had been hidden away in the woman’s closet, along with twenty-two separate cloth blocks, each with a star design and a different name embroidered on it. These memory fabrics were sent to Hamberlin, who soon discerned that they had been designed and created by the hands of women, sisters, of an earlier generation who had lived in Kelsey, Texas, since one of the stars was marked “R.S. Kelsey” (Relief Society of Kelsey), indicating the items’ origins.

Hamberlin’s forebears were members of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, known as Mormons; they were harassed and threatened by leaders of more conventional churches forcing them to migrate. The tiny village of Kelsey became their home in the late 1800s; there they could worship as they pleased and sustain peaceful lives. Later, during the Great Depression, they would gradually travel farther west, leaving Kelsey to deteriorate into a ghost town. But while there, Hamberlin’s female forebears created the handstitched artwork that she inherited. Her resolve to delve deeply into the many complex branches of her family tree was based on a genuine wish to ensure that descendants of these bold pilgrims would each receive a square embroidered with the appropriate name.

Hamberlin’s memories and investigations are far-reaching, revealing much not only about the plight of the Mormons as they sought a compatible homeland, but also about life for many American settlers surviving in the country’s wildernesses. Women on whom she focuses were, as children, forced into harsh labors, some suffering dire injuries or chronic illnesses incurable at the time. Some married outside the Mormon faith, with varied outcomes, and a large portion could expect and had to resign themselves to the death of a firstborn child. Each woman’s story is unique and depicted with as much fact as Hamberlin diligently uncovers, while the quilt, the author’s guiding force, becomes a dynamic symbol of female cohesion in the days of yore.

Hamberlin’s search, her dedication to her ancestors, and her high regard for their grit and spiritual drive will fascinate readers, especially women of faith, and doubtless encourage others to take on a similar quest. If you’re inspired by true stories of faith, family, and fierce sisterhood, The 1929 Kelsey Quilters is a must-read. Beverly Burnett Hamberlin captures a beautiful slice of history where courage and community stitched lives together in the heart of Texas.