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I have a few collectible dolls that were the result of a project
that took ideas from two separate hobbies and brought them together.
It is through the carrying out of this project, and the resulting
one-of-a kind collectible dolls, that I pay some personal tribute to
a just few of my ancestors. Keeping one's heritage in mind serves as
a reminder just how much previous generations gave to make the
United States of America the great nation that it is. I was very
fortunate to have learned about many of my ancestors at a rather
young age. I have spent many years putting together my family
history, both from previously gathered information passed down from
generation to generation, and from my own research. It is from this
hobby that I selected two specific themes.
My surname, being Edwards, leads directly back from United States
to the principality of Wales. My great-great grandparents, John and
Jane Edwards, came from the northern part of Wales, near Bala Lake
in Merionethshire (present-day Gwynedd), to a Welsh settlement in
New York State. They arrived in Holland Patent, NY in 1852, bringing
with them 3 children. Another 7 children were born in NY including
my great grandfather, Thomas, the 9th of the 10 total. I am very
fortunate to have in my possession, both photos of my great-great
grandparents, taken circa the 1890's and some diaries, written in
Welsh, dating in the 1860's. They led a hard life, but maintained
strong family values and a faith in God. Although they passed away
about 50 years before my birth, I feel as though I have had a chance
to get to know them, of sorts, through the items passed down to me.
I have been to the area in which they lived, know what home they
last lived in, and also have visited their gravesites. I hold a very
special feeling and pride about my Welsh ancestry.
Much of my mother's ancestry traces back to colonial New England,
including one who arrived upon the Mayflower. Unlike my relatively
late arriving Welsh ancestors, this side of the family had some
individuals who played an active role in the American Revolution. My
4X great grandfather, Ezekiel Johnson, was one such individual. He
was a Private in Captain John Bradley's company, Colonel Benjamin
Gill's regiment, having enlisted August 14, 1777. His service was
three months and twenty-one days. He marched from Massachusetts to
Manchester, Vermont to join the Northern Army and was a participant
in the Battle of Saratoga, NY. As a member of The National Society
of the Sons of the American Revolution, I have developed a keen
interest in the sacrifices given for the fight for independence and
the establishment of a nation under God.
The second hobby is actually something I became interested in
through the efforts of my wife, Beverly. She is a collector
of dolls, specifically, Lee Middleton Original Dolls. Her
collection of "the dolls that love you back", number in the dozens.
I have collected a few of these dolls myself, the themes of which,
compliment my hobby of genealogy and history.
Since there were no specifically themed dolls available for my
above-mentioned interests, I undertook the project to come up with
some. From research, family notes, and pictures, I had a very good
indication of the specific style of costumes needed. Next came the
coordination of the various components needed to complete the
project.
I needed the dolls themselves. I wanted to try to match hair, eye
color, and perhaps even general facial expression if possible, the
best I could, so I ended up selecting specific Lee Middleton dolls
designed by artist, Reva Schick. My wife and I have developed
a wonderful rapport with Samantha Cross, owner of Samantha's Collectible Dolls
, in Dublin, GA. so I enlisted Samantha's help to furnish me
with my 24" high little toddlers.
Another piece of the project was my desire to utilize the most
authentic material as was possible. I visited a local yard goods
store to obtain the materials for the American Revolution costume.
Then came the quest to obtain the fabric for my Welsh outfits.
Through a series of internet searches, e-mails, and phone calls, I
made contact with Mr. Evans at the Brynkir Woollen Mill, LTD,
located in Golan, Gwynedd, Wales. The folks at Brynkir were very
helpful in fulfilling my request for various colors and patterns of
Welsh yard goods. This particular mill is just a short distance from
where my ancestors had their own sheep farms over 150 years ago.
Since I do not sew at all, nor does my wife to any great extent,
the next step was to find an artist who would create the costumes. I
say create, because there were no patterns, just pictures and ideas.
I was not only looking for someone who had the ability to do the
sewing, I wanted someone who would have the "heart" to embrace such
a project and to actually feel what I envisioned. My research led me
to Laura D. Field, owner of Davina Dawn Sewing
Specialties, located in Penacook, NH . Laura and I worked
back and forth, discussing and getting our hands around the project.
During this planning phase, I knew I had found the right seamstress/artist.
After I received the yard goods, I packaged up the materials and one
of the dolls, which would serve as a model, and sent them to Laura.
Upon seeing the final results, it was clear that her efforts far
exceeded my expectations.
The results can be seen in the pictures of the final products.
The American Revolution doll, as my ancestor, Ezekiel Johnson would
probably have looked like, fighting for American independence in
Massachusetts and New York during 1777. The Welsh male doll
represents the likeness of my great-great grandfather, John Edwards,
in the late 1800's. And, the two Welsh female dolls, one
representing the likeness of my great-great grandmother, Jane, in
her everyday outfit of the late 1800's, and the other showing the
more dressy, traditional Welsh national outfit made popular by Lady
Llanover, the wife of an ironmaster in Gwent. She was very
influential in encouraging the wearing of a 'national' dress, as
part of a conscious revival of Welsh culture during a period when
traditional values were under threat.
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