Dear Devon,   Surely, you have the two books about Ipswich Lace, by Raffel and by Thompson?  Many people relocated to Maine after the American Revolution, because land was available for cultivation and their's was an agrarian society.  Colonial era families needed a lot of land to support them.  In addition to wood lots for building / heating / cooking, land was cleared of large rocks and tree stumps for pastures / edible crops.  Some early communities decreed that every family raise flax and sheep, so they could be clothed in linen and wool.  Cotton threads came into widespread use later.  Mrs. Elizabeth Lord Lakeman (1767-1861) was not the only lace maker from Ipswich to relocate to Maine.  She had many children (by our standards), and we might imagine her girls also made lace.  Her lace-making mother, Elizabeth Lord, relocated to Maine before Lakeman did (documented in Marta Cotterell Raffel's book).  There were other lace makers in this family - see pg. 90.  Lakeman's great grand-daughters sent family and lace documentation to The Smithsonian along with Lakeman's lace equipment.  People's diaries have been studied, inscriptions on old cemetery stones have been recorded, and much information is available in Maine libraries and historical societies  - in old books and manuscripts.  If you find this period interesting, I recommend the books of historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, especially A Midwife's Tale - which took place in Hallowell  This is about Martha Ballard, who delivered 999 babies in the Hallowell area (1735-1812).  She delivered at least two of Lakeman's sons.  There is also a DVD available, if you search the book title.  My pillow resembles the pillow on the book cover of Marta Cotterell Raffel's - Laces of Ipswich - and on pg. 91. In Karen Thompson's - Old Lace Samples, photo is on pg. 9.  No documentation came with my pillow, which Lori (Lace Fairy) found in Hallowell and sold to me.  She was a Mormon and volunteered a lot of time tracing family genealogies for new members of her church.  The Latter Day Saints church has the most comprehensive genealogy data base - of its kind - in the world.  Lori went to old sections of local burial grounds to verify what was carved on stones.  She also researched the old embroidered samplers in my collection - very successfully - from just a girl's name and a date.  Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center ------------------------- In a message dated 12/9/2017 3:42:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, devonth...@gmail.com writes:
 Not to argue with the general premise that Mrs. Lakeman was entitled to make point ground on a Ipswich pillow. But she must have had two pillows because Jeri acquired hers in Hallowell, Maine. Inquiring minds want to know more about this. It can't be a co-incidence. Devon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
