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Brief description |
Trunk brought to Wrightstown, Wisconsin from New York by Anna Holmes Cleveland, 1836. |
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Object name |
Trunk |
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Date |
1820-1827 |
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Dimensions |
10 ¾"H x 21 ¼"W x 11"D |
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Materials and techniques |
Wood frame covered in leather or bark; Brass tacks |
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Original location |
Probably Harrietstown, Franklin County, New York |
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Current location |
Wrightstown, Brown County, Wisconsin |
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Description |
This small wooden trunk is covered with brittle white leather, birch bark or horsehair fabric and trimmed with leather strips and brass-headed nails. The letters "AC" are formed in nails on the lid and the interior is lined with newspaper pages from the Boston Recorder and Telegraph, dated 1827. |
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History |
This trunk belonged to Anna Holmes Cleveland (1770-1854), mother-in-law of Hoel S. Wright, the founder of Wrightstown, Wisconsin. Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Anna Holmes married Calvin Cleveland of Pawlett, Vermont, in 1800. The couple relocated to Harrietstown, New York in 1823; Calvin died in 1826. Anna Cleveland brought this trunk with her when she moved to Wrightstown in 1836, where she lived with her daughter Orrilla Cleveland Wright and her son-in-law until her death in 1854.
When this trunk was acquired by the Wrightstown Historical Society (in either the 1950s or the 1970s--documentation is not certain), it was discovered to contain personal artifacts from four generations of the Wright family. Along with photographs, jewelry, clothing items, and land records, the trunk contained examples of handmade textiles associated with women in the Wright family: hand-spun and woven towels and a "housewife" made by Anna Cleveland and red-on-white needlework and lace made by her granddaughter, Clarinda Wright Hayward. |
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Sources |
John Berens and Ruth Roebke Berens, "Trunk Illuminates Four Generations of Wright Family" Wrightstown Area Spirit, September 9, 2006 |
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Related objects |
Handwoven linen towel and housewife (fabric sewing case) made by Anna Holmes Cleveland and a pair of pillow shams with redwork embroidery by Clarinda Wright Hayward: http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,462 http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,455 and http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/u?/wda,465 |
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Owner |
Wrightstown Historical Society |
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Rights |
(c) 2007 by the Wrightstown Historical Society. Contact the owner for more information. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/localhistory/directory/viewsociety.asp?id=387 |
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Digital collection |
Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
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Digital identifier |
WR006 |
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Digital format |
image/jpeg |
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Type |
Physical object |
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Keywords |
Trunk (container); Container (receptacle); Furnishings and equipment; Personal Gear |
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Date digitized |
2007-05-09 |
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Date modified |
2010-09-20 |
