Canton Illinois G.A.R. Quilt

Musical score embroidered on a Civil War commemorative quilt

"Hail the grand army! Grand army of the Republic!"

The Illinois State Museum is showing off a new acquisition this year in their Bicentennial and Beyond exhibition, which runs until February 3, 2019.

Embroidered quilt dated 1889,

"Designed and executed by Mrs. C.H. Lingenfelter"

Charity Hedge Lingenfelter (1848-1894) raised money for the Grand Army of the Republic post in  Canton, Illinois with her embroidery.

Canton businesses donated a dollar to be

included on this advertising/fundraising quilt. 

Veterans' names and G.A.R. badges are stitched in the borders

Charity Hedge was born and died in Fulton County, Illinois, southwest of Peoria. 

Canton about 1910

After the Civil War she married veteran Aaron Lingenfelter in 1870 and moved to a farm near Canton when she was in her 20s. They had three children, Ernie, Nernie and Lizzie. 

Aaron served as a private in the 55th Illinois Infantry throughout the war, enlisting as a 20-year-old in 1861. He was severely injured in his shoulder in Bentonville, North Carolina a few weeks before war's end, giving him the dubious distinction of being the last man in his unit to be wounded. The Regimental history published in 1887 mentioned that he remained a "great sufferer from a grave injury." He lived until 1918, however.

Canton's Joe Hooker post of the G.A.R. built a substantial home.

Charity did not live long after completing her fundraiser. She died at 45 years old in 1894.

A 1914 reunion of Union veterans in Princeton, Illinois.

See the Canton G.A.R. quilt at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield. And as a bonus you can see Albert Small's quilt of 120,000 + hexagons, the world's record holder.

Albert Small, 1944

Illinois State Museum

http://www.illinoisstatemuseum.org/content/bicentennial-and-beyond-illinois-legacy-collection

Read more about Charity and her family at these links:

 http://www.illinoisancestors.org/fulton/Obituaries/ObituariesI_M.html#lingenfelteraaron
http://illinoisstatemuseum.tumblr.com/post/169351085019/new-acquisition-gar-fundraising-quilt