Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

RACOON FUR COAT

Date Range From

1900

Date Range To

1910

Materials

RACCOON FUR, COTTON, WOOD

No. Pieces

2

Length

89.5

Width

57.0

Description

BROWN RACCOON FUR. HAS A WIDE COLLAR, THAT IS FOLDED DOWN IN BACK, AND TAPERS AT FRONT. ONE SIDE OF FRONT OPENING HAS FIVE LOOPS OF BRAIDED, BLACK CORD AND TWO CYLINDRICAL WOODEN BUTTONS, IN A KNIT BLACK CASING. OTHER SIDE OF COAT HAS THREE LOOPS OF BRAIDED CORD AND FIVE BUTTONS (AS ABOVE). THERE IS ALSO ONE LOOSE BUTTON. INSIDE OF JACKET HAS A DARK BROWN, QUILTED LINING. THERE IS AN INSIDE BREAST POCKET, ON EACH SIDE. BOTTOM BACK OF JACKET IS VENTED. ARMS OF JACKET ARE LINED WITH BROWN AND WHITE STRIPED FABRIC. FABRIC IS WORN AND SEAMS COMING APART IN SOME AREAS.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

JACKET WAS WORN BY DONOR'S GRANDFATHER, NEWTON BUTLER SEWARD, DURING EMIGRATION TO WELLING ALBERTA (POT HOLE AREA) FROM WAYNE COUNTY IOWA, WITH HIS WIFE CORA MAE (NEE MERRICK), THEIR FOUR CHILDREN, AND NEWTON'S BROTHER ALBERT, IN THE EARLY SPRING OF 1911. THE FAMILY WALKED, PULLING POSSESSIONS AND HERDING LIVESTOCK, FROM THEIR ARRIVAL POINT AT THE RAILWAY STATION IN STIRLING, ALBERTA. THE JACKET WAS HANDED DOWN TO NEWTON'S ELDEST SON EARL EBENEZER SEWARD (DONOR'S FATHER), WHO WORE THE COAT FOR MANY YEARS, FOR EXTRA WARMTH, THROUGH FREEZING EARLY MORNINGS AND LATE NIGHTS, THROUGH DUST BOWL WINDS AS HE TILLED THE SOIL OF THE FARM HE OWNED, WITH HIS WIFE (NELLIE MAE), NORTH OF MAGRATH, IN THE 1920S, 30S, AND 40S. SEE P19990072001-GA FOR MORE HISTORY ON FAMILY. SEE ALSO PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING JACKET DONATED BY BEVERLY HAYES. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. NEWTON BUTLER SEWARD PASSED AWAY ON APRIL 24, 1980 AT THE AGE OF 82. HE WAS MARRIED TO CORA MAY SEWARD (NEE MERRICK) IN 1901 IN ALBERTON, IA (ACCORDING TO CORA’S OBITUARY) OR CLINTON CENTRE, IA (ACCORDING TO DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 1932) AND THE COUPLE MOVED TO MAGRATH, AB IN 1911. CORA WAS BORN IN CLEOPATRA, MS. SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 72 IN MAY 1956. EARL EBENEZER SEWARD WAS BORN IN IOWA AND MOVED TO THE MAGRATH DISTRICT WITH HIS PARENTS IN 1911. HE WAS MARRIED TO NELLIE MAE SEWARD (NEE LASH) IN 1926. EARL PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 78 ON OCTOBER 7, 1980. NELLIE WAS BORN IN CORYDON, IA IN 1904, THE DAUGHTER OF GENERAL AND NORA LASH. SHE PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 90 ON NOVEMBER 16, 1994. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

Catalogue Number

P19990072003

Acquisition Date

2000-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail