Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1840

Date Range To

1850

Materials

OAK?, CANE

No. Pieces

1

Height

85.0

Length

36.0

Width

42.0

Description

HANDMADE, ONE OF A SET OF 6. WOVEN CANE SEAT, BRITTLE, DAMAGED. DOWEL FITTED RUNGS- 2 SLATS BACK- ONE REPAIRED. PROBABLY MADE USING PLANE OR SPOKE SHAVE AND SAW TO FORM FRAME SLATS & DOWELLS. FINISH IS DETERIORATED. CHAIR HAS A NUMBER OF CRACKS, GAUGES ALL OVER. NAILS IN BACK OF SLAT LOOK LIKE THEY MAY HAVE BEEN ADDED. WHITE STAIN ON SEAT.

Subjects

FURNITURE

Historical Association

FURNISHINGS

History

SAID TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY ANDERSON SIMON (1819-1905) FOR HIS WIFE LUCINDA (1826-1913). PASSED TO DAUGHTER EPHA BELLE THEN TO HER SON RAY DAVIS (FATHER OF DONOR) ASSUMED TO HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT 1842. *UPDATE* IN 2010 NICOLE HEMBROFF TALKED WITH THE DONOR, DORIS SCHEIBNER, WITH REGARD TO HER DONATIONS. THIS ARTIFACT WAS PART OF A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SEE BELOW. SCHEIBNER RECEIVED THE CHAIR FROM HER FATHER RAY DAVIS. HE TOO HAD INHERITED THE CHAIR FROM PREVIOUS GENERATIONS. THE FAMILY LIVED IN SEDGEWICK, AB SCHEIBNER USED THE CHAIR AS A SMALL CHILD. IT SAT BESIDE HER BED AND ACCORDING TO DORIS, “THAT’S WHERE MY CLOTHES LAY OVER NIGHT. AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED IT WAS JUST PART OF THE FURNITURE. BUT MY FATHER WAS VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT IT AND MADE US HANDLE IT VERY CAREFULLY.” THE CHAIR WAS NEVER USED AT ANY TIME AFTER THAT. “IT WAS TOO FRAIL AND SEEMED TO BE SUCH A SMALL CHAIR. PEOPLE IN THOSE DAYS USED SMALLER CHAIRS.” HER FATHER DIDN’T USE THE CHAIR WHILE IT WAS IN HIS POSSESSION BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS TOO VALUABLE, ALTHOUGH HE DEEMED IT ALRIGHT FOR CHILDREN (DUE TO ITS SIZE). IN HIS LATER YEARS HE LOANED IT TO HIS COUSIN, WILL SIMONS, WHO ALSO LIVED IN SEDGEWICK. WILL FORGOT TO RETURN THE CHAIR AND RAY “WENT OVER IN A GREAT RAGE TO RETRIEVE IT. HE DIDN’T WANT TO LOSE THAT CHAIR. HE WAS VERY PROTECTIVE OF THE CHAIR AND MOTHER DIDN’T LIKE ANYTHING OLD. IF SHE HAD HER WAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT.” DORIS’ FATHER PRIZED ANYTHING FROM IOWA. THOSE ITEMS WERE PRIZED BECAUSE OF DIVISIONS IN THE FAMILY. “HE DIDN’T FEEL THAT HE GOT HIS SHARE OF THE TREASURES THEY HAD.” HER FATHER’S FAMILY HAD COME TO ALBERTA AS HOMESTEADERS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 1904 AND THEY RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1914, “BUT THEY LEFT A LOT OF THINGS IN THE HOUSE FOR MY FATHER.” THE CHAIR WAS AMONG THE ITEMS LEFT BEHIND. HER FATHER WOULD HAVE BEEN 14 WHEN HIS FAMILY CAME UP FROM THE USA. HE WENT TO A LOCAL SCHOOL AND HOMESTEADED. HE SOLD HIS HOMESTEAD AND WENT TO MCTAVISH BUSINESS COLLEGE IN EDMONTON. AFTER THAT HE “WORKED IN A STORE, MARRIED MY MOTHER CHRISTINA JACOBSON (FROM NORWAY), AND HIS PARENTS WENT BACK TO THE STATES TO TAKE OVER THE FARM. HE LIKED FARMING BUT HE WASN’T A STRONG MAN.” WHILE SCHEIBNER DOESN’T KNOW HOW HER PARENTS MET, SHE KNOWS THEY ONLY LIVED TEN MILES APART. DORIS’ MOTHER ALSO CAME WITH HER LARGE FAMILY TO ALBERTA IN 1906 IN ORDER TO HOMESTEAD; CHRISTINA WAS 10 AT THE TIME. SCHEIBNER DOESN’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HER GRANDMOTHER, EPHA BELLE. SHE MENTIONED EPHA BELLE WAS A RED HEAD WHO HAD APPARENTLY INHERITED SOME MONEY FROM HER FATHER. “SHE WAS ABLE TO LOAN THE RURAL COMMUNITY WHERE SHE LIVED IN THE COUNTRY MONEY TO BUILD A LOCAL SCHOOL.” THE SCHOOL WAS NAMED “PARK.” WHEN THE CHAIR WAS NO LONGER IN USE, IT WAS STORED IN AN UPSTAIRS BEDROOM. SHE DONATED THE CHAIR TO THE GALT BECAUSE SHE WAS AFRAID THAT IF SHE LEFT IT SITTING IN HER HOUSE IT WOULD FALL APART AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ITS HISTORY ONCE SHE WAS GONE. SHE WANTED TO PRESERVE IT. SCHEIBNER GREW UP ON A FARM NEAR SEDGWICK, AB. IT WAS A HOMESTEAD. SCHEIBNER SAID, “WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN THE ‘20S AND ‘30S TIMES WERE HARD. WE LIVED OFF FARM (MIXED) PRODUCE. BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW WE WERE ‘POOR’ – WE WERE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.” SHE LEFT TO GO TO SCHOOL IN 1939. SHE WENT TO “NORMAL SCHOOL” IN EDMONTON, AB. SHE WAS A TEACHER AND SHE ATTENDED UNIVERSITY TO IMPROVE HERSELF. SHE GOT MARRIED TO A FARMER – LAWRENCE SCHEIBNER. SHE STOPPED TEACHING AFTER THAT. SHE LIVED AT THE FARM AND HAD FIVE CHILDREN. IN 1975 HER AND HER HUSBAND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. THEY DIDN’T FARM AT THAT TIME, AS HE HAD RETIRED. THEY REMAINED IN LETHBRIDGE FOR THIRTY YEARS BEFORE THEY MOVED TO BROOKS, ALBERTA. SCHEIBNER IS CURRENTLY IN ASSISTED LIVING. LAWRENCE PASSED AWAY IN MARCH OF 2010. THE CHAIR WAS PART OF A DINING SET THAT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY HAD SIX CHAIRS. SCHEIBNER DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A TABLE. THE SET WAS MADE BY ANDERSON SIMON FOR HIS WIFE LUCINDA (DONOR’S GREAT GRANDPARENTS) AFTER THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1841. THEY LIVED IN A FARM HOUSE NEAR POLK CITY (NORTH OF DES MOINES, IOWA). POLK CITY IS NOW PART OF DES MOINES – MOST OF THE AREA IS NOW UNDER AN ARTIFICIAL LAKE. SCHEIBNER THINKS THE CHAIR WAS MADE BECAUSE “THEY WERE POOR FARMERS AND MAYBE THAT WAS THE THING TO DO THEN.” SHE SAID, “IT LOOKED TO ME LIKE IT WAS HAND-CARVED. I DON’T KNOW WHAT WAS USED FOR WEAVING THE SEAT. IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE STRIPS OF BARK.”

Catalogue Number

P19880059010

Acquisition Date

1988-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail