Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1930

Materials

COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Length

56

Width

56

Description

BABY'S MATTRESS PAD COVER. TWO COTTON SHEETS, SEWN TOGETHER ON THREE SIDES. FOURTH SIDE IS OPEN, WITH SMALL OVERLAPPING FLAP WHICH HAS SIX BUTTONS. BOTTOM IS PLAIN WHITE, AND MADE FROM THREE SCRAP PIECES SEWN TOGETHER TO MAKE SQUARE. TOP HAS 9CM BORDERS AROUND ALL SIDES, THREE OF WHICH ARE WHITE WITH GREY STRIPE PATTERN, AND ONE OF WHICH HAS PURPLE AND WHITE CHECKERS. CENTRE HAS PATCHWORK PATTERN MADE FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF FABRIC, MAINLY COLORED BLUE AND WHITE. ONE RED AND TWO GOLD-COLORED PATCHES. COVER IS QUITE WORN AND HAS SEVERAL TEARS ON BOTH SIDES. ALSO HAS SMALL BROWN STAINS THROUGHOUT.

Subjects

BEDDING

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

COVER WAS FITTED WITH WOOLEN MATTRESS INSIDE, AND WAS THEN PLACED ON ANOTHER MATTRESS. SECOND MATTRESS WAS COVERED BY A RUBBER SHEET, WHICH IN TURN WAS COVERED BY AN OLD WOOLEN BLANKET. A SHEET WENT ON TOP OF THAT, WHICH THE BABY SLEPT ON, AND A FINAL WOOLEN QUILT WAS PLACED ON THE BABY. BLANKET WAS USED BY DONOR'S DAUGHTER, ELSIE (KONKIN) MORRIS, WHO CLAIMED THAT "MOTHER TOLD ME I WAS RARELY SICK BECAUSE SHE KEPT ME SO WARM". FOR MORE DONOR HISTORY, SEE P19950067001-GA. DOUKHOBOR ARTIFACT. *UPDATE* IN 2010 NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONTACTED ELSIE MORRIS NEE KONKIN (WHO DONATED THE ARTIFACTS ON BEHALF OF HER MOTHER) IN ORDER TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTROY OF THE OBJECTS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE DOUKHOBORS OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA. SEE BELOW. MORRIS SAID THE MATTRESS COVER WAS ORIGINALLY A QUILT WHICH WAS LATER RE-USED AS A BABY MATTRESS COVER. IT WAS MADE BY HER MOTHER, ELIZABETH (WISHLOW) KONKIN. THE PURPLE GINGHAM AND THE BLUE FABRIC ON THE EDGE OF THE ARTIFACT CAME FROM HER DRESSES. FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING AN APRON DONATED BY ELIZABETH KONKIN. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. ELIZABETH KONKIN AKA ELSIE MORRIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM KONKIN AND ELIZABETH P. KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW). ELSIE WAS MARRIED TO TERRANCE GORDON “TERRY” MORRIS. TERRY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 88 ON OCTOBER 25, 2012. WILLIAM KONKIN PASSED AWAY MARCH 3, 1977 AT THE AGE OF 72. ELIZABETH KONKIN (NEE WISHLOW) WAS BORN IN CANORA, SK ON JANUARY 22, 1907, THE DAUGHTER OF PETER AND ELIZABETH WISHLOW (MAIDEN NAME UNKNOWN). AT THE AGE OF 6 SHE MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT BRILLIANT, BC, THEN LATER HER FAMILY MOVED TO A DOUKHOBOR SETTLEMENT AT SHOULDICE, AB. IT WAS HERE THAT SHE MET AND MARRIED WILLIAM KONKIN. IN 1939, THE COUPLE MOVED TO THE VAUXHALL AREA TO FARM UNTIL THEIR RETIREMENT, AFTER WHICH THEY MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. ELIZABETH PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 93 ON APRIL 8, 2000. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD.

THE KONKINS WERE A RUSSIAN-SPEAKING FAMILY FROM THE TOWN OF SHOULDICE, ALBERTA, NEAR CALGARY. THEY AND MANY OTHER RUSSIAN FAMILIES COMPOSED THAT TOWN'S DOUKHOBOR COLONY. IN 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED FROM A TWO-PART

INTERVIEW WITH KONKIN'S DAUGHTER, ELSIE MORRIS. A FULL HISTORY OF THE KONKIN FAMILY WAS CREATED USING THAT INTERVIEW AND CAN BE FOUND WITH THE RECORD P20160003002.

Catalogue Number

P19950067017

Acquisition Date

1995-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail