Hello, Betty, it was great to hear from you today. It is hard to believe that it was 1969 when we last met you and Garth (at your apartment in Montreal) when Gail and I were heading to Asbestos, Quebec for the one year (mining) project at CJM, with Dana (our daughter).
This is terrific news about the fact that you have the quilt in your care. This is the solid link that we can now collectively point to and admire as the achievement of a remarkable and strong-willed lady, namely, Prudence Stribblehill.
The fact that Kay was the keeper of this treasure for so many years is, in itself, also very important and (if you agree , Betty), I would suggest that we acknowledge Kay as the steward of the quilt still today (even though it is in your safe hands).
The fact that she introduced the quilt to her friends (and shared its historical significance) amongst the quilting community should (and will) also be noted in the web site.
I will suggest to our daughter, Dana Parkinson, (who has started the ardous process of establishing the web site) www.roundthehornin1867.com, that we acknowledge this physical connection to the Orient journal’s author -Prudence, in the form of the quilt, through Kay.
I will also suggest to Dana that we include the Robinson family in the heading (now reads as Parkinson, Becklake families) if you agree, Betty.
What we would like to establish (if at all possible) is how (through which family connection?) Kay came into possession of the quilt. Perhaps she can shed some light on that.
Any names of the relatives that had the quilt (in England) that Kay can recall as holding the quilt (before handing it over to Kay) would certainly be a bonus, for the web site.
We would be pleased to include those names (in England or elsewhere) that were in possession of the quilt at some time on the web site, of course.
Ideally, we would want to trace it back through to the date that Prudence worked on the quilt when she finished her journey (on the Orient) on Sunday Feb. 7th, 1869 in Browershaven, Shonwen Island, Holland.
Copied above is Tim Becklake (Gordon and Vera’s son). I will ask Tim, here, to make sure that Vera gets an opportunity to read this email since it was Vera (still sharp as ever) that was able to give us your coordinates, Betty.
Perhaps (with Tim’s help), Vera can recall if the relatives that gave her and Gordon the journal, (during their trip to England in the early 90’s) may have also been the connection that gave Kay the quilt. It is worth asking, I think.
The information that we have accumulated (in addition to the 18 page journal, by Prudence) to date, Betty, includes:
Copy of a (dated) San Francisco Newspaper (Gail and I dug out in the old archives during a trip to Sacramento, California in the mid 90’s) that gives the dates of arrivals and departures of specific ships (by name, including the Orient) ), including the Captain’s name, which matches exactly the dates referred to by Prudence in her Journal. This information authenticates her journal.
Pictures (from various marine books and accounts from around the world) of the Orient’s Builder and a record of the names of most of the ships that he built on the east coast of the US.
Picture of the shipyard (where the Orient was built) with one of the ships (without masts) on the weighs, just before launching.
Pictures of one of the owners of the Orient.
Pictures of the flag that the Orient flew.
A description (from an early advertisement) of guano (bird excretions) and its benefits as a fertilizer. It was guano that the Orient loaded in Peru and transported to Holland on its last recorded (by Prudence) voyage.
Pictures of sister (three masted, packet) ships of the Orient. We do not have a picture of the Orient yet.
Detailed ledgers of several sailings from New York to London, of the Orient and other similar-sized packet ships including: type of cargo carried, crossing times (in days) compared to the other ships, the name of the Captain (George Stribbelhill);, the name of the owner.
Detailed (2-page) description of the Orient, written in the prose of the day just after she was built including: length, beam;, draught dimensions, 3 main mast dimensions, above deck and below decks detail. There is enough information in this article to build a model of the Orient.
A hand-written account of the minutes of a meeting (in New York) where George Stribblehill is mentioned as one of the directors of an exclusive marine association, which also includes his registration number in the association.
Detailed account of an incident off the coast of France where a French pilot gave the wrong command and the Orient ended up breaking apart on the rocks. Captain Stribbelhill managed to get the ship patched up enough to have it towed back to England where it was completely rebuilt to sail again.
Detailed account of the last months, weeks and days (down to last hours) of the Orient (at this point running as a towed coal barge) after she was caught in a hurricane off the Gulf of Mexico are seen here. Several men were lost at sea (from a tug boat company trying to save the barge). The barge finally sank.
A reference in a periodical of the death of George Stribblehill and the address of the cemetery where he is buried in New York is included.
I believe we have enough information (now that we can include pictures of the quilt, and possibly Kay’s recollections of who she received it from) to put a rather interesting (factual account) web site together.
During the mid 90’s I contacted several maritime museums around the world searching for additional historical information on the ship “The Orient” as well as on Captain Stribbelhill. One of the most interesting connections was with Jim Delgado who (at the time) was the director of the Vancouver Maritme Museum. Jim was very interested in the journal and was very helpfull in digging out a wealth of information on both the ship and the Captain. I asked if he was interested in a copy of the journal and he said “yes, by all means”, so we traded.
For the record, Jim is now one of the key figures in the (TV series on Discovery) The Sea Hunters, which is funded by, and inspired by (for the show), Jim’s business associate, Clive Cussler (the author of many fiction and non-fiction books).
Who knows, perhaps a novel and a blockbuster movie sequel, to follow. I will have to get a hold of Jim when we are ready. I won’t hold my breath, but it is fun to dream, I think.
Dana has done a great job of getting us started (with her uncanny computer skills) but this (web site constructon) is not going to happen overnight since we are all busy. However, the fact that we have the information in our possession is a great first step. The fact that we can now point to the quilt, with pictures, as the physical link back to the journal, is a real bonus.
Thanks once again, Betty, for getting in touch. You mentioned coming through White Rock in late April on the way to visit Kay for her 102nd birthday on May 1., which in itself (her 102nd birthday) is fantastic.
We would love to have you stop by (perhaps for dinner or lunch, if you have time) on your way to Morgan Creek, and on to Salmon Arm.
Tim, stay in touch and let us know what Vera can recall about the possible connection between the keeper of the journal (when Gordon and Vera picked it up in England) and if it was the same family member that passed the quilt onto Kay.
Regards
Hugh Parkinson
Hugh Parkinson to Dana Parkinson (daughter), Gail Parkinson (wife), Tim Becklake (cousin) and Betty and Garth Robinson.
Tags: 1969, astestos, betty, british columbia, browershaven, california, capt, clive cussler, dana parkinson, director, discovery channel, england, france, gail parkinson, garth, george, gulf of mexico, holland, hugh parkinson, hurricane, jim delgado, kay robinson, london, montreal, morgan creek, prudence, quebec, quilt, sacramento, sea hunters, shonwen island, steward, stribble hill, stribblehill, the orient, vancouver maritime museum, white rock
