Norma Jean Campbell, pictured here, with her weavings woven from a Nancy Hanks Lincoln draft now owned by Marian Franklin. This photo was taken at the celebration of the bicentennial of the Lincoln/Hanks marriage (July 2008).

The wool Norma uses in the weavings comes from the sheep she cares for on her property. Norma's daughter, is also a weaver and she and her mother work together.

Norma Jean Campbell has been collecting and making weavings of old and historic quilt patterns, part of her interest in the history and genealogy of the Washington County, Kentucky area where her family has lived for 200 years. (Please scroll down to see more images.)

Nearby is the original Richard Berry family cabin - the same Richard Berry who was the guardian of Nancy Hanks, Abraham Lincoln's mother.

One of her ancestors, Grandfather Hardesty, as a mischievous 8 year old, snuck into the Lincoln-Hanks marriage in 1808. Likely nobody minded very much as he was probably a cousin through his grandmother, Mary Johanna Berry Moody.

The old Hardesty cabin is still standing and lived in. When Grandfather Hardesty was in his 90's, he told of his recollections of the Lincoln's and remembered Abraham Lincoln's birth.

Elizabeth carried the weaving patterns from Washington County Kentucky to Missouri and on to California before her death in 1876.

These weavings by Norma have been accepted into the Historic Lincoln Collection. Some of the weaving was done at the same Berry log house where Nancy probably wove from this same draft.

The wool is also used to make wool sculptures and besides teaching how to make them, she is weaving a Christmas ornament for the Kentucky History Center. For this, she is using a Nancy Hanks pattern she found on the Watts Hays Letters website. Elizabeth Ewing Berry, the author of several letters was a second cousin of Nancy Hanks and Nancy lived with the family while a child.

Norma Campbell felted sculpture created with felting needle.



Norma Campbell sculpture created with felting needle.

A typical counterpin weaving pattern (draft) used by Nancy Hanks Lincoln.
Handed down by Elizabeth Berry Watts to her grandaughter Mary E. Hays Moutrey.

Nancy Hanks' yardstick and two of her weaving drafts, one draft for a coverlet and one for Birdseye table linen.

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