Fancy quilts such as this piece were more than utilitarian objects. They were made to be a focal point of beauty in the home and as such were used primarily on special occasions. Mary Ellen Jones was twenty years old when she finished this quilt and considered the accomplishment significant enough to record the event in the family Bible. The family considered the quilt an important heirloom and when they migrated to Oregon it was taken with them. It remained with the family for more than a hundred years before it came to the museum.