I found this blanket.

[ney]

I apologize in advance for turning this into the Antiques Road Show, but my Aunt has had a blank that she claims was carried by her great, great grandfather in the Atlanta Campaign. I final convinced her to let me take a photos. The Blanket is in excellent shape, too good of shape for the way it has been stored the past 50 years. I seem to be stuck in my research and was wondering if anyone had some advice. I am hoping to confirm if it even dates to the correct time period. Attached are two photos of the blanket.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: I found this blanket.

Jake,

I have seen somewhat similar blankets before, none identified as having been used during the Civil War, but they appeared to have been from the period. This one appears to be plain woven and in pretty good shape. The condition it's in makes me think that it might be later, but it's hard to say.

Here's what I found about one of seven Wesley Fishers on the CW Database. He may or may not be your ancestor.

Wesley Fisher
Residence Portland, WI
Enlisted 10/22/61 as a corporal.
10/22/61 mustered into Company D, 16th Wisconsin Infantry
7/12/65 mustered out at Louisville, KY
Promoted Sergeant (date not given)
Promoted 1st Sergeant (date not given)
Wounded 7/21/64 at Atlanta, GA

The 16th Wisconsin participated in Shiloh, Corinth, the Vicksburg Campaign, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta Campaign, March to the Sea, the Carolinas Campaign, and Bentonville.

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: I found this blanket.

Wesley Lee Fisher served in the 16th Wisconsin Infantry, Cos. D & E. Enlisted as a Private and mustered out as 1st Sgt.

Get some close up pictures of the selvage (the long edge) of the blanket. No way to disqualify it from these pics.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: I found this blanket.

If I may, from the standpoint of preserving a family artifact, you might wish to remove the safety pin from the material. As it moves, it's going to damage the fabric. Civil War or not, if this is something that your family wants to keep, the less damage done the better.

[tenfed1861]

Re: I found this blanket.

And to adhear to what Bob said,you will also want to keep it unfolded as much as possible.The folds will cause creases which over time will also damage the blanket.You should also think of storing the blanket in an acid free container away from sunlight.The acid will destroy the fibers,and the sunlight will cause the material to fade.If you can document this to your relative,I would personally suggest donating it to either the Atlanta History Center or to the Wisc. State museum.They will be able to preserve it much better that any private citizen can do.Just food for thought.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: I found this blanket.

I use these;

http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/heirloom-storage-box-kits-garment/textile-storage-boxes-archival/

Buy extra tissue and change it periodically.

[Spinster]

Re: I found this blanket.

Your location is Salt Lake. If Aunt is also 'out west' and in a dry, elevated area, the condition of this blanket becomes much more plausible.

Aunt's statement, with any expanded information she knows, could benefit from being more heavily documented, including her and your connection to the family line, name by name, with any other known information (where they lived, occupation, dates).

And yes, go spring for the fancy box. She's gonna hollar when you want to take the blankie out of plastic--I nearly had my Aunts to bury when I ripped stuff out of the cedar chests and went into acid free boxes. It will make a big difference.

Spread the blanket out flat for pictures. We are looking for measurements, end and selvedge finish, and maybe a center seam. I think I'm glimpsing the selvedge in the picture--and I like what I see.

[ney]

Re: I found this blanket.

Thank you all for the preservation advice. The way she stores the blanket makes me absolutely sick. She is not really “right in the head” if you know what I mean and it took me three months to convince her to even show it to me. I will see if I can’t get some better photos.

[cprljohnivey]

Re: I found this blanket.

"And to adhear to what Bob said,you will also want to keep it unfolded as much as possible.The folds will cause creases which over time will also damage the blanket."

Since Blankets are usually large and keeping it unfolded would be cumbersome... would rolling it up rather than folding it and storing it in acid free paper in a proper container be better?

[ScottCross]

Re: I found this blanket.

Since Blankets are usually large and keeping it unfolded would be cumbersome... would rolling it up rather than folding it and storing it in acid free paper in a proper container be better?

Yes, rolling with acid free paper is entirely acceptable, and better than folding in a box. My museum has three original Federal issue blankets, and that is what we have to do.

Jake, does the blanket have a center seam? This would indicate that it was woven on a narrow loom, as many non-military blankets of the time period would have been. These are almost impossible to date, since they made them for such a long period of time.

[CSchneider]

Re: I found this blanket.

http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/16-05.pdf

A quick guide in layman's terms. It deals specifically with flags, but the procedure is generally the same for blankets if you want to roll them.

-Craig Schneider

[Vuhginyuh]

...a can of worms...

Contrary to popular opinion, my old coverlets, quilts and blankets are put to work as much as possible. Some ancient linen sheets are folded neatly in a clothes press. I got tired of storing the stuff only to enjoy it a few minutes at a time here and there. My panes are tinted and the window covers are closed most of the time.

Two wartime bunting flags are loosely rolled in tissue around properly padded archival tubes and hung on dowels in the cedar closet. Everything not in regular use is boxed individually and shelved in that same closet. I'm of the opinion that if a textile is rolled, that it must be hung in that fashion.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: I found this blanket.

http://www.nps.gov/museum/publicatio...gram/16-05.pdf

A quick guide in layman's terms. It deals specifically with flags, but the procedure is generally the same for blankets if you want to roll them.

-Craig Schneider

This is exactly what I was referring to. It posted while I was typing.

B. Garrison Beall