Our great grandmother, Catherine Virginia Stotler, was born in West Virginia in 1865, two years after the state was admitted to the union. The oldest of six children, her mother died in childbirth when she was only 8. Her extended family had been divided, like the states themselves, over where their loyalties lay. Those who had supported the Union stayed in the local community, while those who had supported the Confederacy were no longer welcome and moved away.
As the oldest daughter in a large family, and without her mother, Catherine learned to survive and thrive in the hardship following the Civil War. She was a beautiful seamstress - but never owned a ball gown. We are quite sure that we can occasionally feel Catherine peeking over our shoulders, and we want to make sure she likes what she sees.
We hope you like what you see too.
