Keepsake - Sewing Kit - Idah Bowman Browne

Idah Bowman Browne, my maternal Great-Grandmother made this sewing kit for me. There's a cloth thimble that goes with it. 

When I was growing up, Grandma Idah  lived in Michigan and we lived in Ohio. We didn’t see her very often. One time we were in Arlington Heights, Illinois visiting Gram and Poppie (Harry and Mildred Browne Floyd), when Idah was there. That's when Grandma Idah gave this sewing kit to me.  

Susan's sewing kit

While visiting my Boston sister in October 2013, I noticed she had a similar sewing kit. She thought another grandmother, Florence Clark Holton, made it. My guess is that Grandma Idah made both of them. 

Grandma Idah did a lot of sewing. Mom said said Idah earned money through her sewing after her husband died.  

Idah’s father, John Boman, spelled the family name without the “‘w”. He came to the United States from Germany. Her husband’s family name (and her married name) was sometimes spelled Brown and sometimes with an “e”, Browne. Sometimes Idah was spelled without the "h."

Idah Alice Bowman Browne April 9, 1869 - March 31, 1966

Harry Fulton Browne December 20, 1866 - May 7, 1927

Idah & Harry Browne - If this is their wedding photo, 

it was taken in 1890

Idah in June 1956

June 1956

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-Flowers appliqued on front; fabric "thimble" inside 
-Felt

- 7.5 x 4" closed