French, Cornelia (1840-1917)

Biography

Cornelia French was indentured to the Church Family, Mount Lebanon, at the age of two. She attended the Shaker school and learned to weave, knit, sew and work in the kitchen, all work she continued as an adult. In about 1880, she was made a deaconess for the Church Family, and kept journals documenting her work for a number of years; a journal entry in 1881 noted that she led a "rare opportunity for pleasure," at Queechy Lake for a picnic and boat ride. She was also an accomplished basket weaver, and produced a number of outstanding examples of baskets featuring the quatrefoil design.