"James do you think I could

 have the neighbor women here for a sewing bee a few times this winter?"

"You can have as many as you can fit into our cozy home, and I will take the wagon to get them and bring them home again."

"Wonderful! I will make invitations --" "Whoa! Mary you know maybe half of them can't read."

"Just wait until you see - it won't be a problem. Let's see, I'll ask Selena Martin, and Polly Ann Leach, and Mary Bond and Rhoda Thompson and Mary Williams. Those are all the women in our neighborhood." [You can find their farms on the map below.]

     Government map from 1876 - public domain - Click for Larger Image

Above is an 1876 U.S. Government Survey Map, which I've labeled with the Donation Claims of the 1852 wagon train from Wapallo County, Iowa -- approximately where the farms were located.