Gifford Chairs

 Samuel Kendall Gifford was an apprentice for Edwin Whiting [KWJW-7B9] in the Nauvoo area where he learned to make chairs. Edwin Whiting was also the local branch president who performed the wedding of Samuel to Lora Ann Demille in 1848. She was a granddaughter of Joseph Knight. They initially pioneered in Manti Utah in 1851. By 1865 they moved to Rockville in Southern Utah  and later to Springdale which is surrounded by Zion National Park.

He continued to make chairs and taught some of his sons the same skill. There were some complaints about the quantity and quality of wood available for them to work with. Recently I met via Family Search a third cousin of mine (another 2nd great grandson of Samuel Kendall Gifford) by the name of Bill Fairbanks.  He owns two of the Gifford chairs and today sent me photographs of the chairs. 

Very intriguing ropework.  I think I'll try to match that weaving.  Should be a fun project.

Update from Bill Fairbanks: "The rope weave was done by my father [Merwin Gifford Fairbanks KWC8-L1X]  in the same pattern as the old leather stringing that was taken off of the chairs. He stripped the layers of paint and put the rope weave seat on in the late 1950s.
[The chairs] are mine. I understood that they actually came across the plains."