Great Grandma's Rocking Chair, made by Great Grandpa

I inherited this rocking chair from my Mother. She always said it was her Grandmothers chair and that her grandfather made it. He was a furniture maker in Chicago at the turn of the century and died in 1911. He was born outside Quebec City on the Cote de Beaupre and came from several generations of French Canadian carpenters and furniture makers.
There are screws where the legs attach to the rockers but they appear to be from a later repair. There are no other visible joints or nails/screws. The chair is very sturdy. Obviously the seat has been recovered, I have a vague memory of it being filled with straw when I was a child but I'm not sure.
The back of the chair has four slats and 3 dowels - the slats are not fixed and can spin. Above the slats are wooden balls (because I don't know what to call them) - the center row spins but the top and bottom are fixed.
The carving on the back of the chair I was told is my Great Grandmother. The corn stalks have always confused me and they are either part of the posts as one piece or the joint is very solid and well disguised.
I would like to try and confirm anything about the style, the way it was made and that it's age matches the story I have.