Sally Fiske 1825

Description

This stunning sampler presents a mystery to the Old Sturbridge Village Museum and to genealogists because they have no record of any Sally Fiske being born at the right date to have worked it in 1825. The Museum, however does have a sampler stitched by Sally’s sister Lydia, in 1825. In their samplers, Sally’s age is given as 10 and Lydia’s as 11, and they both stitch in their samplers that they completed the pieces under the instruction of Miss Lucetta Freeman in Southbridge. The lettering styles in Sally’s and Lydia’s samplers are much alike and both share similar flower basket and tree motifs. Where Lydia’s sampler includes a Family Record (Sally’s birth date is March 6, 1815), Sally’s has a large, impressive house. The samplers are illustrated in New England Samplers to 1849 by Glee Krueger, figures 78 and 79.