Mary Ann Hills created this very charming sampler which she finished in 1832, naming Brentwood, New Hampshire. She states that she was born on November 15th, 1820 and preliminary genealogical research shows that her birthplace was in Nottingham, New Hampshire, which is very close by in the southeast corner of the state, directly west of Portsmouth. She was the daughter of Josiah Hills, Jr. and Mary G. Dow who were married on June 6th, 1818. Records show that her father, Josiah died in 1826 when Mary Ann was just a young child of 6 years.
Mary Ann married Orris S. Phelps on January 31, 1850 and conflicting information shows that marriage to have taken place either in Nottingham, NH or Dover, Bureau County, Illinois. For whatever it's worth, records also show that Mary Ann's mother, Mary Dow, died in Princeton, Bureau County, Illinois in 1885. That would indicate a certainty that her mother came to live with Mary Ann in Illinois after her marriage in 1850. At this point, the rest is speculation, but the sampler is definitely of New Hampshire origin.
The sawtooth and diamond border is especially interesting and lush in its presentation. The colors are bright and our samplermaker also shows her needlework skill by working varied lines of stitches to separate the lines of the alphabets that comprise the top half of the sampler. While the sampler is worked in silk on linen, predominately in cross stitch, the border is worked in precisely placed satin stitches which are very stylish and appealing. The bottom third of the sampler depicts several spot motif trees and an emblem of sorts under which the initials MA MH are stitched. Perhaps those of her teacher and her own? Overall, with such a charming border, it is like looking through a window of time.
Sampler Size: 12 1/4" x 17"
R3A145741
