Complex sentence: Mercer proceeded to travel to Boston and later to the textile town of Lowell and recruited 8 young women from Lowell and 2 from the nearby community of Townsend, willing to move to the other side of the country.
Split into simpler sentences: Mercer proceeded to travel to Boston and later to the textile town of Lowell. Mercer recruited 8 young women from Lowell and 2 from the nearby community of Townsend, who were willing to move to the other side of the country.