Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1914-07-30
HISTORY OF
MARY'S LITTLE LAMB

am sitting tonight, December 25,
1918, in the Baptist parsonage in tht
town of Sterling, Mass. about forty
miles from Boston. Through about a
foot of snow l went to the barn and
wood shed, which, in part, is made of
the old school house to which Mary e
lamb followed her one day. The
poem, "Mary..Had Little Lamb, =" is
as familiar to many American child
rem as tire letters of the alphabet; and
wish to say there was real Mary
Sawyer who owned lamb and which
went with her to school in the house
which originally stood about two
miles from here, but was later sold,
removed and built into the barn above
mentioned
Mary E, Sawyer was born March
%, 1906, and seven years later twin
lambs were born to eve of her faith
er's flock, but the sheep mother would
only own one of the lambs, so Mary
took the other and mothered it. Some
months later the lamb followed her to
school one day; and before the teacher
came, some of the boys suggested that
Mary put the lamb in her desk, which
she did and the lamb went to sleep.
But later it walked up and kicked and
scrambled out of the desk. This made
all the children laugh, and of course
the teacher had to put the lamb ont,
but she did not scold Mary, only
laughing with her and the other child
rem. The lamb stayed all day and
went home that night never to come
back to school again. But fame await
ed this little sheep Some days later
a young Harvard student, John Rouls-
tone, who was friend of the teacher,
was visiting in the neighborhood and
hearing of the incident, wrote:
Mary had little lamb,
It's fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
1t followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule;
1t made the children laugh and play
To see the lamb in school.
So the teacher turned it out,
But still it fingered near,
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
Mary's lamb only lived two years
and was hooked to death by COW in
her fathers barn. The wool of the
lamb was spun and knitted into stock
ings for Mary by her mother, but these
stockings were never worn, only being
kept for years in memory of the little
lamb. And many years after, when
the Old South Church in Boston was
about to be sold for debt Mary, who
was then a mature woman, with some
other women, got up sale for the
church beneft, The stockings from
the lambs wool were unravelled and
the thread cut into pieces of one yard
in length and each piece wound on
'card, on which Mary wrote her name
and they were sold for twenty five
cents each. Thus the two pairs of
stockings brought two hundred dollors
and the Old South Church was saved
from the sheriff's hammer. The
church was originally built in 1869,
but later was destroyed and rebuilt as
it now stands in 1929. In its pulpit
George Whitfield delivered some of his
stirring messages, and it was also the
first place where religious services
were held commemorating the Declar-
alton of Independence. pass this old
church nearly every week in Boston,
and / notice that the old clock keeps
good time.
The only living schoolmate of Mary
Sawyer is Mr.. r. K. Powers, how is
in his happy old age of 103 years. He
is cousin of Mary and says all the
facts about Mary's lamb are true and
that he was in school that day and
did some of the laughing. Mr.. Pow
ers also remembers when Lafayette
was in America, and heard MIN speak
to the citizens of Sterling as they
gathered around the great patriot on
the village commons.
On yesterday, which was Christmas
Eve, Mrs. Young and visited Mrs.
Abbott, who is now 90 years of age.
She is the next oldest person in this
community and she says that all the
facts about Mary and her
lamb are true, for she heard it from
the school teacher whom she knew
very we'll in after years.
Mary Sawyer married gentleman
by the name of Tyler, and they lived
in Somerville, Mass. She died in
1889 and is buried in Mt. Auburn
cemetery, near Boston, and her tomb
is beside that of the poet Longfellow.
She continued all her life a lover of
and animals, and at her
death, by her will and that of her
husband. who had died before her,
their home WAS turned into play
ground for the children of Somer-
Vile, and is so used until this day. =
Published by request from the Baptist
and Reflector.