Molley Russell's Sampler
date: label: Date made
content: 1776
label: associated dates
content: 1963-11-28
name: label: maker
content: Russell, Molley
notes: label: Description
content: Block upper-case alphabet; letters colored alternately; no "J" or "U." Numbers 1 to 0. These rows, together with rows containing verse, all separated by narrow crossbands, including sawtooth and dentil patterns. Below verse, three wide crossbands: one of flowering plants, birds, and sheep or goats, and two wide geometric bands in patterns that appear often on eastern Massachusetts samplers, especially in Boston area. At bottom of sampler spies, from Canaan, wearing knee-breeches and flared coats, identified by letters "Ja" and "Ca" and flanked by trees, flowering plants, and small birds. Below them, 1 5/8" strip with geometric strawberry vine solidly worked in cross-stitch. Border of geometric flowering vine on top and two sides. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: cross, satin, Algerian eye. THREAD COUNT: warp 38, weft 42/in.<br>
label: Description
content: <B>Inscriptions:</B><br>
label: Description
content: "When Stern Affliction Waves her Rod<br>My heart Confids in the my God<br>When Nature Shrinks Oppresd with woes<br>E en then in thee She finds Repose<br>Affliction flyes and hope returns<br>Her Lamp with brighter Splendor burns<br>Gay Love with all his Chearful Train<br>And Joy And peace are here again<br>
label: Description
content: Molley Ru<i>ff</i>[ss]ell<br>Ad 12 1776"<br>
label: Description
content: <B>Background:</B><br>
label: Description
content: Mary (Molly) was born on June 19, 1765, to Peter and Molly Russell of Bradford, Massachusetts. Her father was a distinguished shipbuilder. She married Ephraim Emery on September 17, 1785. He enlisted as a fifer on April 19, 1775, at the Lexington alarm, and entered the service in William Rogers's Company on April 27, 1775. Ephraim was in the assault on Stony Point and the battle of White Plains. After the war, in 1799, he was appointed captain in the United States Army, 14th Regiment, which was disbanded in 1800. He served successively as captain, brigade major, and inspector in the state militia. The couple had four children—Mary, John, Thomas, and Hannah.
label: Description
content: Mary died on March 3, 1843, in Newbury, Massachusetts.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Haverhill, Bradford
label: associated place
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Lower Merion Township, Rosemont
topic: label: depicted
content: Alphabets
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Samplers
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Fielding Pope Meigs, Jr
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T20239A
label: accession number
content: 246268
label: catalog number
content: T20239.A
objectType: label: Object Name
content: sampler
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silk (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: linen (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: brown (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: blue (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: green (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: pink (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: yellow (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: tan ground (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: embroidery (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 3/4 in x 11 3/4 in; 45.085 cm x 29.845 cm