Rebecca Sharpless, 1809. #SA001042

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Rebecca Sharpless, 1809

Sampler Archive ID:	SA001042
Maker:	Rebecca Sharpless
Maker Birthplace:	Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Maker Age:	16-18 years
Place Made:	Westtown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
School/Teacher:	Westtown Boarding School
Year Made:	1809
Decade Made:	1800-1809
Owner:	Westtown School
Accession Number:	S.26
Object Credit:	Gift of Lydia G. Allen in 1938.
Contributor:	Westtown School

Physical Characteristics

Object type:

Sampler

Needlework techniques:

Embroidery

Shape:

Wide rectangle

Object Dimensions:

H x W (inches)

Framed Dimensions:

13.70 H x 16.50 W (inches)

Borders:

None

Decorative Bands:

None

Dividing Lines:

Enclosures:

Cartouche
Cartouches: Yes

Text types:

Personal name, Place name, Date, Verse or other block of text, Verse, Maker signature

Text medium:

Stitched

Click to View Text Transcription:

Extract
Let gratitude in acts of goodness flow,
My love to God, in love to man below
Be this my joy, to calm the troubled breast,
Support the weak, and succour the distrest,
Direct the wanderer, dry the widows tear,
The orphan guard, the sinking spirits cheer
Tho' small our power to act, tho' mean our skill,
God sees the heart, he judges by the will

Rebecca Sharpless
Weston 1809

Motifs/Symbols:

Floral and plant, Geometric

Scenes/Pictures:

None

Ground:

Silk

Ground Condition:

Wear:
Cleanliness: stained
Loss: none noted

Thread:

Silk

Thread Colors Front:

Blue, Brown, Green

Thread Condition:

Text: Considerable loss

Other Materials:

None

Stitch Types:

Cross, Satin, Stem

Thread Count:

Vertical:
Horizontal:

Maker History

Sources for the following information may be viewed by clicking on the links."

Sources for unlinked items are coming soon.

Birth Name:	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)
Birthdate:	estimated from age 17 years entered in student register upon entry to Westtown in 1808
Birth Location:	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887) County: Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887) State Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1897)
Death Date:	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)
Death Location:	Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Religion:	She attended Westtown School.
Parents:	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)
	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)	Genealogy of the Sharpless Family Descended from John and Jane Sharples ... compiled by Gilbert Cope (Published for the family under the auspices of the Bi-Centennial Committee, Philadelphia, 1887)
Marriages:

Children:

Previous Owners:	Name: Lydia G. Allen Relation to maker:
Conservation:
Exhibitions:	Title: In Stitches: Unraveling Their Stories Host: Chester County Historical Society Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania Date: Dec. 2011 - Sep. 2012
Literature:	Author(s): Mary Uhl Brooks Title: Threads of Useful Learning: Westtown School Samplers Publication/Publisher: Westtown School Date: 2015

Object Details