Although the Religious Society of Friends originated in England, its adherents migrated afar, taking with them their persuasion of spiritual equality and the importance of nurture over nature as practised through their pioneering educational institutions. The sampler above was worked by Mary B. Randolph in 1829 using silk on linen. Mary Brightwell Fitz Randolph was born in 1813 in Redstone, PA, and stitched this under the direction a Quaker teacher. She was 16 when she completed the sampler: Quakers say an child is in the first year of life at birth so someone in their 17th year is only 16. Mary married Strickler Forry in 1831 and died in 1834 in Redstone. A chartpak for this sampler is on sale at the Benton County Museum Store.
Susanna S. Furman's sampler dated 1831 (collection of Lynne Anderson) displays many motifs typical of samplers stitched under the instruction of Quaker teachers. These include the central wreath with a pair of doves and the various sprays of flowers. The style and border of her Susanna's sampler suggest an affinity with the Quaker samplers and schools of the Delaware River Valley and Burlington County, New Jersey. Although the 1830 census lists multiple Furman families living in Burlington County, no birth, death, or marriage records for a Susanna Furman from this area have been found. To visit the Benton County Historical museum and see more of their samplers and purchase chartpaks, simply click here.
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