Sampler
Maker's Name
Payne, Mary C.
Location
Pleasant Hill, Mercer County, Kentucky
Date Made
c. 1874
Maker's Age
~14 years old, born June 3, 1860
Dimensions
12 x 12 ½ inches
Medium
Cotton on linen with cross stitches; thread count: 51/inch horizontal & 51/inch vertical
Provenance
Made by Mary Catherine Payne. The sampler was a gifted to Shaker Village on June 08, 1975, by Mrs. Lenore Carpenter of Jeffersonville, Indiana, as well as Elwood V. McClellan and Warren E. McClellan, all grandchildren of Mary Catherine Payne.
Description
A marking sampler with six alphabets and numerals and is signed:
Mary C Payne
Born June 3, 1860
According to Lenore Carpenter (Mary Payne's granddaughter), the linen on which the sampler is sewn was made from flax harvested at Shaker Village which was spun in the “sisters shop” at Pleasant Hill. The blue thread of the sampler was dyed blue with indigo or dyes made by the children from walnut hulls and roots that were placed in stone jars by the fireplace. According to Ms. Carpenter, her grandmother said, “…it smelled terrible”.
Mary Catherine Payne was born on June 3, 1860 in Greene County, Arkansas, daughter of Calvin and Susan Payne. According to family tradition, the Payne family, probably destitute, was in route from Mississippi to Indiana after the Civil War when Mr. Payne died. The family sought refuge with the Shakers of Pleasant Hill. This was a common occurrence of the period, and filled the community with people of little conviction for the faith of the Believers.
The Shaker records have little information about the Payne family. Mary Catherine appears to have arrived with her mother, Susan Payne (b. October 13, 1838 in Shelby County, Tennessee) and siblings, Adeline (b. December 16, 1856 in Marshall County, Mississippi ) and Robert E. Lee Payne (b. January 21, 1865 in Knox County, Indiana). There is no further mention of the brother or sister, but Mary and Susan appear in the 1874 Village census: Mary in the Centre family and her mother at the North Lot. They appear to have left Pleasant Hill and returned at least once. On March 1, 1875 Susan left the Shaker Community taking Mary away after her sixteenth birthday removing to South Boston, Washington County, Indiana. Mary wed Marion E. McClellan of South Boston, Indiana on September 30, 1880. Mary had seven children with Marion, three of which survived infancy. Mary’s longtime home, where she lived for fifty four years and where she died on September 18, 1935, was located one mile east of South Boston. Mary died at the age of 75 years, three months and fifteen days according to her obituary. Her funeral was held at 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, September 20 at Conway Methodist Chapel, the oration being delivered by Reverend Ben F. Taylor of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Burial was in Conway Methodist Church Cemetery.
Mary C Payne
Born June 3, 1860
According to Lenore Carpenter (Mary Payne's granddaughter), the linen on which the sampler is sewn was made from flax harvested at Shaker Village which was spun in the “sisters shop” at Pleasant Hill. The blue thread of the sampler was dyed blue with indigo or dyes made by the children from walnut hulls and roots that were placed in stone jars by the fireplace. According to Ms. Carpenter, her grandmother said, “…it smelled terrible”.
Mary Catherine Payne was born on June 3, 1860 in Greene County, Arkansas, daughter of Calvin and Susan Payne. According to family tradition, the Payne family, probably destitute, was in route from Mississippi to Indiana after the Civil War when Mr. Payne died. The family sought refuge with the Shakers of Pleasant Hill. This was a common occurrence of the period, and filled the community with people of little conviction for the faith of the Believers.
The Shaker records have little information about the Payne family. Mary Catherine appears to have arrived with her mother, Susan Payne (b. October 13, 1838 in Shelby County, Tennessee) and siblings, Adeline (b. December 16, 1856 in Marshall County, Mississippi ) and Robert E. Lee Payne (b. January 21, 1865 in Knox County, Indiana). There is no further mention of the brother or sister, but Mary and Susan appear in the 1874 Village census: Mary in the Centre family and her mother at the North Lot. They appear to have left Pleasant Hill and returned at least once. On March 1, 1875 Susan left the Shaker Community taking Mary away after her sixteenth birthday removing to South Boston, Washington County, Indiana. Mary wed Marion E. McClellan of South Boston, Indiana on September 30, 1880. Mary had seven children with Marion, three of which survived infancy. Mary’s longtime home, where she lived for fifty four years and where she died on September 18, 1935, was located one mile east of South Boston. Mary died at the age of 75 years, three months and fifteen days according to her obituary. Her funeral was held at 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, September 20 at Conway Methodist Chapel, the oration being delivered by Reverend Ben F. Taylor of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Burial was in Conway Methodist Church Cemetery.
Owner/History of Owner/Credit Line
Collection of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill
AKS Catalog Number
2019-049
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