Family Register Sampler (USA)

This family register sampler, ornamented with roses, a willow tree, and multi-hued leaves, was stitched by eleven-year-old Dorcas Arnold Kelly. The family's genealogical information is neatly organized and framed within an arched border, reflecting a neoclassical influence. One section records the marriage and birth dates of Dorcas's parents, and another is entitled "Their Children's Births, Deaths, and Marriages." The section for the three Kelly children was left partially blank for future recordings, but was never completed.

Dorcas was the youngest child of David Kelly, a farmer, and his wife, Amy (née Comstock), of Mendon, Massachusetts. She never married and lived with her father and mother until their deaths in 1860 and 1861, respectively. Dorcas's sister, Eliza, wed in 1827 and had four children, two of whom died in infancy. Her brother, William, married in 1835, and he and his wife had at least one daughter. In 1839, Eliza died at the age of thirty, and, by 1850, her children were living with Dorcas and her parents (presumably after the death of Eliza's husband).

After the deaths of her parents, Dorcas remained in her home county of Worcester and lived as a boarder in various households. Census data from 1880 reveals that she was "maimed, crippled, or otherwise disabled," indicating that her health may have been failing. Dorcas died the following year at the age of sixty-two.

Family Register Sampler (USA); Embroidered by Dorcas A. Kelly, American; silk embroidery on linen foundation; H x W: 49 x 47 cm (19 5/16 x 18 1/2 in.); Bequest of Mrs. Henry E. Coe; 1941-69-70