Tennessee State Museum, Nashville

America W. Parrish (1808-1895) was the daughter of George Washington Parrish and Mary (Polly) R. Richards. Like her parents, she was born in Virginia. The family came to Tennessee about 1824 when America was sixteen. They settled on land near Barfield in Rutherford County. America married John Fleming on Jan. 22, 1835 in Rutherford County. The couple had two children, George David and Mary Elizabeth. After her husband died during the Civil War, America continued to live on the farm with her son George, who did the farming. She died in 1895, but it is not known where she is buried.

America’s sampler is unusual for several reasons. Her choice of a dark ground fabric is unique, as are her silk threads in bright yellow and pink. She may have suffered from a learning disability like dyslexia, since she made many mistakes with her letters. Her signature reads:

Amdrioa.W.Parrirh’s.Sampld
Jund.thd.6.1826