Rebecca Brown Needlework Sampler
American, 1809
15 x 18 inches, framed 21 x 24 inches

A sampler with decorative borders, birds, a cat, and floral motifs wrought by Rebecca Brown when she was 10 years old. The central verse reads:

O that the Gracious Lord on high
Would Condescend to hear My cry
His Spirit and his Grace impart
And work Repentance in My heart
Give me to Know my Sins forgiv’n
And Fit me for the Joys of Heaven
That When I see the Judge descend
I in that Judge may See my Friend

The creator of this sampler might be Rebecca Brown (1799-1827) of Franklin County, Tennessee. Rebecca was born on February 22, 1799 to Rev. Aaron Brown (1757-1830) and Elizabeth Melton (1757-1819). She married Christopher Ervin McEwan on February 16, 1850. The had one son, John Brown McEwen (1820-1903). Rebecca predeceased her husband on January 9, 1827 at the age of 27. A portrait of Rebecca is at the Heritage Society of Franklin and Williamson Counties in Tennessee.