Williamson County, Tennessee needlework sampler circa 1835, silk on linen, worked by Elizabeth Buford Fleming (1826-1892). Wide floral border enclosing four rows of alphabets rendered in cross, Queen's or four-sided, and eyelet stitches above a signature and possible verse line, with bands of chevron or flame and guilloche below. Later linen mat and frame. 16" x 16 3/4" sight, 23 1/2" x 24" framed. This sampler has been documented by the Tennessee Sampler Survey, TSS 211, and comes with a packet of additional biographical and genealogical information. According to the information provided by the TSS, Elizabeth Fleming was born in 1826 in Williamson County to Samuel P. Fleming (1792-1869) and Jane Thompson (1801-1838). The family lived in District 11 on what is now called Harpeth-Peytonsville Road. She married Richard Ogilvie Kinnard in 1848 and they moved to a farm in Maury County, near Springhill. In 1860 her husband owned land valued at $5,100 and personal property worth $14,600, including 16 slaves. The couple had five children. She is buried in the Kinnard Cemetery in Maury County. Although much of the black thread has disintegrated, including the signature line, its stylistic features such as the wide white floral border tie this sampler to others made in Middle Tennessee and suggest a date of around 1835. (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com.)

Significant black thread loss to 1 alphabet line and the signature and possible verse lines. Couple of spots of light discoloration upper right and lower right, overall even toning to ground fabric and fading.