Red and Green Group

Cottonwood, Williamson Co.

Tennessee State Museum, Nashville

Sarah Ann Brown (1843 - ?) was the fourth of nine children of Alexander Brown and Charlotte Claud. Her father was a well to do planter and could well afford to send his daughters to private schools. Sarah did not get married until after the Civil War when she wed Norman N. Morton, a merchant and a farmer in Davidson County. She only had one child, Norman Morton, Jr. She died sometime after 1880.

This sampler, with its square format, red and green palette, and wool fibers, is typical of Middle Tennessee samplers. The bold and vibrant colors are slightly faded from the original. Sarah thoughtfully included her parents’ names and birth dates (in orange, at middle left).