Eliza H. Yarnell, Teacher

Clinton, Anderson Co.

East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville

Telitha Ann Hill (1825-1906) may have been the second of eight children of William C. Hill and Nancy Worley who were married in 1823 in Rhea County. In the 1840 census the family was living in Anderson Co., where Telitha attended school in Clinton. She stitched her sampler there in 1841 under the tutelage of Eliza H. Yarnell. Telitha married Leroy C. Hudson. In 1850 the Hudson family was living in Wright Co., MO, where Leroy was employed as a clerk of the court. Their only child, Mollie, was born in 1854. Telitha died in 1906 and is buried in St. James Masonic Cemetery. Her daughter, who never married, is buried with her.

Eliza H. Yarnell’s sister, Lemira W. Yarnell, was also a needlework teacher in neighboring Knox County. The samplers worked by their students, Telitha Ann Hill and Elizabeth Jane (Betsy) Armstrong (TSS 046) differ in quality and expertise, reflecting the difference between the two girls, such as access to materials, varying financial means, or urban versus suburban styles.