A memorial needlework wrought by Rachel Willard (1785-1808) Attributed to the Susanna Rowson Academy, Roxbury, MA, circa 1803

Worked with paint and silk threads on a silk ground, inscribed "They are Pure Beings in A Nobler Sphere," and "In Sacred Remembrance of Beriah Willard who died Aug 31th 1801 AE 13 and Catherine Willard who died Sept 10th 1802 AE 6," the eglomise mat inscribed, "Wrought by Rachel Willard," the original frame retains printed paper label of John Doggett, Roxbury, Massachusetts.

17 1/4 in. x 14 in. (sight

Note

Rachel Willard was the daughter of Beriah (1757-1819) and Catherine Wells Willard (1759-1815) of Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts.

She had three siblings, Beriah (1788-1801), Catherine (1796-1802) and David (1790-1855). In 1807, Rachel married Dr. Alpheus Stone but passed away the following year. Rachel's brother David was the only sibling to survive into middle age and have children. His daughter Catherine Willard (1818-1877) married Samuel Dickinson (1803-1862) of Talbot County, Maryland.

Provenance

Probable line of descent in the Willard-Dickinson Family:

Rachel Willard (1785-1808)

David Willard (1790-1855)

Catherine (Willard) Dickinson (1818-1877)

Nancy Maria (Willard) Hovey (1830-1906)

Maria Willard Aiken

From the Estate of Ann Dickinson Dale, Princeton, NJ