19th c. Metal Linen Fabric Quilt Stamp Cranston Rhode Island Harriet N. Emerson
It is amazing how small items can whisper a story when you listen. From the late 18th c. onwards, New England was overflowing with textile mills. By 1815, Rhode Island had 167 operating textile mills. Cranston was home to the largest mill of them all, “Sprague Print Works”.
This lovely stamp bears the name for Harriet N. Emerson. Born in NH, she made her way to Cranston, RI, where she married William Grinnell. They lived in the region for about 10 years before moving to Worcester, MA. This was either her personal stamp as a seamstress, or used as a way of monogramming her own clothes.
The stamp design features a central harp surrounded by floral motifs.In the middle of the raised design, there is a channel allowing for type to be inserted. A scallop shell thumb screw holds the type in place.
Harriet N. Emerson
Birth: Aug 1822, Washington, Sullivan, NH
Father: John B Emerson (1786 - ) b. MA, farm laborer, shoemaker
Mother: Sally (1792 - ) b. NH
Spouse: William Wright Grinnell (9 Sep 1812 - 23 Dec 1891) s. of James A. Grinnell (1786 - 24 Jan 1841) and Mary Wright (24 Oct 1785 - 19 Nov 1851), b. Jamestown, Newport, RI
Marriage: 17 Oct 1848, Cranston, Providence, RI, by Rev. John W. Colwell
Death: 16 Apr 1904, Fitchburg, Worcester, MA
Home in 1850: Cranston, Providence, RI
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