Zoe Davidson

A large and beautifully composed sampler, this is signed, “Zoe Davidson Born Feb 19th 1804 / & Wrought this 1817.” The pictorial register along the bottom offers an excellent scene of a folky flower basket flanked by trees, plants and birds on a pale green lawn. The three-sided border is unusually complex, with fruit trees in the upper corners. The use of a great number of tiny Xs and plus signs throughout the border adds an appealing visual energy to the sampler. 

The verse that Zoe stitched in is a stanza from the hymn "When All Thy Mercies, O My God," written by English essayist and poet Joseph Addison (1672-1719), the renowned essayist and poet, in 1712. This hymn was originally part of an essay published as a piece on gratitude for God's blessings.

Born in Windham, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Zoe was the daughter of Deacon William and Jane (Barnet) Davidson. The Davidson family in America began with William Davidson (1670-1757) who emigrated from Ireland in 1728. The History of Windham in New Hampshire 1719-1883, by Leonard A. Morrison (Boston, Massachusetts, 1883) informs us that Zoe’s father, William (1761-1839), was a town selectman for many years, noted as being popular in the town, “pleasant and affable; kind and courteous in his bearing towards others.” He married Jane Barnet (1765-1832) of Londonderry and they had eight children.

Zoe died as a young adult, at age 22 in 1827. She is buried in Old Cemetery On the Plains in Windham. 
Much information is also available on the website, windhamhistory.com. 

The sampler was worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in a burl frame.