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We are delighted to present Ann’s sampler stitched when she was 17 years of age. This is late for a girl to work a sampler. We wonder if the sampler had been started years earlier when she attended school, was laid to one side, and eventually finished in 1868. How we wish we could ask Ann.

The style and number of family initials contained within the sampler indicates that the sampler is Scottish. Our research has found Ann in family history records; she was born in 1851 in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Ann’s siblings were William, James, Jane, Mary, Christian, Alexander, Margaret, and Andrew. As there are two sets of initials worked in black thread, we presume that there were two further siblings with the initials AO and GO who had died before the sampler was stitched and prior to the 1861 census return.

There are other initials on the sampler which cannot be linked to Ann’s family, so it is possible that they were her friends.

In family history records Ann was known as Annie. In the 1861 census Annie is noted as a scholar and in the 1871 census as a domestic servant.

Annie married George Fraser, a carpenter.  They lived at Hawthorn Bank, Tanfield Walk, Woodside and had seven children. Woodside was a mill village that was incorporated into the city of Aberdeen in 1891. Tenement blocks were built, and George prospered as a house builder and assurance agent. In the 1901 census return Annie is widowed and is living with her daughter Annie. George had died on April 17, 1896 at only 46 years of age.

We have found a death notice for Annie in an Aberdeen newspaper.

“On February 12, 1940 at 7 St Devenick Terrace, Cults (the residence of her son-in-law, Rev. A. Dickson). Annie Ogston, widow of George Fraser, builder, Woodside, in her 90^th year. Funeral private. No flowers.”

We hope that she had a happy life and was at one with her Lord.

Ann stitched her beautiful sampler with a rich palette of 15 colours. The model was stitched using Soie 100.3 from Au Ver à Soie, and we have included conversions for Soie d’Alger (SDA) and DMC.

The sampler is suitable for needleworkers of all levels of ability. Ann executed her sampler predominantly with cross stitches laid over two threads of linen together with back stitches/double running stitches and satin stitches.

With grateful thanks to The Contented Stitcher who lovingly stitched the model. The two bees stitched on the sampler are the mark (signature) of the model stitcher and are not part of the reproduction.