Caroline Horner

Many praiseworthy samplers were made in various schools, many of them Quaker, in Burlington County, New Jersey in the first three decades of the 19th century. They often feature a great assortment of very appealing motifs – flower branches, floral bouquets, pairs of birds, baskets of fruit and flowers and a lawn with willow trees. Caroline Horner’s sampler is a delightful example and we are pleased to offer it. 

The Horner family in America began with John Horner (1636-1689) of Yorkshire, England who immigrated in 1683 with his wife, Mercy, and their children, arriving in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. Colonial Families of the United States of America: in Which is Given the History, Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies From the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775, by George Norbury Mackenzie (1912), states that, “he was a man of wealth and education, and erected a mansion on his estate.” 

Many generations later, Caroline was born in 1824, the daughter of Quakers John Stockton Horner (1798-1861) and Elizabeth (Deacon) Horner (1798-1872). She would have been 10 years old when she made this sampler. She married William Ewen Bryan (1822-1893) and they had at least three children. Caroline died in 1860 and is buried in Mount Holly, Burlington County. 

Many other published sources include information about the Horner and Bryan families and photocopies are included in the file that accompanies this sampler. 

The sampler is worked in silk on linen and is in excellent condition. It has been conservation mounted and is in its fine, original mahogany frame.