The following article was written by Alan Junkins and published in JFA newsletter no. 15, Winter 2006.
Lucy5 Junkins, (Paul4, Alexander3, Alexander2, Robert1), b. 8 Jan 1785, Pepperrellboro, York, ME; d. 18 Jan 1861; m. 24 Apr 1804, Samuel Paine.
What Goes Around Comes Around
The Year - 1798
Two hundred and eight years ago, a thirteen-year old girl by the name of Lucy Junkins was practicing her sewing stitches by making a sampler. Samplers were made of colored silks stitched on wool or linen. The girls often embroidered letters, numerals, quotations, and verses to gain experience with different techniques. Sometimes a girl would add her name, age, and the date the sampler was made.
Lucy was a grt-grt-grandaughter of Robert Junkins, and the ninth child of Captain Paul Junkins. Lucy was born 8 January 1785, 10 days after her father was reported lost at sea. Other than the fact that Lucy married Samuel Paine on the 24th of April in 1804 at Saco, Maine, we know very little of the life of Lucy. She probably put her sampler away in her sewing basket and it was not seen for many years. Lucy died in 1861, but her sampler survived for over five more generations.
Two Hundred Years Later
We don't know exactly were or when it came out of that sewing basket to reveal itself again, but sometime withing the past few years, it was sold at an auction for a few dollars to a gentleman from New Hampshire who collected samplers.
August 2006 - A Chance Meeting in the Garden
On a summer afternoon in August of 2006, Grace Junkins of Rye, New Hampshire was out in her front yard working in her garden. Another woman, out for a walk, stopped to talk to her for a moment. Grace introduced herself and then the other woman introduced herself in return with, "My name is Lynn Beattie and I know that name, Junkins. My brother, who is now in a nursing home, has a sampler with several Junkins' names on it."
The results of this chance meeting of the two women caused Grace to call me a few days later with Lynn's phone number and told me that Lynn wanted this sampler to go to someone who would appreciate it and take proper care of it.
I called Lynn the next day and she told me that she did not have the sampler in her possession at that time but she would have it in a couple of weeks. Her brother was in a nursing home and the sampler was among his things. When she had it she would give me a call and I could see it.
About two weeks later, Lynn called to say that she now had the sampler at her house and would I like to come and see it. I arranged to meet with Lynn the next afternoon. It is about a half to three quarters of an hour's drive from York, Maine to Rye, New Hampshire. Nancy and I arrived at her house about three o'clock in the afternoon and spent about 45 minutes with Lynn and her husband. She agreed to give us the sampler to be placed with the Old York Historical Society on permanent loan in the Junkins Family Scottish Heritage Room. We left with it in our possession.
The next morning I went directly to the Old York Historical Society to meet with Tom Johnson, Curator of the Society. He was totally surprised and awed at the sight of the sampler. It was the first sampler that he had ever seen that had a direct connection with York and a York family. He said that the border of the sampler was a typical design used by the young girls in York during the late 1700s. We discussed the conservation of the sampler and proper framing of it. We both agreed that we knew of the perfect place for it to be hung in the Junkins Family Scottish Heritage Room. That morning, I turned it over to the Society with the understanding that I would be kept informed of the progress of conservation and framing.
The sampler itself is 16-1/2" x 18". It will soon be the centerpiece of the Junkins Family Scottish Heritage Room, taking a place of prominence over the mahogany-paneled and carved mantle of the fireplace.
The text on the sampler is:
CAP PAUL JUNKINS
MARRIED SEPT 10 1769
TO MIS SARAH JORDAN
BIRTH OF THEIR CHELDRE
PAUL JUNKINS B JUNE 17, 1770
RISHWORTH JORDAN
JUNKINS B OCT 4, 1771
SARAH JUNKINS B NOV 18, 1773
ALEXANDER JUNKINS SEPT 14, 1775
HANNAH JUNKINS B OCT 22, 1776
NABBY JUNKINS B SEPT 8, 1778
OLIVE JUNKINS B OCT 25, 1780
ALEXANDER JUNKINS B NOV 2 1782
LUCY JUNKINS B JAN 8 1785
ALEXANDER EC SEP S8 1775
MY FATHER LOST AT SEA
DECEMBER 29 1785
AGE 46
RISHWORTH DEC MAY 18 1792
PETER AND SARAH AYER
MARRIED JAN 19 1798
LUCY JUNKINS HER WORK
AGE 13 YEARS 1798
