Susannah Smith sampler, New Maryland, New Brunswick, 1853
Gift of Barbara J. Gill; Fredericton Region Museum, 2009.1.1

The Story of Susannah Smith and Her Teacher

I would be busy like the bee, improving the time that God has given; To escape from wo and fly to heaven.

FREDERICTON – March 6, 2025.

In honour of International Women’s Day, the Fredericton Region Museum is pleased to feature a cross stitch sampler, created by Susannah Smith of New Maryland in 1853, when she was 9 years old. This artefact is significant because of its connection to Canada’s oldest hooked mat, worked by her sister Abigail in 1860, which is now in the collection of the New Brunswick Museum. As Marie-Claude Hébert of the New Brunswick Mat Registry confirms, the Abigail Smith mat “is the earliest site-specific, signed and dated hooked mat in Canada.”

What makes the connection between these two artefacts so significant, is that Abigail’s mat was designed by Susannah. Hence, Susannah’s sampler plays an important role in understanding the design influences for Canada’s oldest hooked mat.

Susannah Smith was born in 1844 and was the first child of Rev Solomon Smith (1808-1880) and Frances Slipp (1818-1863). Her siblings were Elisha (1845 – 1920), Ruth (1847-1929), Abigail (1848-1904), Ludlow (1849-1920), Magdalen (1850-1880), Sarah (born 1855), Mary Ann (born 1856), George (born 1858), and Francis (born 1860). By 1860, her father was a lay minister in the Rusagonis Baptist Church, and the Smith family lived in a home (that is still standing) in Nasonworth.

Susannah’s father,
Rev. Solomon Smith (1808 – 1880)

Rev Smith was ordained in 1870, and soon after helped organise a church at Victoria Settlement in Carleton County; he also ministered for some time at Petitcodiac, but according to author Frederick Burnett “most of his labours were directed towards visiting the weaker of health near his home in Rusagonis.”

Susannah eventually married Sherman Bunker (1853-1896) in Rusagonis, on July 19 1881, and three years later gave birth to twins. Sadly, however, Susannah died during child birth, and her two twin boys (Solomon and George) also died soon after. All three are buried in the Rusagonis Baptist Church Cemetery.

After Susannah’s death, Sherman Bunker married Margaret Phillips (1857-1931). To this marriage were born three children: Charlotte (1886 – 1900), Frederick (1888 – 1971), and Zellan (1893-1965). It is through Frederick that Susannah’s sampler was passed down through generations of the Bunker family, and was eventually donated to the Fredericton Region Museum by Barbara Gill (also an avid needleworker) in 2009.

Lavinia Smith sampler, New Maryland, New Brunswick, c. 1845; Collection of the New Brunswick Museum, 2000.7

But Susannah and Abigail were not alone in their needlework interests. Another sampler, made by their sister Ruth, is said to have also been created in 1854, when Ruth was 8 years old (the whereabouts of this sampler is currently unknown). In addition, Susannah’s cousin, Lavinia Smith (1835-1936) also created a sampler – which is now in the collection of the New Brunswick Museum.

So, to whom can we attribute leadership in teaching these four talented young girls the art of fancy needlework? This credit goes to another Abigail Smith (1818-1861) – sister to Lavinia and cousin to Susannah – who taught in the one-room school house that once stood near the Phillips Road in Nasonworth. We know this, because when Sylvester Earle submitted his School Inspection Return of 1844, he noted that Abigail Smith was instructing her students in academic subjects, as well as fancy and plain needlework. Such sewing techniques were often taught to young girls as a way of instilling feminine virtues such as patience, neatness, and serenity. It also helped to develop their math and language arts skills.

Abigail Smith mat, New Maryland, New Brunswick, 1860; Collection of the New Brunswick Museum, 1944.369

In honour of International Women’s Day (March 8), the Fredericton Region Museum is proud to acknowledge the work of 19th century school teachers like Abigail, who dedicated their professional practise to young people like Susannah, Ruth, Abigail, and Lavinia. Susannah’s needlework stands as a testament to Abigail’s commitment to encouraging her students to be “busy like the bee.”

Cynthia Wallace-Casey, March 7, 2025

Susannah Smith’s cross stitch sampler is currently on display in the Fredericton Region Museum. The museum is open during the winter (Wednesday to Saturday, 1 – 4pm).


For more information, please contact:
Alyona Krasnikova, Executive Director
Fredericton Region Museum www.frederictonregionmuseum.com
Email: frederictonregionmuseum@gmail.com or phone 506-455-6041

The Fredericton Region Museum acknowledges the unceded and unconquered territory of Wəlastəkokewiyik / Wolastoqiyik. The Fredericton Museum, located in Ekwpahak | Fredericton, sits on lands designated by the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1725-1779. These treaties did not deal in the transfer of land, rather they laid a foundation for what was to be an ongoing nation-to-nation relationship between the British Crown and Indigenous Peoples.