Notes
This spool of thread is part of a sewing kit that belonged to Margaret Henry Gammon (1898–1985), a descendant of Patrick Henry through Henry’s son, John Henry (1796–1868).
The spool and kit were given to the donor, Jane Gammon Shore (1942–living), along with a handwritten note from Margaret Henry Gammon stating that she was gifting her a sewing kit with a golden thimble. Margaret Henry Gammon writes that the thimble belonged to Margaret Anne Henry Miller (1827–1881).
Cotton thread only began to be widely available to hand sewers in the United States and Europe around 1800. By 1820, thread was commonly sold on wooden spools, which were originally designed to be returned for a deposit and refilled. These spools served as convenient storage for thread and were made to fit into special compartments within sewing kits.
Around 1812, brothers James and Patrick Clark established one of the most prominent thread manufacturing businesses in Paisley, Scotland. They were the first to mass-produce thread and sell it internationally, and the Clark family also claims to have created the first wooden spools. By 1864, the company had expanded into the United States, opening a cotton thread mill in New Jersey.
The wooden spools in this sewing kit are likely original to it. Comparable examples can be found in similar kits dated to 1966.
This spool was gifted to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation on October 23, 2024, by Jane Gammon Shore, a descendant of Patrick Henry, through his youngest son, John Henry (1796–1868). She descends through John’s daughter, Margaret Ann Henry Miller (1827–1881), through Margaret’s daughter, Rose Cabell Miller Gammon (1868–1954), and finally to Rose’s son, Dr. William Miller Gammon (1900–1970). Jane Gammon Shore is the daughter of Dr. William Miller Gammon.