Box of silk thread skeins
M. Heminway & Sons Silk Co.
Watertown, Connecticut, 1860-1880
1995-1-12
Gift of Nan Heminway

Gen. Merritt Heminway was born in East Haven, Connecticut in 1800. In 1821, he established a merchant business in Watertown, and in 1849, began the manufacture of "sewing silks of all kinds," according to the History of Litchfield County. He was married to Mary Ann Buel of Litchfield, who had attended Sarah Pierce's Female Academy.

This gift of needlework thread complements the museums other Heminway products, which also included sewing thread. The donor's husband, Buel T. Heminway, is a direct descendant of Merritt Heminway.