Patty Coggeshall is thought to have attended the Bristol school run by Anne Bowman Usher, which existed from 1774 to 1793. The school was highly respected and attracted day students from prosperous Bristol families as well as children from well-to-do Providence families who were sent to board with the Ushers. Samplers made at Mrs. Usher's school can be identified by their distinctive black background stitching, the figure of a musician playing a flute, and a long-tailed bird in flight.

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