Thimbles are commonly found on domestic colonial sites and are generally associated with sewing and needlework which, at the time, were gender specific roles for women. Women often had personal relationships with their thimbles and some were personalized with an individual’s initials. These marks, along with thimble material and size, can give us details about a person’s identity, such as gender, age, and specific activity performed. Smaller brass thimbles, such as the one recovered from Lot 52 at Dorchester, are often thought to be associated with young girls. A total of six thimbles have been recovered from various locations across Colonial Dorchester.

Hume, Ivor Noel. 1969. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press. Philadelphia, PA.

Beaudry, Mary C. 2011. “Stitching Women’s Lives: Interpreting the Artifacts of Sewing and Needlework” in Interpreting the Early Modern World, eds. Mary C. Beaudry & James Symonds, Chapter 7.