The Little Girl Who Saved a Lamb — and Accidentally Made History
We’ve all sung “Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb…” — but few know it’s based on a true story.
In 1815, in the small town of Sterling, Massachusetts, nine-year-old Mary Sawyer discovered a newborn lamb abandoned and dying in her family’s barn. Though her father told her it wouldn’t survive, Mary refused to give up. She wrapped the tiny creature in cloth, held it by the fire all night, and fed it drop by drop until it miraculously regained its strength.
The lamb grew healthy and devoted to her — following her everywhere she went. One morning, when Mary’s mischievous brother dared her to bring it to school, she hid it under her desk. But during class, the lamb bleated, leapt out, and followed her to the front of the room, sending the children into fits of laughter.
Among the amused witnesses was a young visitor named John Roulstone, who later brought Mary a short poem inspired by the event. His verses began with the now-famous lines:
“Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.”
Years later, writer Sarah Josepha Hale published an expanded version in 1830, and it quickly spread across America, becoming one of the most beloved nursery rhymes in history.
But the story didn’t end there. In 1877, Thomas Edison tested his brand-new invention — the phonograph, the world’s first sound recorder — by reciting “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” It became the first human voice ever recorded.
Mary Sawyer lived a long life and, in her later years, revealed herself as the Mary from the poem. She donated yarn spun from her lamb’s wool to raise money for historic preservation, proudly declaring, “I am the Mary. This is my lamb’s wool.”
She died in 1889, but her kindness — and the lamb she refused to let die — live on forever. Today, a statue in Sterling honors the little girl whose compassion inspired a song that changed history.
Moral of the story:
What began as one child’s simple act of mercy became a timeless lesson — that even the smallest kindness can echo through generations and leave a mark on the world.
