The Goldthwaites Family of Potters Working Within 18th and 19th Century South Danvers, Massachusetts

Part 1 - The Osborn Family


"Another family of potters who were settled early in the town (South Danvers, Massachusetts) were the Goldthwaites...(The family is known for working at a number of locations in South Danvers)...It would be tedious to enumerate all of these men, especially in view of the fact that so little of their prodigious output has survived. A few pieces of Danvers pottery may be seen in the rooms of the Peabody Historical Society on Washington Street, while a considerable collection of Essex County ware is on view at the Essex Institute in Salem (now the Peabody Essex Museum). These examples cannot be identified as the work of individual craftsman, but may be considered as partially representative of the industry that once flourished in the locality."

Essex County, Massachusetts Redware Jar - Potter Unknown

Likely Late 18th Century

"It will be noted that no example with slip decoration is in either collection, and, indeed, ware so ornamented seems to be unknown in present-day Peabody." (Lura Woodside Watkins, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, page 66)

Relatively little information is known of the work created by the Goldthwaites family of potters working in early South Danvers, Massachusetts. At least four family members are known to have made a living within the Essex County potters industry of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I do not believe any intact or broken examples of redware have ever been properly attributed to the work of this family. According to Lura Woodside Watkins the family worked on the corner of Main and Holten Streets - and at a number of locations on Lowell Street. I recently visited two of these addresses to only see later construction in its place.

The residence of Daniel Goldthwaites has been replaced by a brick structure - likely an apartment building. A parking lot and mechanics garage now sits atop the home of Nathaniel Goldthwaites. Both of these men were potters. It is not known if either owned a kiln on their property.

 Daniel Goldthwaites Lived on this Property at One Time

19th Century Construction has Replaced the Original Structure

Nathaniel Goldthwaites Lived On This Property at One Time

It has been replaced by a parking lot and a mechanics garage

Another View of the Parking Lot that Sits Atop of Nathaniel Goldthwaites Original Property

There is basically no known pottery to even begin a discussion of the Goldthwaites' work, however, out of pure curiosity, I quickly explored the edge of the property at the back the parking lot and to my surprise - there were early redware sherds. The earth had been disturbed, but the ground was likely original to the property. I doubt it was fill. The trees and bushes were native to the property for a number of years. The trees were likely seedlings in the same area that large trees stood in replace of today.

There was nothing that would lead me to believe this land hand been trucked in at any time. I didn't expect to see anything, but to my surprise - I saw a few examples of eighteenth century redware that included an example which demonstrated slip decoration.

18th Century Slip Decorated Redware Shard

18th Century Redware Rim Shard

Both Found in Peabody, Ma

Watkins wrote that there is no clear evidence suggesting any type of redware illustrating the use of slip decoration known of the early potter's industry in Peabody. While this lone sherd is hardly enough evidence to support any such claim that there was in-fact - a potter or multiple potters working with slip - it is encouraging to see an obvious sherd on the site of where an actual South Danvers potter may have worked. 

Could the Goldthwaites family have worked in slip? It is difficult to say they did, but  - it is still tough to discredit the idea, too. There really is not enough evidence to support either claim. Much more needs to be learned of the area's industry and each potter before any such characteristics are attributed to Essex County. There is information known of the manufacturing styles of the early industry, but there is likely much more still to be discovered.

The Goldthwaites family is known to have been involved with the local Essex County potters industry, but beyond that is a mystery. It can be assumed they made a number of utilitarian wares that are common for the period. The business was located about a mile away from the "Osborn Neighborhood" near the Salem, Massachusetts line.

I know of a river in Danvers, Massachusetts that flows from the Atlantic Ocean where low and high tides are seen. Much of the area's trash was disposed of in this river at earlier times. There is an enormous amount of domestic and likely local redware sherds from various makers seen on the muddy banks. Most appear eighteenth century - with traces of nineteenth century mixed in. 

I recently walked the shores of this river and I found the ensuing slip decorated redware plate with traces of green on top of the yellow. The technique is not a style I have ever seen before. It does not correspond to any of the known styles used in Charlestown, Massachusetts; the Bayley family of Newburyport, Massachusetts or any of the early Connecticut potters who worked in slip. I believe this sherd to be from a local South Danvers area potter. My only proof to support my theory is no evidence in any of the early New England archaeological collections which I have studied - show evidence that this sherd could have been a product of those potters or any related to those industries. That rules out most of New England.

This sherd may prove an important study into the potters craft of early Essex County. What do you think?

Slip Decorated Redware Plate Sherd

Possible Local Manufacturer

Mid to Late 18th Century

Danvers, Ma Shoreline

 Danvers, Ma River

The sherd is large enough that its manufacturing style can be compared to others of the period. I compared the sherd to a pair of slip decorated plates made by Thomas Seymour in eighteenth century Hartford, Connecticut. Each plates' manufacturing styles were very similar. Based on this information - I strongly believe this plate was made by an eighteenth century manufacturer.

Watkins says there is no proof of an industry that produced any type of slip in South Danvers, but that doesn't mean she said there was no slip decoration. Both of these discovered sherds may possibly be actual proof. Could the Goldthwaites family be responsible? Could this be an introductory look into the work of the Goldthwaites? It can be assumed that some of the South Danvers families made similar wares to other businesses in the area - and many of the potters working north and south of South Danvers did in-fact, work with slip. Could that mean that slip may have been made in South Danvers, but possibly on a much lesser level? Could the Goldthwaites be responsible for some it? I think these sherds are open for a variety of discussion and interpretations.

There will be a number of additional reports to follow of the potters industry in South Danvers that include the Kettle family, the Wilson family, the Cook family and a variety of information on the more than one hundred potters who worked in the Peabody, Danvers and the Salem areas of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Stay tuned...