West Harford Slipware that Retains Some History of Ownership at the Circa 1764 Thomas Griswold House in Guilford, CT

In a story I posted a few days ago, I wrote, "While working on my sixth book this week due out next year, titled, A City of the River: The Early Red Earthenware of the Hartford, Connecticut Area, it kind of dawned on me that I am surprised it is not widely known nor is it cited much that the history of the Nathaniel Seymour (1763-1849) Pottery in West Hartford is rather well documented in Albert Hastings Pitkin's (1852-1917) book from 1918, Early American Folk Pottery. In that book, Pitkin documents his interview and first hand-account with Seymour's grandson Major Frederick Seymour (1819-1903), who was also an employee at the pottery. In this interview, Pitkin documents the entire production process, such as how often the kiln was fired (50 times per year), the size of the kiln, the number of potters, among other aspects of the business. He also documents that the Seymours were not the only ones producing slipware in Hartford during this period, which is somewhat misunderstood today."

Nonetheless, I have always been curious to learn about the forms of slipware manufactured at the Seymour Pottery; for example, I know about pitchers, porringers, a possible chamber pot, a flask, various forms of jars, dishes and milk pans. But until recently, I had never seen a slip decorated red earthenware jug until I learned about this example owned by the circa 1764 Thomas Griswold House and the Guilford Keeping Society in Guilford, Connecticut.

The classic New England saltbox house was built by Thomas Griswold III (1708-1784) circa 1764 for two of his sons, John (1741-1777) and Ezra (1753-1814) on land that had been in the Griswold family since Thomas Griswold II (1673-1729) moved about forty-five miles south from Wethersfield, Connecticut in 1695. Wethersfield is also located right next to Hartford. 

I am now trying to determine if this jug has any direct relationship to the Griswold family during the circa 1790-1825 period. Interestingly though, the Griswold family dates all the way back to living in Wethersfield (and the Hartford area) during the first half of the 1600s.

Note: For more information about Pitkin, I recommend a research story I wrote for the April 19, 2019 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Albert Hastings Pitkin Collection.

1) Pitkin Story Page 1

2) Pitkin Story Page 2

West Harford Slipware and the Circa 1764 Thomas Griswold House in Guilford, CT

The Circa 1764 Thomas Griswold House in Guilford, CT

The Jug Shown Below Retains Some History of Ownership in this House

See Article for More Information

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jug

Attributed to the Nathaniel Seymour Pottery in West Hartford, CT

Circa 1790-1825

The Jug Shown Some History of Ownership in the Circa 1764 Thomas Griswold House

See Article for More Information

Photos Courtesy: Guilford Keeping Society

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