Nathaniel Rochester's Three-Page Hand-Written Will from 1831

There has always been a big question as to who the potter or potters were that worked at Nathaniel Rochester’s (1752-1831) pottery business in West Bloomfield, New York, seeing that he was just the owner. But there has never been an accurate answer to this question, although it does appear that this part of Western New York was an area that some potters trained at before relocating elsewhere in the region, in order to establish their own business. 

One particular potter, Alvin Wilcox (1801-1862) is known to have trained a group of potters at another West Bloomfield business, and at least one of whom relocated to operate some sort of relatively unknown red earthenware pottery to the south of Buffalo in the late 1840s and perhaps in the 1850s.

Furthermore, Rochester’s three-page hand-written will is known today and it will be published in my forthcoming two-volume 900 plus page New York book, whereas his massive networth, farm, pottery business and estate holdings were left to various family members upon his death in 1831. 

Within the will, Rochester mentions his pottery business; he states that it was located next to his farm, but he does not identify the name of any potter. However, he did write that he purchased the land that he used for the red earthenware business from Colonel Asher Saxton (c. 1747-1818), who was apparently quite a land holder in West Bloomfield; for instance, according to the 1802 United States Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, Saxton owned $2,303 worth of West Bloomfield real estate, which must have been quite a bit of land!

Note: It is also worth mentioning that based on the wording in the way Rochester described his pottery business in 1831 (or thereabouts when the will was written) that it would appear that he had already ceased production of the pottery company. Therefore, it is most likely that this company's production dates from the 1820s period and earlier.

Nathaniel Rochester's Three-Page Hand-Written Will from 1831

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar with Likely its Original Lid

Likely Made at the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

Circa 1820s or Earlier

George R. Hamell Collection

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Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum and Science Center 

Page 1 of Nathaniel Rochester's Hand-Written Will

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Page 2 of Nathaniel Rochester's Hand-Written Will

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Page 3 of Nathaniel Rochester's Hand-Written Will

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Rochester Cites His Pottery Business on Page 3

He also Cites that He Bought the Land for the Company from Col. Asher Saxton

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1802 United States Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates

Asher Saxton owned $2,303 worth of West Bloomfield Real Estate

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