The history of the Conover surname in New Jersey dates back to the seventeenth century, where Wolfert Garretse Van Couwenhoven immigrated from Holland to New Amsterdam (located in present-day Manhattan in New York City), New York in 1624, and his family joined him in 1630, moving to Flatbush, Long Island, New York in 1637. Peter Cowenover (1669-1704), a grandson, moved to Atlantic County, New Jersey in 1695. The surname changed with Micah Conover (d.1797), a direct descendant who married Deborah Stanton and served in the Revolutionary War. Descendants listed through 1920 lived chiefly in Atlantic County, New Jersey, although the "Conover" name is also found in other parts of New Jersey in the 1800s.
For instance, while walking around the antique shows this week in Brimfield, Massachusetts, I came across this stoneware jug that I believe dates from the eighteenth century. I was told it retains a lengthy history of ownership with the "Conover" family in Hightstown, Mercer County, New Jersey and elsewhere in the central part of the state. It was acquired years ago directly out of the estate of a Conover family member by the person who I purchased the jug from.
My initial reaction was that I thought this jug may have been made at either the circa 1746-1790s Kemple Pottery in Ringoes, New Jersey or at the circa 1770s-1780s pottery of Captain James Morgan (1734-1784) in Middlesex County, New Jersey. I was hoping to find this exact decoration in the archaeology from either of these potter's sites, but I have not been able to find an exact match based on the archaeology publications that I cite below.
However, after I posted this jug to my Instagram and Facebook accounts, it was suggested that the jug also shared some characteristics with some jugs produced by David Morgan in Manhattan in the late 1700s and early 1800s, although there is a lot yet to be learned about Morgan's production and career. According to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., "David Morgan worked for New York City potter John Crolius Jr., beginning in 1795. In 1798 he temporarily took over Thomas H. Commeraw’s kiln on Cherry Street near Corlear’s Hook in Manhattan. The mark “CORLEARS HOOK” can be found on many of the well-formed jars, jugs and pitchers attributed to Morgan."
Some notable characteristics about this jug that really stood out to me is the color of the cobalt, which I do not believe is over-fired and rather took on an unusual shade of blue in the kiln. The cobalt is also raised unlike a lot of nineteenth century cobalt decorated stoneware that feels entirely smooth on the surface. This raised appearance is something that I have also seen more with slip-decorated red earthenware from the 1700s, as opposed to the 1800s. Another characteristic that I immediately noticed is the amount of fingerprints that cover the jug (see pictures below), where there is even two lines on the jug that appear to have been caused by two fingers (see pictures below). These marks really give this jug a lot of personality!
Note: For more information - see Arthur F. Goldberg, Peter Warwick and Leslie Warwick's article published in the 2008 issue of Ceramics in America, titled, The Eighteenth Century New Jersey Stoneware Potteries of Captain James Morgan and the Kemple Family: https://chipstone.org/article.php/411/Ceramics-in-America-2008/The-Eighteenth-Century-New-Jersey-Stoneware-Potteries-of-Captain-James-Morgan-and-the-Kemple-Family.
Also see Johanna R. Bernstein, Arthur F. Goldberg and Jennifer Mass' article published in the 2016 issue of Ceramics in America, titled, A Comparative Scientific Study of James Morgan and the Kemple Family Stoneware: https://chipstone.org/article.php/748/Ceramics-in-America-2016/A-ComparativeScientific-Study-of-James-Morgan-and-the-Kemple-Family-Stoneware.
Also see Brenda Lockhart Springsted's article in Volume 6 from 1977 in Northeast Historical Archaeology, titled, Ringoes: An Eighteenth Century Pottery Site: https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1321&context=neha.
There is also a very good archaeological example of stoneware made at the Captain John Morgan Pottery owned by the Staten Island Historical Society in New York City, which was published in a feature story I wrote for the January 31, 2020 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, Early Red Earthenware & Stoneware Found on Staten Island: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2020/01/early-red-earthenware-and-stoneware.html.
And here is a link to a story that I posted to this website in February of this year that explains some more information about the Morgan family's relationship with other potters in New Jersey in the 1800s: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/02/an-important-signed-19th-century.html.
Jug that Retains a History of Ownership with the Conover Family in N.J.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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