As I noted in a post from a few weeks ago, titled, Three Red Earthenware Families and Their Nineteenth Century Production in Plymouth, Grafton County, New Hampshire, there was significant red earthenware production in Plymouth in the 1800s with at least three family-owned red earthenware businesses; the Flanders family, the Gill family and the Webster family. Plymouth was the largest production center to the north of Concord, operating during the circa 1816-1894 period, whereas some production was influenced by the Clark family in Concord.
Interestingly, the Plymouth Historical Society owns a collection of red earthenware that was acquired from multiple generations of the Clark family in Plymouth, where the objects were all collected locally in the early to mid-twentieth century, retaining a history of ownership in Plymouth. But it is unclear if any of the objects were owned by any of the Clark family members who lived in Plymouth in the 1800s.
The history of the Clark family in Plymouth is probably most recognizable today with George G. Clark (1877-1957), who was born in Chicago on September 10, 1877, although his father George A. Clark (1852-1886) was born in Plymouth in 1852. This family also descended from Captain Robert Clark (1773-1842) of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, but it is unclear if there is any direct relationship to Peter Clark (1743-1826) and the Clark family of potters in New Hampshire.
The younger Clark graduated from Dartmouth College in 1899. Throughout his lifetime, Clark had three devotions: Dartmouth College, the local history in Plymouth and the site of his large estate on Route 25, known in "Clarkland," which he inherited from his father.
Furthermore, Clark earned his law degree from Harvard in 1902, and by the 1920s, he was conducting most of his legal work, managing estates and trust funds, from "Clarkland," where he could share his home with his many visitors from the Class of 1899, as well as engage in numerous charity projects in Plymouth.
Among the historical projects that Clark undertook in Plymouth was he went around the entire town in the 1920s and 1930s and took photos of all of the houses, buildings, roads and anything else that he thought was significant for future generations to have. He is also cited throughout the 1957 book, The Story of the Old White Church, Plymouth, New Hampshire: https://archive.org/download/storyofoldwhitec00spea/storyofoldwhitec00spea.pdf.
Nevertheless, Clark died in Concord on December 26, 1957, however, some of the red earthenware that his family donated to the historical society is of particular interest, such as four decorative objects that appear like production from the John Farmer Clark (1832-1885) Pottery in Concord in the 1870s and early 1880s. However, very little is known today about what the Webster family was producing in Plymouth in the 1870s through the early 1890s, and this may be a type of pottery that they produced, as well.
The remainder of the objects could have been made in Plymouth or at another New Hampshire business, although the mottled green glazed red earthenware handled pot is an object that I discussed in the initial Plymouth potteries post from a few weeks ago: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/07/three-red-earthenware-families-and.html.
Note: These objects will also be illustrated in my forthcoming 665-page New Hampshire book, titled, An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses.
Collection of Red Earthenware from the Clark Family of Plymouth, N.H.
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