Pre-Order Copies Can Now Be Placed for New Hampshire Book Due Out in Early March!

F.Y.I. - The publication of my forthcoming 709-page, eighth book, titled, An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses, has been pushed back a few weeks to early March. However, pre-order copies can now be placed through my publisher Historic Beverly in Massachusetts, and the book will be shipped in early March. Here is a link to pre-order the book; it will also be available from a number of bookstores and retailers sometime this spring. 

https://historicbeverly.net/product/an-influential-family-of-early-potters-the-clarks-of-new-hampshire-and-related-businesses/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIKCltleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHc8--UzlN37rGvxq9Qu9BGT-NBNi9R__o4NXiETER9MLPPgQ4NvVE2OKbw_aem_ukWwMXz-ZcmbjhDi9CmmGg.

Pre-Order Copies Can Now Be Placed for N.H. Book!

An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses

The Book is 709-Pages

This is the 8th Book in my Ongoing Pottery Book Series

See Above for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A 19th Century Stoneware Presentation Mug Possibly from Philadelphia the was Made for a Men's Social Club in Jamestown, Rhode Island

This is perhaps a unique circa early 1890s three-handled stoneware presentation mug, decorated on three sides in cobalt script, reading “Founders Town D.B. Birney June XXV July XV,” “Kup Klub W.C. Watson 1890 1892,” and “For Jim W.F. Donaldson E.F. Davis Jamestown.” The mug is also decorated on the exterior with a Bristol slip glaze, while the interior is decorated in a brown slip glaze; Bristol slip combined with this type of interior glaze was produced at the Thomas Haig Jr. (1811-1893) Pottery and the Richard C. Remmey & Son Pottery in Philadelphia in the late 1800s, among other American stoneware manufacturers.

Furthermore, Birney, Donaldson, Watson and Davis were all successful men in Philadelphia, who vacationed in Jamestown, Rhode Island; they formed the Jamestown Club on June 21, 1890. It was a men’s social club that later merged with the Conanicut Yacht Club in Jamestown in the early twentieth century. This mug was likely a commissioned piece made at one of the Philadelphia stoneware businesses in the early 1890s and is perhaps a unique object today; the style of the exterior and interior glaze closely matches some objects produced at the Thomas Haig Jr. Pottery. There is also some similarities to the idea of this mug's creation when compared to stoneware mugs made at Yale University during the same period, although I feel this object is much more significant, based on the aesthetic and historical appeal, including the possible potter's business it may have been manufactured at in the late 1800s.

According to the Jamestown Historical Society, "In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, summer visitors to Jamestown often founded private clubs at which to meet and socialize, where the only remaining private club from that era today is the Conanicut Yacht Club.

In the summer of 1891, a group of Jamestown summer residents – most of whom came from the Philadelphia area – met to discuss a yacht club for Jamestown and, in October 1892, the state of Rhode Island issued a Certificate of Incorporation to the Conanicut Yacht Club.

The following spring, a covered pier was erected on land purchased by the club on the east side of Conanicus Avenue at the end of Brook Street. The first clubhouse, built partially over the water on pilings, opened in 1894. By 1900, 122 member families paid annual dues of $5 each. The roster of members of the Conanicut Yacht Club also listed most of the members in the Jamestown Club, a men’s only social club, and in 1916 the two organizations merged."

For a brief history about the men named on this mug:

Dr. David Bell Birney II (1862-1906) died in Philadelphia; he was the son of David Bell Birney (1825-1864), who was born in Huntsville Alabama, son of abolitionist James G Birney. The Birney family moved to Kentucky in 1833 and freed their slaves, then moved to Cincinnati, Michigan, and finally Philadelphia. Birney graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1856. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Birney benefitted from his political connections and served different leadership roles in the Union Army. Unrelated to the war, Birney's health began to deteriorate in the summer of 1864, and he died on October 18th of that year.

David Birney II Listed as a Physician in Philadelphia

This is from the 1900 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

William Francis Donaldson (1838-1914) died in Philadelphia; he was the son of William and Maria Frances (Redfearn) Donaldson, whereas the elder William was a miner for a number of years in Middleton-in-Teesdale, Durham, England, but learning of the discovery of anthracite in Pennsylvania, he emigrated to the United States in 1830. As a result of his father's success in the mining industry in America, W.F. Donaldson received an excellent education, and upon completion of his studies, he directed his attention to the same line of work as his father. In 1862, he formed a partnership with his brother, under the title of J. & W.F. Donaldson.

 

William Donaldson Listed as a Retired Coal Miner in Philadelphia

This is from the 1880 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

William C. Watson (1840-1906) died in Philadelphia; he seems to have been an engineer or contractor of some sort, where he was involved for a few years in an ongoing court battle that he filed against the City of Philadelphia. According to to the original lawsuit, "In April, 1888, after due advertisement, the city of Philadelphia accepted the bid of, and awarded the contract to William C. Watson, to furnish and deliver to the bureau of water, of the department of public works, all clay required to finish the northeast section of the East Park Reservoir; and the contract so awarded was duly executed on the thirteenth day of July, 1888, some work having been done prior to the execution of the contract, the date of execution having been delayed pending entry of security by Watson."

Lawsuit Filed by William C. Watson Against the City of Philadelphia

See Article for More Information

Edward F. Davis – there were multiple men with this name living in Philadelphia during this period, including a successful businessman, another man who was a medical doctor and another who worked for the Pennsylvania treasury.

For more information about this presentation mug - contact Antiques Associates At West Townsend in Massachusetts: https://www.aaawt.com/about/.

Note: Wealthy people from the Philadelphia area vacationing in parts of coastal New England was a thing-to-do in the 1890s and early 1900s; for instance, Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania owned a vacation home in York, Maine; see a feature story I wrote for the August 23, 2024 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, Tiles Made At The Moravian Tile Works In Doylestown, Pa., That Adorn Fireplace Surrounds In York, Maine: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/08/new-published-feature-story-in-antiques_23.html.

A 19th Century Stoneware Presentation Mug Possibly from Philadelphia

Circa Early 1890s Stoneware Presentation Mug with Cobalt Inscription

The Script Reads “Founders Town D.B. Birney June XXV July XV,” “Kup Klub W.C. Watson 1890 1892,” and “For Jim W.F. Donaldson E.F. Davis Jamestown”

Made for the Jamestown Club in Jamestown, Rhode Island

The Men who Established the Club were from Philadelphia

The Cup was Probably Made in Philadelphia

Possibly Made at the Thomas Haig, Jr. Pottery

Stands 7 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

Another View of the Presentation Cup

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

Another View of the Presentation Cup

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

A View of the Interior

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

A View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Circa 1830 Stoneware Pitcher Marked "T.P. Carll." from Long Island that Sold Yesterday at Stair Galleries in New York

A very unusual nineteenth century stoneware pitcher sold in a group lot yesterday at Stair Galleries in Hudson, New York, which was impressed "LEWIS & GARDINER / HUNTINGTON L.I." The pitcher was also decorated with two clasped hands, the word "DRINK," the word "DRY," and the name "T.P. CARLL.": https://bid.stairgalleries.com/online-auctions/stair-galleries/two-new-york-stoneware-pitchers-6920627. This may also be the only object known today from the Lewis & Gardiner Pottery that bears any type of personalized inscription.

For a brief history: Henry Lewis (1793-1863) and Matthew Harriman Gardiner (1802-1849) bought the Huntington Pottery on Long Island in 1827, although the partnership was short-lived. About two years after the they purchased the pottery, Matthew Gardiner relinquished his share of the business. But for some time, the pottery marks continued to bear the mark, “Lewis & Gardiner.” It was only years later that stoneware would bear the mark “H. Lewis,” “Lewis,” or “Lewis & Lewis.”

Furthermore, the name "TP Carll" appears as a resident of Huntington in the 1830 United States Federal Census, therefore he may have been an employee of the pottery; otherwise somehow the pitcher was made for him at the stoneware factory.

Nonetheless, the lot also included an early nineteenth century brown glazed stoneware pitcher marked "C. CROLIUS / MANUFACTURER / MANHATTAN WELLS / NEW-YORK." The lot sold for $3,500 plus the buyer's premium.

Update: This is information that I learned from Long Island scholar Gary Hammond about this object: "The last time I saw the T.P. CARLL pitcher was back on May 19, 1983 at the “Earth, Fire + Salt: New York State Salt Glazed Pottery” exhibit held at the Emily Lowe Gallery at Hofstra University, Hempstead, L.I., N.Y. It was then loaned by antique collectors and dealers Sandford and Patricia Smith of N.Y.C. A truly great Huntington Pottery piece which reads "DRINK / T.P. CARLL / DRY" above a clasped handshake. Due to its mark of "LEWIS & GARDINER / HUNTINGTON. L I" it would date from around April 6, 1827 when they bought the Huntington Pottery to August 15, 1829 when their partnership was dissolved. Henry Lewis would continue his ownership of the pottery until he sold it in 1854. The Carll family is another old Long Island family, many of which settled in the Town of Huntington. Although I haven’t yet found a genealogical connection, Henry Lewis’ mother was Juliana Carll, his grandfather Timothy Carll, and his great-grandmother Hannah Platt. Why does this matter? Because T.P. CARLL was Timothy Platt Carll (1797-1851) tavern keeper who on May 3, 1824 was granted a "License to keep Inns and Taverns & to retail Spiritous Liquors under five gallons as Inn Keepers in their respective dwelling Houses” according to the Huntington Town Records. I believe this pitcher was used in Carll’s Tavern, which supposedly was located on Jericho Turnpike and Depot Road in Huntington. According to an April 22, 1983 article in the newspaper Newsday, “Smith said they had bought the pitcher out of a Long Island dealer’s private collection about six years ago [abt. 1977]…it had come from a Huntington house.” Where it’s been since I unfortunately do not know. However, I do know that Timothy P. Carll was active in local government serving variously as Assessor, Inspector of Common Schools and as the Town Supervisor all between the years of 1831 and 1842. The pitcher was illustrated in the catalog for the exhibit, and again in the Newsday article."

Also according to Hammond, "Timothy Platt, Carll's father, Phineas Carll, had a sister named Juliana Carll (Timothy's Aunt); she married Henry S. Lewis; their son Henry Lewis was the owner of the Huntington Pottery - so T.P. Carll and Henry Lewis were cousins! What a really special Long Island piece connecting the maker to the owner!"

A Circa 1830 Stoneware Pitcher Marked "T.P. Carll." from Long Island

(Right) 19th Century Red Earthenware Pitcher Made at the Huntington Pottery on Long Island

Stamped "LEWIS & GARDINER / HUNTINGTON L.I."

Also Marked with the Name "T.P. CARLL."

Decorated with Two Clasped Hands

Likely Circa 1827-1829

But this Mark May Have Been Used for a Short Time After 1829

Stands 9 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Stair Galleries

A View of the Words "DRINK" and "DRY"

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Stair Galleries

A View of the Handle

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Stair Galleries

T.P. Carll Listed as a Resident at Huntington on Long Island, New York

This is from the 1830 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Some 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Recovered from the Homestead Site of Colonel John Butler in Ontario, Canada

As part of my third and seventh books, titled, The Dawn of Independence, the Death of Industry: The Pottery of Charlestown, Massachusetts and From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine, I demonstrated with archaeological evidence that potters in Charlestown, Massachusetts and Newburyport, Massachusetts were intermittingly shipping some red earthenware to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before the American Revolution. Nonetheless, this is also a subject that will be discussed in Volume II of my forthcoming ninth book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York, whereas archaeological evidence recovered just over the New York border in Ontario has revealed how some of the red earthenware may have appeared in part of Western New York before 1800.

For example, eighteenth century slip decorated red earthenware sherds recovered at the archaeology site that encompassed the homestead of Colonel John Butler (1728-1796), who was charged with settling Loyalist families in Niagara-on-the-Lake after the American Revolution, precipitating the creation of the Province of Ontario.

Butler arrived at Niagara on November 17th, 1775, and immediately set to work gathering information from his Indian allies and a few Loyalist settlers. The sherds shown below on the bottom row were likely made in America; it is unclear to me where they were made, seeing that there was some eighteenth century red earthenware production in Western New York, although they may also represent a type of production that was shipped to this part of New York and Ontario after 1775, from a manufacturer located elsewhere in America.

Additionally, Butler was a British Indian Department officer, landowner and merchant. During the American Revolutionary War, he was a prominent Loyalist who commanded Butler's Rangers. Born in New London, Connecticut, he moved to New York with his family, where he learned several Iroquoian languages and worked as an interpreter in the fur trade. He was well-prepared to work with the Mohawk and other Iroquois nations who became allies of the British during the rebellion.

During the Revolutionary War, Butler persuaded the Seneca and Cayuga to participate in the St. Leger's Expedition in New York. Afterwards he was given permission to raise a "corps of rangers" to work closely with Britain's Indigenous allies. Butler's Rangers participated in raids in New York and Pennsylvania, including the Battle of Wyoming and the Cherry Valley massacre. After the war Butler resettled in Upper Canada, where he was given a grant of land by the Crown for his services. Butler continued his leadership in the developing colony, serving in public office, and helping to establish the Anglican Church and the Masonic Order in what is now Ontario.

Note: Volume II of my forthcoming Western New York book will also demonstrate some examples of nineteenth century red earthenware likely made in Western New York, perhaps in Erie County, which was recovered from other archaeological contexts in Ontario.

Red Earthenware Recovered from the Homestead Site of Colonel John Butler

(Bottom Row) Eighteenth Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sherds

Recovered from the Colonel John Butler (1728-1796) Homestead in Ontario

Likely Made in America

Sherds Shown on the Top Row Are English

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Archaeological Services Inc.

Portrait of Colonel John Butler (1728-1796)

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Park Service

Location of Niagara-On-The-Lake in Ontario, Canada

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Plate with the Script "GETZ" that Sold Today in Pennsylvania

Originally published on the cover and on page 128 in the 1973 book, Old Stuff in Up-Country Pennsylvania, this nineteenth century red earthenware plate, adorned with the script "GETZ," was described as, "An interesting pottery survival purporting to have been made at or near the town of Bangor in Monroe County, a short distance from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. There is no record of a working pottery there, at least as far as we know, but this pie plate has been in up-country Dutchdom for something like a century. It had been in the possession of one member or another of the same family from the time it was made as a presentation piece for a man who in the course of years came to be known as "Old Man Getz," and remained there until Mr. Getz's grandson, himself eventually "Old Man Kuhnsman," died and his household effects were put up at auction. This was in 1969."

Nonetheless, the only person I can find working as a potter in Pennsylvania with this surname about 100 years before that book was written was a Charles Getz (b. 1832), who was born in Württemberg, Germany about 1832, and working as a potter in Lower Salford, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The 1870 United States Federal Census lists him as 38-years-old, and working alongside 43-year-old potter Frederick Ritter (b. 1827), who was born in Bavaria, Germany. 

Furthermore, the 1900 Census lists a 73-year-old Ritter, who was born in Germany, as arriving in America in 1848; he is also listed with an occupation as a shoe maker in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. This Ritter also died in Pittsburg in 1900. If this is the same Ritter, then his may have been a similar situation for Charles Getz's arrival and career path.

Nonetheless, this plate sold today at Hartzell's Auction Gallery in Bangor, Pennsylvania for $3,700 plus the buyer's premium.

Note: Also posted below is a related plate inscribed "KUNSMAN" that is believed to have been made by John Kunsman in Bangor County, Pennsylvania.

19th Century Red Earthenware Plate with the Script "GETZ"

19th Century Red Earthenware Plate with the Script "GETZ"

Reportedly Made in Bangor County, PA

Measures 9" in Diameter

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Hartzell's Auction Gallery

A View of the Back of the Plate

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Hartzell's Auction Gallery

Charles Getz Listed as a Potter in Lower Salford, Montgomery County, PA

He was Born in Württemberg, Germany About 1832

This is from the 1870 United States Federal Census

43-Year-Old Frederick Ritter is also Listed as a Potter

See Article for More Information

73-Year-Old Frederick Ritter Listed as a Shoe Maker in Pittsburg, PA

The Census Indicates He Arrived in the U.S. in 1848

This is from the 1900 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Related Plate Inscribed "KUNSMAN"

Reportedly Made by John Kunsman in Bangor County, PA

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy Dylan Trabosh

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Possibly from Western New York Manufactured as a Stoneware Form

I was thrilled to come across this nineteenth century red earthenware jar yesterday in the form of a stoneware jar that was possibly made in Erie County, New York; in fact, there are a small group of jars known in this shape today that were made at one of Lorenzo Johnson's (1821-1893) businesses in either Newstead or Millgrove, New York. Although this is one of the better glazed examples that I have seen, whereas I have always felt that the source of inspiration for these types of jars made by Johnson may have been the stoneware produced during the same period in Buffalo, New York, seeing that Buffalo is located about twenty-five miles to the west of Newstead and Millgrove.

Furthermore, Johnson was also known to have produced a jug form and a butter churn form to go along with this type of straight-sided jar, all of which resemble stoneware forms made in Western New York. Some of these objects were also impressed "L. Johnson" or "L. Johnson & Co.," including the butter churn that is owned today by the New York State Museum in Albany, New York. 

The form of the handle found on this type of jar is also represented in the archaeology collected at the site of the Newstead Pottery in the twentieth century, which is kept today at the Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York. All of this information will be included in my forthcoming two-volume ninth book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York.

Additionally, I have also posted a very good example of a similar shaped four-gallon stoneware crock adorned with a cobalt decorated bird that was made at Charles W. Braun's (1821-1899) business in Buffalo, circa late 1850s-1870. The crock is Stamped "C.W. BRAUN / BUFFALO.N.Y.," and is currently for sale as part of a very good stoneware collection at Antiques Associates At West Townsend in Massachusetts. This is about the same period that the red earthenware crock was made by Lorenzo Johnson, although red earthenware and stoneware production in Buffalo became a mainstay for the city following the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. For instance the Heiser family produced a variety of stoneware in Buffalo during the 1830s to the 1850s, whereas this is the business that Braun eventually took over in the late 1850s. The Heiser family originally migrated from Germany to Philadelphia in 1819, and then relocated to Buffalo in 1828. Erie County seems to have been an area that was impacted by a number of German influenced potters, such as a story that I posted to this website earlier this year about red earthenware production in Buffalo: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/01/a-group-of-potteries-operated-by.html.

Nonetheless, here is a link to the Braun crock listed on A.A.A.W.T.'s website:  https://www.aaawt.com/antique/stoneware-crock-cobalt-decoration-stamped-c-w-braun-buffalo-n-y/.

Note: For more information about stoneware production in Buffalo - see a feature story written by Peter Jablonski for Antique Bottle & Glass Collector, titled, The Early Potteries of the Queen City 1834-1896: https://issuu.com/fohbc/docs/ab_gc_julyaug22_finalx/s/16100617.

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Possibly from Western New York

Possibly Made at One of Lorenzo Johnson's Businesses in Erie County, New York

Similar Forms also Made in Ontario, Canada

Circa 1850-1880s

Stands 9 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

A View of the Interior

See Article for More Information

A View of One of the Handles

See Article for More Information

19th Century Red Earthenware Handle Sherd

Recovered at the Site of the Newstead Pottery in Erie County, New York

This Business was Owned by Lorenzo Johnson

Johnson also Had Involvement with Production in Neighboring Millgrove, New York

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

19th Century Red Earthenware Handle Sherd

Recovered at the Site of the Newstead Pottery in Erie County, New York

This Business was Owned by Lorenzo Johnson

Johnson also Had Involvement with Production in Neighboring Millgrove, New York

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

19th Century Red Earthenware Handle Sherd

Recovered at the Site of the Newstead Pottery in Erie County, New York

This Business was Owned by Lorenzo Johnson

Johnson also Had Involvement with Production in Neighboring Millgrove, New York

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

Similar Shaped Stoneware Jar Made by C.W. Braun in Buffalo, N.Y.

(Left) 19th Century Four-Gallon Stoneware Crock Decorated with a Bird in Cobalt

Made at Charles W. Braun's Business in Buffalo, New York

Stamped "C.W. BRAUN / BUFFALO.N.Y."

Circa Late 1850s-1870s

Stands 11 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: A.A.A.W.T.

Charles W. Braun Listed with an Occupation of "Master Potter" in Buffalo, New York

This is from the 1860 United States Federal Census

The Census also Notes that he was Born in Prussia

See Article for More Information

This is Charles W. Braun (1821-1899)

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Buffalo History Museum

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Three Related Stoneware Jars Probably Made Near or Along the Hudson River in New York State in the 1700s (or Early 1800s)

While handling a really good collection of stoneware a number of times that has been consigned to Antiques Associates At West Townsend in Massachusetts, I really took notice of three related jars featured in this collection, which seem to have been made in the Hudson River Region. Each jar is inscribed with a number, and appears to be related to traditions found on German stoneware, although these jars are perhaps influenced by a German potter or potters likely working somewhere in the Hudson River Region in New York State. One of the jars is also inscribed with a name, most likely indicating this is an important historical object dating from the 1700s (or early 1800s); these jars may have been made in the Albany or Troy, New York area, otherwise likely another potter working somewhere in the Hudson River Region.

Nonetheless, each of these jars shares a related form, but they are decorated in different ways, whereas one jar is inscribed on both sides with incised flowers, and the initials “HS," while another jar is decorated on both sides with incised flowers, as well as the name “Jacob Cuyler, Junr,” above an inscribed heart. 

According to past published information about this jar, "Jacob Cuyler (1746-1823), a resident of Albany, New York added the suffix "Junior" to distinguish himself from a prominent relative, Jacob J. Cuyler. Little is known about Cuyler Jr.'s life, although his Albany tax assessment record from 1788 exists, as does his census records from 1790 and 1800. In 1790, Cuyler Jr.'s household on the corner of Market and Steuben Streets included four family members and two slaves. The intriguing, incised heart-with-arrow motif below the owner's name indicates the jar may have been made for a wedding, although there is no evidence of Cuyler Jr. ever marrying."

According to the New York State Museum, "Cuyler Jr. was born in Albany in January of 1746. He was the son of Johannes A. (1698-1746) and Catherine Wendell Cuyler (1699-1746). He was the last child of a large Market Street family. However, he lost both of his parents at a young age, although young Jacob, along with the other children of Johannes and Catherine were likely absorbed within the greater Cuyler family and their in-laws in the Albany area. This individual became an Albany resident and was known as "Jacob Cuyler, Jr." to avoid confusion with a slightly older relative and very prominent kinsman who was called Jacob J. Cuyler (1741-1804)."

Jacob J. Cuyler was a silversmith by trade in Albany and was known for his high quality work during the 1765-1790 period. He also served as firemaster and was manager of the lottery in Albany during the early 1770s. In 1766, he signed the constitution of Albany. Cuyler was also a member of the Sons of Liberty, and in 1767 served as the first lieutenant in the Albany militia company. During the Revolutionary War period, he was a member of the Albany Committee of Correspondence, and served as a delegate from Albany to the New York Provincial Congress in 1776, and later in the Continental Commissary General's office.

Also according to the New York State Museum, "In Cuyler Jr.'s mid-twenties at the outbreak of hostilities (and the years that followed), we expect there must be some record of wartime service for Cuyler Jr. during the American Revolution. Afterwards, he was accorded a land bounty right under the city military regiment in Albany. Perhaps Cuyler remained single as no marriage or childbearing information has appeared in the records thus far encountered.

In 1790, his household on the corner of Market and Steuben Streets included four members and two slaves. Two years earlier, the property was assessed moderately. In 1800, the slaves had been replaced by free people of color along with two older men and an older woman.

In June 1793, he witnessed a Rensselaer County will. The third ward assessment roll in 1799 also valued Cuyler Jr.'s lot of land separately and his personal property under the third ward house and lot of John Cuyler (1766-1811), who was the son of Jacob J. Cuyler.

In October 1823, an Albany newspaper reported that Jacob Cuyler died at Coxsackie on October 2nd, at the age of seventy-seven years, and was buried in the Coxsackie cemetery."

Coxsackie, New York is located along the Hudson River about twenty-five miles south of Albany and about twenty miles north of Germantown, New York. It seems that Cuyler Jr. may have been living in Coxsackie by 1801, seeing that he was included as part of a group of men who requested on May 26, 1801, for the Reverend Henry Ostrander (1781-1872) to preach at the church in Coxsackie (see below). Reverend Ostrander was ordained and installed as the pastor in Coxsackie on October 21, 1801 (The Life of Henry Ostrander: with Selected Sermons, p. 33, 1875).

For a brief history of Germantown: In the late 1600s, Scottish immigrant, Robert Livingston the Elder (1654-1728), with permission from the English Crown, purchased a total of 160,240 acres from the Native Americans comprising of the southern third of Columbia County, New York. In 1710, he sold 6,000 acres to the Queen of Britain for use as “work camps” and the resettlement of 1,200 Palatine German refugees displaced by French invasions and famine.

Known as "East Camp," the colony had four villages: Hunterstown, Queensbury, Annsbury, and Haysbury. The area was later renamed "Germantown" and formed as a "district" in 1775. There does not appear to be any documented stoneware production in this location, although the Hudson River Region did see a large migration of Germans in the eighteenth century, whereas there certainly could be undocumented stoneware production with a German influence in this area in the 1700s, which could also explain the shape of these three related jars.

Interestingly, the Cuyler family also seems to have had a colonial Manhattan connection, seeing that Johannes A. Cuyler's brother, Abraham (unknown-1749) was buried at the Middle Dutch Church in New York City in 1749. The Middle Dutch Church was built between 1726 and 1731, a vestige of Manhattan's Dutch Reformed community that traced itself back to New Amsterdam's very first house of worship.

Additionally, these are the only three jars that I am aware of in this form; in fact, after originally seeing and handling them last fall, I felt it would be great for them to remain together, seeing that they could represent an eighteenth century stoneware potter (or potters) working near or along the Hudson River in New York State.

Furthermore, these jars may also be somehow related to a colonial stoneware jar made about 1750 in either New Jersey or New York that is owned by the Huntington Museum in California, which previously sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland: https://huntington.org/educators/learning-resources/spotlight/object-story-jar.

Nevertheless, for more information about these related jars, I would suggest contacting A.A.A.W.T.: https://www.aaawt.com/about/; I think these are three great surviving objects that could be displayed together in a museum or a prominent private collection! There are also other types of vertical double-handled stoneware jars made by potters in the New York City and New Jersey area, as well as in Connecticut in the 1700s. There is also a vertical double-handled stoneware jar in the collection of Historic New England thought to have been made by the Parker family in Charlestown, Masssachusetts in the 1740s, which was influenced by production in England and Germany, as well as by the Duche family in Philadelphia. 

Link to Jar No. 1: https://www.aaawt.com/antique/double-handled-stoneware-presentation-jar-probably-hudson-river-valley/

Link to Jar No. 2: https://www.aaawt.com/antique/double-handled-stoneware-presentation-jar-probably-hudson-river-region/

Link to Jar No. 3: https://www.aaawt.com/antique/double-handled-stoneware-jar-probably-made-in-the-hudson-river-region/

Three Related Stoneware Jars Probably Made in N.Y.S. in the 1700s

Rare Group of 18th or Early 19th Century Stoneware Jars

Probably Made Near or Along the Hudson River in New York State

Middle Jar is Inscribed "Jacob Cuyler, Junr"

Jar to the Far Right is Inscribed with the Initials "H.S."

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Antiques Associates At West Townsend

Jacob Cuyler Jr.'s (1746-1823) Tombstone

Located in Coxsackie Village Cemetery in Coxsackie, New York

Most of Cuyler Jr.'s Family is Buried in Albany, New York

Although Some Family Members are also Buried in Manhattan

See Article for More Information

Reverend Henry Ostrander was Asked to Preach at the Church in Coxsackie, New York

This Happened on May 26, 1801

Jacob Cuyler Jr. was one of the Men who Made the Request

Cuyler Jr. May Have Been Living in Coxsackie by 1801

Found on Page 33 in the Book - The Life of Henry Ostrander: with Selected Sermons

The Book was Published in 1875

See Article for More Information

This is Reverend Henry Ostrander (1781-1872)

He was a Pastor in Coxsackie, New York, 1801-1810

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Nathaniel Rochester's Merchant Business with James Monroe During the Circa 1768-1770s Period

A good example of Nathaniel Rochester's (1752-1831) circa 1818-1831 slip decorated red earthenware from West Bloomfield, New York was included in a group lot as part of Sotheby's online Americana sale today in Manhattan. The red earthenware jar was consigned from the collection of Leslie and Peter Warwick of Middletown, New Jersey; the Warwicks assembled an outstanding selection of red earthenware and stoneware through the years, some of which was included in today's sale. The Rochester jar combined with a nineteenth century red earthenware jar from Pennsylvania and a late eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware pitcher from Massachusetts sold for $22,800 including the buyer's premium.

Although, the most notable piece of pottery that sold today from the Warwick Collection was a well-published nineteenth century incised and cobalt decorated stoneware 'Jersey Devil' jug that is attributed to Old Bridge, New Jersey, circa 1818: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-americana/an-incised-and-cobalt-blue-decorated-jersey-devil. The jug sold for $50,400 including the buyer's premium.

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar

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

Circa 1818-1831

Stands 10" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Sotheby's

Nonetheless, while working on my forthcoming two-volume Western New York book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York, I have found a number of documents for Nathaniel Rochester working as a merchant in North Carolina in the 1770s, although he does not appear to have been involved with any type of ceramic or earthenware until he arrived in Western New York after 1810; at least there is no documented evidence of it. 

Interestingly, in 1768, Rochester began working for merchants James Monroe and John Hamilton in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Within five years, Monroe made Rochester a partner in the enterprise, but the business largely collapsed in the wake of the American Revolution. 

For example, this is a receipt for purchases of sugar, coffee, molasses, pepper, salt, linen, etc. between James Monroe and Rochester, dated May 5, 1779; Rochester was also involved with tobacco in the 1770s, whereas he also had family ties in South Carolina from the late 1700s through 1835.

For more information about Rochester - see a feature story I wrote that was published last year in the June 7, 2024 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, Nathaniel Rochester's Red Earthenware Pottery: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/05/new-published-feature-story-in-antiques.html

Merchant Receipt Between James Monroe and Nathaniel Rochester

Goods Include Sugar, Coffee, Molasses, Pepper, Salt, Linen, Etc.

Dated May 5, 1779

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: University of Rochester Library

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...