A Red Earthenware Sherd Recovered on the Property of the Circa 1721 Salem Bell House in South Danvers (Peabody), Mass., Compared to Sherds Recovered at the Site of the William Southwick Pottery at 161 Central Street in South Danvers

These eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware sherds will be published in my forthcoming tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers and Peabody, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/04/an-introduction-to-archaeology-of-circa.html.

One of the sherds was recently discovered by a tenant at the circa 1721 Samuel Bell (1691-1759) House in Peabody, Massachusetts, while the other sherds were recovered at the site of one of the eighteenth and nineteenth century Southwick family potteries in Peabody, which was originally owned by William Southwick (1715-1785) at 161 Central Street. These sherds were recovered by Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982) and are sort of referenced in her book, Early New England Potters and Their Wares, which was published in 1950.

The Southwicks descended from Lawrence (ca. 1598-1660) and Cassandra Southwick (ca. 1601-1660), who along with their children were severely persecuted for their Quaker faith in Salem in the late 1650s. This is also a subject of a feature story that I have written that will be published on a later date: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/04/a-quaker-red-earthenware-jar-from.html.

Nonetheless, the sherd recovered at the Samuel Bell House was also published in my fifth book, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod, seeing that it also resembles glazes produced by the Bradford family in Kingston, Massachusetts, based on archaeological evidence owned by the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-celebrated-industry-the-historic-wares-of-southeastern-massachusetts-bristol-county-and-cape-cod/.

Sherds Recovered in South Danvers (Peabody), Mass.

This is the Samuel Bell House in South Danvers (Peabody), Mass.

The House was Built Circa 1721

Bell Worked as a Local Bricklayer

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18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Sherd

Recovered on the Property of the Samuel Bell House in South Danvers (Peabody), Mass.

The Glaze Closely Resembles a Type Produced by the Southwick Family in South Danvers

Also Similar to a Type Produced by the Bradfords in Kingston, Mass.

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18th or Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Sherds

Recovered at the Site of the William Southwick Pottery in South Danvers, Mass.

The Pottery was Located at 161 Central Street

Recovered by Lura Woodside Watkins (1897-1982)

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute

Samuel Bell's (1691-1759) Probate Dated December 27, 1759

Bell Worked as a Local Bricklayer

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Courtesy: Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Records

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