An 1870s Price List from the Morganville Pottery in Western New York

Published in Chapter 16 in Volume 1 of my recently published 1,400 page, two volume book, titled, America’s Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York, is a history of the Gleason family's red earthenware production in the hamlet of Morganville in Stafford, Genesee County, New York. Although, the Gleasons seem to have stopped production in the 1870s, but I did note in the book, "However, through a succession of family related potters, the Morganville operation survived into the early-twentieth century. The last owner of the business was the potter Charles Ford (1847-1912), circa 1900, although by 1905, Ford was cited in the Census in Stafford as a “day laborer,”likely indicating that production had ceased at the Morganville Pottery. Some archaeology collected at the site of the pottery business was owned by Thelma Ford (1919-200), who was a relative of Charles Ford; that archaeology is privately owned in Western New York today."

Evidence of when Ford actually acquired the Morganville Pottery from the Gleasons is not documented, but I also noted in the book that he likely owned the business for at least a few decades.

The Gleason family came to Western New York from Cheshire County, New Hampshire, where I noted in the book, "The Gleason family’s history can be traced back to Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the early-eighteenth century, which is when Thomas Gleason, IV (1637-1705) migrated from England to the Boston area. The family remained in this area, until Benjamin Gleason (1749-1814) relocated to Cheshire County, New Hampshire in the late eighteenth century; Benjamin was the father of Fortunatus Gleason Senior (1752-1811), who was the father of Forunatus Gleason Junior (1792-1873), who originally established the pottery business in Morganville. Some of the Gleason family from New Hampshire also traveled to southern California in the 1800s."

The Gleason family will also be mentioned in my forthcoming 900-1,000 page book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. The reason they will be included is a result of a member of the Southwick family who lived and likely worked as a potter in Cheshire County during the circa 1809-1843 period. The Gleason family was also living in Cheshire County during this period, as were a number of other potters. The Southwicks were one of the big potting families who lived in South Danvers (Peabody) in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and these potters were also descendants of 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 1650s.

However, before Lawrence Southwick was a Quaker, he arrived in Salem in the 1630s, where some accounts suggest he was in the business of making glass and red earthenware with Annanias Concklin, Obadiah Holmes and William Osborne. Upon arriving in Salem, these men were also given land at Strong Water Brook, near the boundary line between Salem town and the Middle Precinct, which was between Salem and Salem Village at that time, and located today between Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts. But there is no indication that this red earthenware business ever happened or found much success.

Nonetheless, the Gleason family and the Southwick family share a common connection of both living in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Interestingly, I learned of this price list yesterday that is privately owned from the Morganville Pottery, although it represents Charles Ford's ownership of the business in a firm cited as "Ford & Hart" and dated August 23, 1877. The price list notes that they produced red earthenware butter pots, preserve jars, jugs, crocks, milk pans, spittoons, bean pots, tomato jars, stove tubes and various types of flowerpots. Many of these forms were also produced in Cheshire County, which is why I am including this price list in the forthcoming Essex County, Massachusetts book!

Note: For more information about production in Cheshire County, New Hampshire - see my recently published 700 page book, titled, An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses: https://historicbeverly.net/product/an-influential-family-of-early-potters-the-clarks-of-new-hampshire-and-related-businesses/.

An 1870s Price List from the Morganville Pottery in Western New York

Late 19th Century Price List from the Morganville Pottery Dated "August 23, 1877"

This is from the Firm "Ford & Hart"

The Business was Previously Owned by the Gleason Family

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Marty Lathan

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

Some Slip Decorated Wares from the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in Western New York and Some Marbled Decorated Wares Recovered on Long Island

There are circa 1818-1831 slip decorated red earthenware pitchers and semi-ovoid double-handled jars know from the Nathaniel Rochester (1752-1831) Pottery in West Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York, although these are some of the rarest forms to find today. The largest jar matches another jar owned by the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut. The potter or potters who worked at this business have never been identified, although there certainly appears to be a Hagerstown, Maryland influence.

For more information - see a feature story I wrote that was published on pages 42-43 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.

Various Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jars

Attributed to the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York

Circa 1818-1831

See Article for More Information

Furthermore, published in my latest 1,400 page, two volume book, titled, America’s Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York, is a section about various types of marbled wares that may have been produced in Norwalk, Connecticut, Long Island or elsewhere in New York State. I personally don't think there is a definitive answer for where some of these objects were produced, and I don't think one business or location was responsible for all of it. 

For example, two related three-color marbled decorated red earthenware plates have been recovered from separate archaeological contexts on Long Island that are unlike a lot of the other production that I just referenced; one of the plates was found on Shelter Island (second photo shown below), which is located on the eastern end of Long Island, while the other was found in a foundation hole in central Long Island in the 1970s (third photo shown below).

This first photo shown below is a late eighteenth or early nineteenth century two-color marbled decorated red earthenware plate that I acquired probably about twelve to thirteen years ago; it appears to me to be more related to the plates recovered on Long Island than any of the objects possibly associated with production in Connecticut or elsewhere in New York State. However, the colors used on the plate are also reminiscent to some styles produced at the Rochester Pottery, such as the jars shown above...so it is a little bit confusing, seeing that the Rochester Pottery also produced marbled decorated red earthenware.

Nonetheless, Long Island is possibly a location that should be taken into consideration for the origin of some late eighteenth and nineteenth century marbled decorated red earthenware.

For more information about the Rochester Pottery or marbled decorated plates and dishes - here is a link to the Western New York book: https://historicbeverly.net/product/103125/.

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Two-Color Marbled Decorated Red Earthenware Plate

Possibly Made in New York

Colors are Similar to the Rochester Pottery Jars Shown Above

Production of the Style of the Plate Appears Similar to the Plates Shown Below

See Article for More Information

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Three-Color Marbled Decorated Red Earthenware Plate

Recovered on Shelter Island on the Eastern End of Long Island

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Anthony Butera Jr.

Late 18th or Early 19th Century Three-Color Marbled Decorated Red Earthenware Plate

Recovered from a Foundation Hole in Central Long Island

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Gary Hammond

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

An Early 19th Century Stoneware Jug Probably from the Hudson River Region in New York, Inscribed "Capt. Gilbert Conklin"

This is an important stoneware jug based on an historical context that is owned by the Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York, which is inscribed with the name "Capt. Gilbert Conklin, Sloop Missippie / Beware, Don't Give This Jug A Check If You Do He Break Your Neck / Cornwall Nov. 18, 1812." 

According to a book written by Henry Whittemore in 1886, titled, History of the Seventy-first Regiment N.G.S.N.Y.: Including the History of the Veteran Association with Biographical Sketches of Members, "Captain Gilbert Conklin (1776-1849) settled near Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, New York. He followed the water and was one of the most prominent and popular captains on the North River (an alternative name for the southernmost portion of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City). At a later period the family removed to Cayuga County, New York."

Conklin's father, Captain Isaac Conklin (1753-1840) was born in Westchester County, New York, and captained a sloop named Clinton and was enlisted in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Interestingly, he was also one of four men who established the settlement of Peekskill along the Hudson River in 1764. The original settlement is located about fifty miles north of Manhattan.

Note: This jug is published in William Ketchum Jr.'s book, Potters and Potteries of New York State, 1650-1900, where New York scholar and collector just informed me that "it is attributed to the David Clark pottery in Cornwall, New York (1790s-1820). I believe it is the only known piece with a reliable mark to the Clark pottery in Cornwall."

Early 19th C. Stoneware Jug Probably from the Hudson River Region

Early 19th Century Stoneware Jug from New York

Made at the David Clark Pottery in Cornwall, New York

Date "November 18, 1812"

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Rochester Museum & Science Center

Here is the Jug Pictured in William Ketchum Jr.'s New York Book

See Article for More Information

Capt. Gilbert Conklin's (1776-1849) Gravestone

He is Buried in Tallman Cemetery in Cayuga County, New York

See Article for More Information

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

Two Types of Red Earthenware Banks or Money Boxes that Appear to be Adorned with Tricorne Hats

Earlier this year, I posted a story to this website that showed a late eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware jar with its original lid from Bristol County, Massachusetts, which was adorned with a Quaker hat as the finial. This is a significant and historically important example of red earthenware that will be published in my forthcoming tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. This jar and lid was also published in my fifth book, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod: https://historicbeverly.net/product/a-celebrated-industry-the-historic-wares-of-southeastern-massachusetts-bristol-county-and-cape-cod/.

Nonetheless, the Quaker Movement originated around the mid-seventeenth century in England with George Fox's (1624-1691) teachings emphasizing direct, personal experience of God and the rejection of traditional religious hierarchies. This religion then quickly spread to parts of America, including Salem, Massachusetts, where there was significant pushback from the Puritans.

The Quaker religion also spread to parts of New Jersey in the 1670s and Pennsylvania in the 1680s, where the colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn (1644-1710) in 1682, as a safe place for Quakers to live and practice their faith.

Furthermore, I posted an article to this website last week showing a slip-script decorated red earthenware pan that was recovered from the Salmon Falls River in Rollinsford, New Hampshire; the pan was also dated "1793." Rollinsford is located about four miles to the northeast of Dover, and was originally included as part of Dover, an area that had a large Quaker presence: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/08/a-significant-18th-century-slip-scipt.html/

The first Quaker missionaries to arrive in Dover were three women from England in 1662: Mary Tompkins, Alice Ambrose and Ann Coleman, who were punished for their faith, and lashed to a cart, stripped to the waist and whipped. Quakers from Salem played a significant role in establishing the Quaker presence in Dover, and other areas in the region, much like the Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts area was also intertwined with the Quakers in Bristol County.

Interestingly, somewhat similar to the Bristol County jar with the Quaker hat, these objects appear to be adorned with a tricorne hat, which is defined as a style of hat in a triangular shape, which became popular in Europe during the eighteenth century, falling out of style by the early 1800s. The word "tricorne" was not widely used until the mid-nineteenth century. During the eighteenth century, hats of this general style were referred to as "cocked hats". Tricorn hats were also widely used in America during the colonial era and the American Revolution. Worn by both civilians and military personnel, this "cocked hat" style was a prevalent fashion, popular for its adaptability with wigs, ease of tucking under the arm, and practical protection from the elements.

Note: Quakers generally did not wear tricorne hats; instead, they favored their own distinctive plain, broad-brimmed hats.

Banks or Money Boxes that Appear to be Adorned with Tricorne Hats

Early 19th Century Red Earthenware Bank or Money Box

Possibly Made in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Appears to be Adorned with a Tricorne Hat as the Finial

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: David Good Collection / New England Auctions

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Bank or Money Box

Made at One of the Potteries in England

Possibly Adorned with a Tricorne Hat as the Finial

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

18th Century Tricorne Hat

Worn by a Field General at the Battle of Bennington, Vermont in 1777

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Park Service Morristown, New Jersey

18th Century Tricorne Hat

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History

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

A Significant 19th Century Patriotic Scroddled Earthenware Pitcher, Dated "December 25th, 1868"

Earlier this summer, a significant nineteenth century patriotic earthenware pitcher sold at Locati Auctions in Pineville, Pennsylvania. The decoration included applied figures of Lady Liberty, a shield, thirteen stars and eagles. The pitcher was also dated "December 25th, 1868," and inscribed with the word "Union." There was also an inscribed name, although at the time the name was not identified.

According to the research of Connor Rush, "The scroddled pitcher is also stamped “Liberty and Lager” below the spout, which I determined was a briefly-used political slogan or rallying cry for anti-Prohibition agitators during the 1868 presidential election, seemingly used primarily by the Democratic party to pander to the large German immigrant population in Northern cities and try to get some votes there. It did not work, and they lost the election, but the “don’t take away our beer!” sentiment was strong and may have remained an issue in the politics of northern cities. The slogan’s appearance on a beer pitcher is unique but is perhaps the most sensible place for it to appear."

Nevertheless, the current owner of this pitcher has determined that the inscribed name appears to read Henry Rodearmel (1816-1890). There was a man by this name who was born in Philadelphia in 1816 and died in Philadelphia on September 10, 1890. Rodearmel seems to have been a career engineer, where he is listed with this occupation, as early as the 1837 edition of McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory at 1319 Wallace Street. He is then cited as an engineer in the 1870 and 1880 United States Federal Censuses in Philadelphia. The 1881 Philadelphia City Directory also lists him as an engineer, where he is still working at 1319 Wallace Street.

Among the engineering projects he was involved with was one cited in the 1860 issue of Laws of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: "Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the auditor general, state treasurer and attorney general be and they are hereby authorized and required to examine into the claim of the sureties of Henry D. Rodearmel, late supervisor (in this case the use of the word "late" likely signifies that Rodearmel was no longer employed or had left that position) on the Susquehanna division of the Pennsylvania canal, and they, or a majority of them, to report to the legislature, at their next session, whether anything is justly and equitably due said sureties from the commonwealth; and if anything is so due, the nature and amount thereof."

To add to Connor's research, during the nineteenth century, particularly around 1868, Philadelphia's brewing industry underwent a revolution driven largely by German immigrants and the growing popularity of lager beer. This period saw a significant increase in the number of breweries in the city, with Philadelphia becoming a major center for beer production.

Furthermore, the Rodearmel family is a Philadelphia name with roots tracing back to Germany. The family name first appeared in Philadelphia in the eighteenth century, where the surname is also spelled in historical records as Rothermel and Roadarmel.

Note: There is also a Civil War connection with Henry Rodearmel; his son, George Rodearmel (1844-1915) served in the 91st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was a Union infantry regiment that fought in multiple key engagements of the American Civil War, including the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg. 

19th Century Patriotic Scoddleware Earthenware Pitcher

19th Century Molded Hound-Handle Pitcher

Adorned with Figures of Lady Liberty, a Shield, Thirteen Stars and Eagles

Dated "December 25th, 1868," and Inscribed with the Word "Union"

Stands 10 1/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Privately Owned

A View of the Base

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Privately Owned

Henry Rodearmel Listed as an Engineer at 1319 Wallace Street Philadelphia

This is from the 1837 edition of McElroy's Philadelphia City Directory

See Article for More Information

Henry Rodearmel Listed as an Engineer in Philadelphia

This is from the 1870 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Henry Rodearmel Listed as an Engineer in Philadelphia

This is from the 1880 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Henry Rodearmel Listed as an Engineer at 1319 Wallace Street Philadelphia

This is from the 1881 Philadelphia City Directory

See Article for More Information

George Rodearmel's (1844-1915) Record of Service in the 91st Penn. Volunteer Infantry

See Article for More Information

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

A Small 19th Century Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jug Owned by the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford

There have been a number of examples of stoneware made in Edgefield, South Carolina that have been found in New England over the past 100 years, although each object likely tells a different story of how it migrated to New England. Some of those objects include face jugs now owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts and the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. There was even a face jug that was plowed out of a field in Massachusetts and advertised in the November 1987 issue of Maine Antique Digest. I have tried to learn the location of the field, but so far I have not been successful.

(Left) Advertisement from the November 1987 Issue of Maine Antique Digest

(Right) This is How the Jug Appears Today

Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

I also wrote about an early Pottersville jug from Edgefield that I found, with my niece Alexis, some years back in the Boston area, as part of an article published in the October 4, 2019 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, Thomas Chandler's Pottery Production: McKissick Museum Of The University Of South Carolina Holds Innovative Exhibition: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2019/10/thomas-chandler-story-in-oct-4-2019.html.

Nonetheless, while visiting the storage area of the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, Connecticut seven or eight years ago, as part of the research for my now published fifth book, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod, I noticed a small nineteenth century alkaline glazed stoneware jug sitting on a shelf that appeared like it may have been made in Edgefield. The jug stands under four inches tall.

Furthermore, the museum did not have much information about its history or even where it was made, although it was acquired by the historical society during the first-half of the twentieth century. As a result, I have wondered what type of history that it retained in New England, and whether any of that history included the Hartford area.

A Small 19th Century Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jug

19th Century Southern Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jug

Probably Made in Edgefield, South Carolina

Stands 3 3/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Connecticut Historical Society

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

Some Spiraled Designs Used on Seventeenth Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Recovered on the Thames Foreshore in London

To follow up on yesterday's post, titled, A Preview of Forthcoming Tenth Book: Some Information About Spiraled Slip Designs Found on 18th Century Coastal Massachusetts Red Earthenware, where I mentioned a possible influence for some of the circled or swirled designs found on American red earthenware and stoneware dating from the late seventeenth to the early nineteenth century, largely with manufacturers in coastal Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey - here are some similar designs used on seventeenth century European red earthenware.

One source of inspiration may have been a type of pottery known as Metropolitan ware, which was produced in the Surrey-Hampshire border area in England, and was a major supplier of everyday household pottery to the London area. But this type of ceramic has also been recovered from various American archaeological contexts, including in the Boston area.

However, the main source for this type of production may have been Werra ware and Weser ware, which are related styles of slip-decorated earthenware made in central Germany from the second half of the sixteenth century to the first half of the seventeenth century. Werra and Weser wares were part of a wider flourishing movement of Renaissance slip decorated earthenware manufactured in Europe which began in the early sixteenth century. This included the French pottery of Beauvais and Saintonge, North Holland slip decorated earthenware and similar wares made in other parts of the German-speaking lands, as well as in Switzerland, Poland and Hungary. These types of wares were imported into Britain, and similar wares are thought to have influenced the slip-trailed Metropolitan pottery made in the seventeenth century, as well as some Staffordshire and other wares.

Furthermore, it would make sense that the popularity of this design then spread to America in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, as demonstrated in yesterday's post, where some potters seem to have produced a related spiraled design in places like Charlestown, Massachusetts and the Salem / Danvers, Massachusetts area before the American Revolution, as well as perhaps Bristol County, Massachusetts after 1775.

Additionally, some of the stoneware objects that are adorned with this type of spiraled design are referred to as a cobalt decorated "watch spring." This probably stems from the watch spring design, which was first used when mechanical watches were invented in Europe in the fifteenth or sixteen century that evolved from larger, spring-driven clocks. Mechanical watches first emerged in Europe during the sixteenth century, evolving from earlier spring-powered clocks. While the exact origin is debated, German cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg are credited with producing some of the earliest examples.

Some Spiraled Designs Used on Seventeenth Century Pottery

(Left) 17th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Metropolitan Ware Sherd

The Sherd was Found on the Thames Foreshore in London

It is Adorned with a Spiraled Design

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Lara Maiklem

Circa 1550-1650 Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sherd

This is Werra Ware from Germany

The Sherd was Found on the Thames Foreshore in London

It is Adorned with a Spiraled Design

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Lara Maiklem

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

A Preview of Forthcoming Tenth Book: Some Information About Spiraled Slip Designs Found on 18th Century Coastal Massachusetts Red Earthenware

This slip decorated red earthenware sherd was recovered from a circa 1720-1860 archaeological context at the South Ferry Terminal site at Battery Park in Manhattan, although it is likely eighteenth century in origin: https://archaeology.cityofnewyork.us/collection/search/south-ferry-terminal-110287-redware-body-sherd/keyword/redware/page/18.

The slip decorated motif appears to have been applied in a spiral, which is a type seen with potters working in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts and Essex County, Massachusetts. However, the use of the yellow on top of the olive brown glaze (perhaps imitating styles produced by British potters in the seventeenth and eighteenth century) is also a type found with some potters working in Charlestown, as well as the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area before the American Revolution; the archaeology report suggests this sherd was possibly made in New England.

The spiral technique is also seen with some eighteenth and early nineteenth century stoneware potters working in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, etc. All of this information will be covered in my forthcoming 900+ page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.

This is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, "...A few years ago, my nephew Jason and I, were mudlarking along the Bass River in Danversport, Massachusetts, which is where a lot of household trash was deposited in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, when we came across the remains of a slip decorated red earthenware sherd from a pan. This was a noteworthy discovery, seeing that it was previously published that not a lot of slip decorated red earthenware was produced after the American Revolution in the Danvers area. Although, I have always questioned this idea, seeing that not a lot is known about this type of production with there being a lack of archaeology due to twentieth century development at the location of a number of the area's eighteenth century potter’s sites. The circular or spiraled slip design on the pan sherd is similar to the design found on a sherd recovered at the site of the James Kettle Pottery, circa late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. However, this style of decoration may have also been produced at a business owned by his son, Jonathan Kettle in Peabody after 1731, along with other potters who worked in the area and were influenced by the Kettles, etc. This type of spiraled design is also a type associated with producton in Charlestown, Massachusetts before the American Revolution and Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is also associated with stoneware production in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, etc. in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century."

Note: This type of spiraled design on red earthenware was not exclusive to American production so it should not be used as a single characteristic in identifying an object's origin.

A Preview of Forthcoming Tenth Book

This Sherd was Recovered from the South Ferry Terminal Site in Manhattan

Context: 1720-1860

Although Likely 18th Century in Origin

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: New York City Archaeological Repository

Some Information that will be Included in Forthcoming Tenth Book

See Article for More Information

Some Information that will be Included in Forthcoming Tenth Book

See Article for More Information

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

A Late 19th Century Painted Red Earthenware Vase from Beverly, Massachusetts Recently Found in Pennsylvania

This is a circa 1870s-1890s painted red earthenware vase with a glazed interior that is attributed to the Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1904) Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts, which was recently found in a private collection in Pennsylvania. Lawrence's father migrated to America in the early 1800s from Portugal, arriving in the Beverly and Danvers area, whereas he learned the potter's trade in Peabody, Massachusetts before establishing his business in Beverly in the 1860s.

Examples of Beverly pottery are owned by a number of museums today, including Historic Beverly, as well as the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Peabody, Massachusetts Historical Society and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, among others: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/4584.

The most recent example of Beverly pottery to sell at auction is perhaps a slip decorated pitcher that sold last month at Heckler's Auction in Connecticut; there was some speculation that this object may have been made in Hagerstown, Maryland, although recently I handled it, and there are a number of aspects about it that appear like pitchers made in Beverly: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/07/a-good-19th-century-slip-decorated-red.html.

Nonetheless, there will also be a section about the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in my forthcoming, 900-page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. However, in the meantime - for more information - see my first published book, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-beverly-pottery-the-wares-of-charles-a-lawrence/.

Also, see a feature story I wrote that was published on pages 28-29 in the January 10, 2025 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, Japanese Design Influence On Painted Red Earthenware In Late Nineteenth Century Beverly, Mass.: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/01/new-published-feature-story-in-antiques.html.

Late 19th C. Painted Red Earthenware Vase from Beverly, Mass.

Circa 1870s-1890s Painted Red Earthenware Vase with a Glazed Interior

Attributed to the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Recently Found in Pennsylvania

Stands About 3 1/2" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Andy Kmiec

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

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Recovered from the York River in York, Maine

Published as part of my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth Maine, is some very interesting red earthenware sherds recovered in York, Maine. Those sherds were recovered from a trash pit found behind a seventeenth century house in York owned by Joel Lefever, who is the executive director of the Old York Historical Society. The sherds were likely made by a local manufacturer, whether it was by an undocumented potter working in York or a potter located within the York and Portsmouth, New Hampshire area.

Nonetheless, I learned about this nineteenth century red earthenware jug yesterday from Peggy Wishart, who is the director of the research center at the Old York Historical Society. This jug was recovered upstream of Sewall's Bridge in the York River. The bridge was the first pile-driven drawbridge built in America based on a civil engineering plan. Designed and constructed by Major Samuel Sewall (1688-1769) in 1761, it served as a model for similar bridges in other locations, including Charlestown, Malden, and Beverly, Massachusetts, and even one in Paris, France.

Early 20th Century Postcard of Sewall's Bridge in York, Maine

The Bridge was Originally Constructed in 1761

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress

The York River in Maine has a rich history, deeply intertwined with the development of the town of York itself, which was one of the earliest English settlements in the region. The location of the river and the harbor made it a focal point for early settlement and trade, attracting people to the area. This type of trade along the river existed into the nineteenth century with wares brought to the area from both domestic and interntational manufacturers.

It was noted in my seventh book that some of potters who worked in Maine peddled their wares to various communities throughout the state, including those located along the coast: "From notes obtained by (an early collector and writer) Miss Maragaret Jewell (in the early-20th century) from Benjamin Foster (potter in North Yarmouth) when he was an old man, we learn that the Fosters sold (some of) their wares by boat, taking a load "down east" every spring. Thus they disposed of North Yarmouth (today known as Yarmouth) pottery in Freeport, Brunswick, Windham, Gray and other places." It was also noted in the book that the Dodge family operated a successful multigenerational red earthenware business in Portsmouth during the late eighteenth and part of the nineteenth century; York is located about nine miles to the north of Portsmouth.

Note: For more information about York - see a cover 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.html.

19th C. Red Earthenware Jug Recovered from the York River in York, Maine

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Possibly Made in Maine

Recovered from the York River in York, Maine

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

Another View of the Jug

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

A View of the Base

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

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A Significant 18th Century Slip-Scipt Decorated Red Earthenware Pan from 1793 Recovered in Rollinsford, New Hampshire

This is a really exciting object that I just learned about from Peggy Wishart, who is the director of the research center at the Old York, Maine Historical Society. This late eighteenth century red earthenware slip-script decorated pan was recovered from the Salmon Falls River in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, which is located about fourteen miles from Portsmouth, New Hampshire and about eleven miles from York, Maine. Portsmouth and York are coastal communities that saw a lot of imported goods arrive from both domestic and international manufacturers in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. 

The Location of Rollinsford, New Hampshire

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The script reads in part, “Shall My… Eat until / … grind[?] like these 1793.” The manufacture of the plate is comparable to some types produced at the Daniel Bayley (1722-1792) Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, circa 1764-1799, along with wares made in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century in Bristol County, Massachusetts, etc. Some of the Quaker related objects produced in Bristol County were also adorned with slip-script, such as marriage jars.

However, what really piques my interest about this object is whether this is a type of religious script, and perhaps related to the Quakers, who lived in the Dover, New Hampshire and southern Maine area. For instance, there was a Quaker meeting house in Dover that was raised in 1768. Rollinsford is located about four miles to the northeast of Dover.

Interestingly, the Quaker Movement in Dover dates back to 1662, which is during the height of the Puritan pushback in places like Salem, Massachusetts. Dover's first meeting house was built in 1680, a year before the English Quaker William Penn (1644-1718) founded Pennsylvania in 1681, when King Charles II (1630-1685) granted him a charter for over 45,000 square miles of land. Penn had previously helped found Quaker settlements in West New Jersey.

The first Quaker missionaries to arrive in Dover were three women from England in 1662: Mary Tompkins, Alice Ambrose and Ann Coleman, who were punished for their faith, and lashed to a cart, stripped to the waist and whipped. Quakers from Salem played a significant role in establishing the Quaker presence in Dover, and other areas in the region, much like the Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts area was also intertwined with the Quakers in Bristol County.

This is the Friends Meeting House in Dover, New Hampshire

It was Built in 1768

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Photo Courtesy: National Fund for Sacred Places

Note: To my knowledge, this is now the second example of eighteenth century slip script recovered near coastal northern New England with the other example found about ten years ago near Portland in Historic Westbrook, Maine. Those sherds were exhibited in 2019-2020, as part of a museum exhibit that I guest curated at the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, titled, Potters on the Merrimac: A Century of New England Ceramics, whereas they were then later published in my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth Maine: https://historicbeverly.net/product/94597/.

18th Century Slip-Scipt Decorated Red Earthenware Pan from 1793

Late 18th Century Slip-Script Pan Recovered in Rollinsford, New Hampshire

The Pan is Dated "1793"

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

A View of the Date "1793"

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

A Closer View of Some of the Script

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

A View of the Color of the Clay

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Photo Courtesy: Old York, Maine Historical Society

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