Quakers maintained meticulous marriage records in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century, as part of a unique ceremony that did not involve a minister. The process was highly structured and centered around the local Monthly Meeting, which was the primary body responsible for recording vital information. This particular marriage record shown below is from Britain in 1684, where the history of the Quaker religion and the potters living in coastal Massachusetts, etc. will a major part of my forthcoming two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.
It was noted in my fifth book, titled, A Celebrated Industry: The Historic Wares of Southeastern Massachusetts, Bristol County and Cape Cod, that the potters in Bristol County, Massachusetts produced some red earthenware jars for marriages, with the best-known examples likely being the pair made for George and Debby Purinton's wedding in 1809, displayed in the Americana Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.
According to the MET: "These slip-decorated redware vases, decorated with playfully naïve birds and hearts, are inscribed with the names George Purinton and Debby Purinton. George Purinton was a member of the Purinton family, important Quaker potters in Somerset, Massachusetts. These vases were likely made for George and Deborah by a member of the Purinton family on the occasion of their marriage in January 1809. The Purinton Pottery is credited with initiating the manufacture of redware in Somerset, an industry that would eventually lend its name to an area of the town: Pottersville. Clark Purinton began the pottery after moving to the area in 1753 and his sons, including George, continued the family business. These are unique examples of early redware due to their whimsical and personalized decoration, their monumental size, and their documented attribution to a specific family of potters."
Link to Jar One: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/668770
Link to Jar Two: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/670148
Interestingly, the Purinton family came to Bristol County from the Salem, Massachusetts area and was intertwined with production in the Danvers and Salem area. The Purintons are believed to have been the first potters in Bristol County when they arrived in 1753.
Nevertheless, there are other examples of marriage jars known, as well a small group of late eighteenth and/or early nineteenth century red earthenware jars adorned with unique finials, etc. All of this information will be highlighted in the new book, but it was also previously noted in the fifth book.
The last example of this type of production to sell in a public or private setting was a badly damaged jar that sold at Crocker Farm in Maryland in 2023; the jar was inscribed with the initials "LP," perhaps representing a member of the Purinton family: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2023-11-10/lot-36/Extremely-Rare-18th-Century-Bristol-County-MA-Large-Sized-Redware-Jar-w-Profuse-Yellow-Slip-Decoration/.
Note: For more information - see an article posted to this website in November 2023, titled, A Historically Significant Piece of Slip-Decorated Red Earthenware from Somerset, Bristol County, Massachusetts that Sold Last Night at Crocker Farm in Maryland: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2023/11/a-historically-significant-piece-of.html.
Quakers and Marriages Records from the 17th, 18th and 19th Century
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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