Cornelius Weygandt (1871-1957), who was an English professor at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote a book in 1941, titled, November Rowen: A Late Harvest From the Hills of New Hampshire; on page 272, he wrote, "I had heard much talk, from my first summering in Sandwich (New Hampshire), of the encouragement that rum gave to the harvesters in old time, but hard cider had driven out rum by the time I came along to observe men and manners in our hill town. I heard of the rum ring, a hollow tube of redware pottery slung over the shoulder by a strap, and I finally secured one down by Boscowan (New Hampshire)."
The ring flask or bottle is a form that is often associated with nineteenth century American red earthenware and stoneware production, although the shape dates back to ancient times with Phoenician and Chinese pottery. The form was also commonly produced in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, and frequently used as a portable or wearable water container for farmers.
Nonetheless, I cannot prove the history of this ring bottle, but it was acquired by the Vermont Historical Society in 1953 and reportedly used during the Revolutionary War by a man named Daniel Squier: https://vermonthistory.org/catalog?search_collection=redware&search=Search.
There were a few different men named "Daniel Squier" who fought in the American Revolution, seeing that Squire or Squier was a common surname in Connecticut during this period, but only a few of the solders with this name had connections to Vermont.
This probably represents either Daniel Squier Sr. (1725-1805) or Daniel Squier Jr. (1751-1828), both of whom fought in the American Revolution, as part of Colonel James Mead's (1730-1804) Regiment of the Vermont militia (see below). This was an active Revolutionary War unit that was authorized by the Vermont Republic to defend its western borders, particularly near Rutland and Ticonderoga. Led by Colonel James Mead, a key early settler and founder of Rutland, Vermont, the regiment served during 1777-78 period of the conflict to protect the area from British and Loyalist incursions.
Furthermore, Daniel Sr. and Jr. were both born in Connecticut, although the family relocated to Rutland, where the elder Squier lived until his death in 1805. There were also subsequent family members living in Vermont in the nineteenth century.
As stated, it is difficult to prove if this ring bottle was actually made in the 1700s since it does not fit with any known production from New England before 1800, although that does not mean it did not happen. The glaze seen on this ring flask is also a type found with some nineteenth century production in Vermont.
However, the younger Squier was living in Ontario County, New York by the early 1800s, although he does not appear in the first federal census for Ontario County (1790), as the area was only just beginning to be settled by New Englanders. This migration was part of a broader wave of "Vermont Fever," where Revolutionary War veterans moved westward into the Finger Lakes region of New York, as well as Western New York for more fertile farmland. Daniel and his wife Elizabeth are both buried today in the Main Street Cemetery in Canandaigua, New York.
Note: For information about red earthenware production in Western New York - see my latest two-volume book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York: https://historicbeverly.net/product/americas-great-awakening-and-migration-the-red-earthenware-of-western-new-york/.
Also for some more information about ring bottles or flasks - see my eighth 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/.
Ring Bottle or Flask Owned by "Daniel Squier" in Vermont
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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