Chapter 7 in my forthcoming two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts, will cover the Wilson family of Quaker farmers/potters, etc. in Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts, including one family member named Joseph Wilson (b. 1735), who also worked as a potter in Dedham, Massachusetts in the 1760s and Providence, Rhode Island, perhaps circa 1767-1782.
Some previous published information has stated that he worked in Providence during the circa 1767-1770 period, but I suspect it was a longer duration since his household is listed in the Rhode Island Census in Providence in 1774 and 1782. But there is limited information available about Wilson's life and his production: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_580224.
The 1774 Census of the Inhabitants of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations lists his household of eight people as including: 2 males over the age of 16, 2 males under the age of 16, 2 females over the age of 16 and 2 females under the age of 16.
Slavery was legal and practiced in Rhode Island in 1774, although the Wilson family strongly opposed slavery since they were Quakers. This particular Wilson and his family were baptized in Dedham on October 14, 1764, likely suggesting he may have moved away from the Quaker religion, but that does not mean he did not still carry Quaker beliefs. This is also considered the "first primary record" of this Joseph Wilson, as his specific birth date was not recorded in the town's civil vital records. He also had a son named Joseph, who may have also been a potter.
In 1764 Massachusetts, the vast majority of baptisms occurred within the Congregational Church (successors to the Puritans), where Dedham was primarily served by Congregational churches, such as the First Church in Dedham. Generally, Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) did not practice water baptism, viewing it as an outward ritual rather than a necessary spiritual experience. They emphasized an inward "baptism of the Spirit" or "light" that occurs continuously throughout life, rather than a one-time physical ceremony.
However, Wilson is likely best-known today for an advertisement he placed in the Newport, Rhode Island Mercury News, on June 22, 1767, where he claimed to glaze red earthenware in the "Same Way as Practised in Philadelphia." This was a significant marketing move, seeing that in the eighteenth century, Philadelphia was viewed by many to be the center for high-quality, refined colorfully glazed red earthenware and some stoneware in the American colonies. By aligning his work with Philadelphia’s standards, he was distinguishing his products from what was already produced in New England during this period.
Interestingly, I do not think it is widely known today that Wilson then took out another advertisement in June of 1770; this time it was published in the Providence Gazette. Wilson stated that he had "engaged two Workmen" specifically to assist him in his new venture, where he formally proposed to manufacture "all Kinds of Stone Ware." Who were these "workmen"? What was their background?
Unlike the "Philadelphia-style" red earthenware he previously made, stoneware required significantly higher kiln temperatures and specialized clay (often imported from areas like New Jersey). This move may have signaled his intent to compete with imported products available in coastal Rhode Island and Massachusetts, etc., as well as the domestic stoneware manufactured in places like Manhattan and Philadelphia.
Nonetheless, it was also previously published that Wilson was the subject of two lawsuits; a "Joseph Wilson of Providence" in 1782, and a second that cited a "Joseph Wilson formerly of Providence, now a Potter in Boston" in 1784. The 1782 suit was filed by the potter John Thomas (1754-1843) in Newburyport, Massachusetts, while the other was filed by a prominent Bostonian. Thomas was likely working at the circa 1764-1799 Daniel Bayley (1729-1792) Pottery Company in Newburyport, although he eventually relocated to North Yarmouth, Maine in 1791. Thomas' suit was unsuccessful, while Wilson lost the second suit in 1784.
Both of these lawsuits are described in detail in the forthcoming book! For more information about production in North Yarmouth - see my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine: https://historicbeverly.net/product/from-one-town-came-many-the-red-earthenware-industry-of-ancient-north-yarmouth-maine/.
Note: It is also important to note that there was a Joseph Wilson (1779–1857), who was a prominent American ship and ornamental carver based in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He is most famous for his work on the Timothy Dexter (1747-1806) estate in Newburyport. This project is considered one of the most remarkable and eccentric examples of early American folk art. Around 1799 to 1801, Wilson was commissioned by the wealthy and eccentric "Lord" Timothy Dexter to create a "mansion of wonders". Wilson carved over forty life-sized wooden statues that were mounted on high pedestals in Dexter's garden. Wilson was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and may have been from the same line of Wilsons, which also involved the family of potters.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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