This post is another preview of my forthcoming two-volume, 1,800+ page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2026/01/update-on-new-book-book-sent-to.html.
While researching the new book, I felt a small group of early nineteenth century slip decorated red earthenware jars from Bristol County had to be analyzed and their possible relationship to the Purinton family explored, as part of the family’s migration from Danvers and Salem to Somerset. Here is that story.
"...Aside from the documented red earthenware marriage jars in Figures 2.1a-2.1b, a unique and highly specialized group of red earthenware jars emerged from the Quaker pottery centers of Bristol County, Massachusetts, during the early nineteenth century. Unlike purely utilitarian crocks and pans, these vessels were elevated through the use of delicate slip decoration featuring hand-trailed dates, stylized floral motifs, and personal initials. This specific aesthetic suggests they were made as commemorative objects, likely intended to celebrate significant events such as weddings or other Quaker celebrations.
The production of these "celebratory jars" is closely associated with the prominent lineage of Quaker potters in Somerset and Swansea, most notably the Purinton family. The presence of dates, such as "1812," and initials provides a rare, personalized window into the domestic lives of these tight-knit communities. Because Quaker belief systems emphasized simplicity and utility, the rare decision to adorn a vessel with slip-trailed flowers suggests these items were cherished heirlooms, intended to serve both a functional and a sentimental role within the home.
In theory, these objects may all be related to the Quaker traditions of the Purinton family (sometimes spelled Purington) of Somerset and Swansea, though by this point family members had branched out to other Quaker communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This family’s roots can be traced back to Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts, before 1750, where original family members learned the potter’s trade before relocating to Somerset in the mid-eighteenth century.
Interestingly, the jar shown in Figure 2.7a is adorned with the initials “LP,” which may represent either Lydia Purinton (1780–1861) or Levi Purinton (1784–1850). These individuals were the great-grandchildren of Daniel, a potter in Salem, and the grand-niece and grand-nephew of Clark, who established the family’s first pottery business in Somerset."
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