Believed to date from the eighteenth or early nineteenth century, this dark brown glazed red earthenware jar from the collection of Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts features the distinctive initials "EW" or "E&W" or “ESW” incised prominently on its front. Whether there is a middle initial or not is significant in perhaps dating this jar; middle names were introduced to New England in the early 1800s to differentiate citizens sharing identical names during a post-Revolutionary population boom, often utilizing the mother's maiden name to preserve family lineages. Prior to this shift, double given names were virtually nonexistent in the working-class and were reserved strictly as a rare status symbol for the eighteenth century wealthy elite. The inscription likely represent the jar's maker or its original owner.
While the Connecticut River Valley was a major corridor for trade and home production, I do not believe the person the initials represent has been identified, though some of the important names bearing these letters are the Williams family of Western Massachusetts.
1) Major Elijah Williams (1712–1771) - He operated prominent retail general stores in both Deerfield, Massachusetts, and Enfield, Connecticut. His meticulously kept day books and business ledgers are preserved in Deerfield, which document both free and enslaved Black residents, 1743-1768. Additionally, because Williams supplied local households with provisions, imported goods, and materials, storage vessels like this jar would have been common fixtures in his store and household. The landmark Elijah Williams House (built 1760) still stands on Deerfield's Old Main Street today.
2) Colonel Ephraim Williams Jr. (1715–1755) - He was killed in action at the Battle of Lake George in 1755. In his will, he left a significant portion of his estate to establish a free school in Western Massachusetts, which ultimately became Williams College in Williamstown. His brother, Dr. Thomas Williams (1718-1775), actually settled right in Deerfield as a local physician.
Interestingly, archaeologists recovered a slip decorated red earthenware pan from likely a New England manufacturer at the site the Dr. Williams House in Deerfield, which was first constructed in 1748.
3) Colonel Elijah Williams (1732–1815) - A cousin to Ephraim Jr., he served as a colonel in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed the sheriff of Berkshire County in 1761. He was a primary founder of the town of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, establishing its early ironworks. Like his relatives, he wielded massive political and economic control across the western part of the colony.
Nonetheless, this jar and pan will be included in my forthcoming 600-700 page, eleventh book, which I am working on with a group of researchers, titled, A Monumental History: Stories of Red Earthenware Production in Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires and Vermont.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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