This is another preview of my forthcoming two-volume, 1,900+ page, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly and Salem, Massachusetts.
While researching this book, I felt it was essential to include this jug, which was acquired by Old Sturbridge Village in the twentieth century. Here is that story.
"...While direct archaeological evidence fails to pinpoint this jug's exact origin, its glaze and slip colors closely match two known jars, including one in the Chipstone Foundation in Wisconsin. These decorative similarities suggest a potential connection to the Symonds family workshops of Salem, Massachusetts. Supporting this idea is the fact that this style of slip decoration on pans and jars is prominently found within Salem area archaeological contexts dating from the 1770s to the 1790s: https://chipstone.dom5183.com/objects-1/info?query=mfs%20all%20%22redware%22&sort=0&page=7.
The Symonds family of Salem represents a remarkable multi-generational legacy of colonial craftsmen whose primary trade shifted from elite seventeenth century woodworking to eighteenth century red earthenware production. The family's industrial prominence began in the 1630s when John Symonds (1594-1671), a master joiner from England, immigrated to Salem and established a workshop with his sons, James (1633-1714) and Samuel (1638-1722). Together, they dominated the local furniture trade through the "Symonds Shop" style, which defined the American "Pilgrim Century" aesthetic with its heavy oak, geometric moldings, and bold carvings: https://chipstone.org/article.php/458/American-Furniture-2000/Patronage-in-Early-Salem:-The-Symonds-Shops--and-Their-Customers.
By the mid-eighteenth century, the family’s focus pivoted from furniture to the booming colonial red earthenware market, a transition that began with a move by one member to Charlestown, Massachusetts. During the 1740s, Charlestown was the capital of New England red earthenware production, and records indicate a Symonds family member worked within this network of master potters.
Members of the Symonds family eventually established a pottery business in Salem around 1750, which lasted until the 1820s or 1830s. Spanning multiple generations, including the long career of William Symonds (1749-1830) in North Salem, they hand-turned essential household red earthenware alongside Salem's illustrious China Trade, while many Quaker potters operated in neighboring South Danvers (today Peabody), Massachusetts..."
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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