A research trip to northern New Hampshire yesterday was a massive success, uncovering new information about a previously undocumented potter who worked at the base of the White Mountains from roughly 1806 to 1843. Remarkably, this production has never been cited or written about in any twentieth century pottery-related literature.
His name was Jacob Barrows (1757–1843), a Revolutionary War soldier originally from Connecticut, Barrows lived in Hanover, New Hampshire as early as 1790, before permanently relocating his homestead to Dalton by 1806. A portion of Dalton's first inventory of taxable property in 1809 owned by the Dalton Historical Society explicitly lists Barrows as a potter, providing an invaluable contemporary record of his operation.
Barrows' craftsmanship likely roots back to his first marriage to Lydia Fenton (1757–1813) in Mansfield, Connecticut. Lydia belonged to the prominent Fenton family—a lineage renowned for driving early American stoneware and red earthenware production—and she was a near relative of both the famed master potter Jonathan Fenton (1766-1851), and Jacob Fenton (1765-1822) who later brought the family trade westward to Gerry, New York. Given these deep ties, it is highly probable Barrows received his training from his Fenton in-laws, though some of his work also closely resembles that of the earliest members of the Clark family: https://historicbeverly.net/product/an-influential-family-of-early-potters-the-clarks-of-new-hampshire-and-related-businesses/.
Together, Jacob and Lydia had at least eight children before her death and eventual burial in Dalton's Johns River Cemetery. Jacob later remarried Amelia "Emily" Waterman (1782-1857), with whom he had at least four more children; a son or sons from both marriages may have assisted in running the family's pottery production. Amelia is buried in Dalton's Cushman Cemetery, though it is still pending research where Jacob was buried whether his grave is in the Dalton area or in Vermont.
Evidence also shows Barrows operated an early pottery in Hanover as early as the mid-1790s, and hints that he may have worked as a potter in the Thetford, Vermont area during the 1780s. If verified, Barrows would be the second potter introduced in my forthcoming 700-800 page, eleventh book, titled, A Monumental History: Stories of Red Earthenware Production in Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires and Vermont, whose work may predate John Norton’s (1758-1828) Bennington red earthenware production—previously thought to be Vermont's earliest. Vermont was also the birthplace of several of Jacob and Lydia's children, including their son Urial (1791–1851). Urial and his wife, Mary (1784–1873), spent their lives in the region and now rest next to one another in Johns River Cemetery.
There are at least three existing matching red earthenware jars known from Barrows' production, all outstanding in ovoid form, separate vibrant multi-colored glazes and incised decoration, though they will be saved for publication. One retains a history of ownership with the Barrows family, while another was originally owned by Mary Fiske Houlton (1782-1865) of neighboring Lancaster, New Hampshire. After marrying Joseph Holton (1779-1855), Fiske moved to Lancaster from Connecticut in 1810 to live on a large farm. Following years of terrible crop failures, her husband grew discouraged and decided to move back south in 1822. Mary flatly refused to leave the home she had built. Recognizing her grit, her father-in-law bypassed his own son and deeded the entire property directly to Mary so she could run the farm and raise her children independently.
Under Mary's management, the estate thrived and became known to locals as the "Wilder-Holton House." She ran it as a busy boarding house for visiting court officials and raised her children there, including future Wisconsin politician Edward Dwight Holton (1815-1892). Mary and her family were also passionate abolitionists, and her home became a celebrated station on the Underground Railroad, helping escaped slaves find freedom.
Today, the Fiske family home stands as the oldest surviving two-story house in Coos County and is preserved as a museum by the Lancaster Historical Society and listed in 1975 on the National Register of Historic Places. Nonetheless, there is also existing archaeology that was examined; stay tuned for more information on this exciting discovery!
