For those interested, I want to share a quick update on my forthcoming tenth book, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, Danvers, Peabody, Beverly, and Salem, Massachusetts. This two-volume, 1,990-page project is finally complete, and it should be available for purchase soon! As a quick preview, today's post features a red earthenware pitcher that appears to preserve information from an old note attached to this piece, which may challenge some past attributions: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2026/08/an-update-on-forthcoming-two-volume.html.
"...This eighteenth or early nineteenth century red earthenware pitcher represents a type frequently associated with the prominent Osborn family of South Danvers (now Peabody), Massachusetts. However, the handwritten note accompanying the piece suggests that attributing its production to a single family may be far more complex than previously assumed. The note reads, "Old Danvers herb pitcher made in the Robert Wilson pottery about 1800 which became Andover St. Peabody, Massachusetts."
The name “Robert Wilson” represents generations of an influential Quaker artisan family who operated prominent red earthenware potteries near 141 Andover Street in South Danvers, during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The family’s deep roots in the regional trade are anchored by Robert Wilson Junior (1724-1782), whose 1782 probate inventory valued his estate at a substantial £627 and specifically documented his house, barn, and dedicated potter's shop. His son, Robert Wilson III (1746-1797), inherited the craft, operated the pottery around the turn of the nineteenth century, and proudly served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
While direct records like this provide invaluable localized clues, definitively identifying early Essex County red earthenware remains a significant challenge. Although modern attributions lean heavily toward the Osborns, they were far from alone; numerous other Quaker families, including the Wilsons, operated extensive potteries across the Danvers and Peabody areas. These local artisan communities were deeply intertwined through a shared Quaker faith, collaborative apprenticeship systems, and frequent intermarriage. Because these craftsmen utilized the same regional clay beds, exchanged technical knowledge, and likely produced similar utilitarian forms, it is highly likely that their finished wares sometimes appeared indistinguishable from one pottery to the next. Consequently, unless a piece bears a rare maker's mark, family notes like this one are vital for separating individual workshop identities."
Note: It will be included in Volume II of the forthcoming book, where a very similar pitcher was recovered from a late eighteenth century archaeological context at the Narbonne House in Salem. The Wilson family is also associated with slip decoration and "Philadelphia" style red earthenware, all of which will be explained in the book.
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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