New Published Feature Story in Antiques & Auction News: The Singer Family Pottery Of Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pa.: A Brief Examination Of Simon Singer's Slip-Script Redware

My latest feature story is published on pages 2 and 9 in the current October 10, 2025 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Singer Family Pottery Of Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pa.: A Brief Examination Of Simon Singer's Slip-Script Redware.

Link to a PDF of page 2: https://www.scribd.com/document/929455499/ant-002-101025-Singer-Pottery-page-2

Link to a PDF of page 9: https://www.scribd.com/document/929456242/ant-009-101025-Singer-Pottery-page-9

New Published Feature Story in Antiques & Auction News

New Feature Story in Antiques & Auction News

The Singer Family Pottery Of Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pa.: A Brief Examination Of Simon Singer's Slip-Script Redware

This is Page 2

See Article for More Information

New Feature Story in Antiques & Auction News

The Singer Family Pottery Of Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pa.: A Brief Examination Of Simon Singer's Slip-Script Redware

This is Page 9

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Southern Maine

I noted a few weeks ago, in two posts, titled, Some More Information About an Outstanding Private Collection of Maine Red Earthenware and The Origin of the 19th Century "Thomas Kendrick" Attribution in Maine:

"(There has been a misunderstanding over the past forty to fifty years about red earthenware made at the Dodge Pottery in Portland, Maine and)...how some wares made at this business in the nineteenth century were mistaken for production by Thomas Truxton Kendrick (1803-1878) in Hollis, Maine. I believe this attribution began in the late 1970s; the basis for it was some wares displayed at the Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine, as well as a red earthenware pan published in Manlif Lelyn Branin's 1978 book, The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine."

Nonetheless, this is a nineteenth century red earthenware jug made in southern Maine from the personal collection of Lura Woodside Watkins, now owned by Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, which is adorned with the type of glaze that in the past has been attributed to the Kendrick Pottery. However, this is a type of glaze that was actually produced at different locations in northern New England, Western New York and Ontario, Canada, etc. in the 1800s. But the form of this jug is a southern Maine type, which relates to production in places like Buxton, Hollis, etc. The Dodges in Portland may have also made this shape of jug, although I have never seen a jug associated with that business before even though I have no doubt that jugs were made in Portland. 

Note: For more information about production in Hollis - see another post from a few weeks ago, title, John Alld's Red Earthenware Bottle Signed "J ALLD / 1811" - http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/09/more-information-about-private-maine.html.

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Southern Maine

19th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Southern Maine

This Type of Glaze was Not Exclusive to One Single Potter's Business

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Old Sturbridge Village

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Late 18th Century Red Earthenware Jug from Essex County, Massachusetts Dated in Slip "1797"

As I noted in a post from yesterday, "...it seems to be that the use of slip was less prevalent in Essex County, Massachusetts after the American Revolution, as opposed to before 1775. There were dozens of potters who worked in the area in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and it is very difficult to speak of everything that was produced, however some of the early potters include, Pride, Osborn, Kettle, Southwick, Clark, Wilson, Goldthwaite, Purinton, Cook and Symonds, etc."

This is an actual example of eighteenth century slip decorated red earthenware from Essex County, Massachusetts. The thought is that it was made at the William Pecker (1757-1820) Pottery in South Amesbury (Merrimacport), Massachusetts, although I would not entirely rule out the jug having been made in the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area. 

The reason I say this is because two of the characteristics used for attribution with jugs made in Merrimacport is the style of the rim and the handle, and in the case of this piece, the handle was broken off years ago and much of the rim was damaged. Both were then restored about twenty years ago by Walter and Jeannette Smith of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to the Smiths, the jug was owned as part of Hilary and Paulette Nolan's collection on Cape Cod, where they had acquired the jug many years prior from a dealer in Virginia. 

The handles produced at the Pecker Pottery were also typically attached at the rim, as opposed to the body as seen on this jug, although it is nearly impossible to speak for how every piece of pottery was made, so it is possible that multiple styles were produced. This is also a very early piece of pottery for Merrimacport with most objects that survive today dating from the nineteenth century. In fact, given that this is a piece of Merrimacport pottery, then this is probably the only object that can undoubtedly be associated with Merrimacport's eighteenth century production.

Nonetheless, this jug is dated in slip with the year "1797." It is unclear what this year means, whether it was related to a church or a meeting house or perhaps a historical event in Massachusetts. But one event that did happen in 1797 was the U.S.S. Constitution was launched in Boston on October 21, 1797.

The U.S.S. Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. The ship is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat, which was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed.

The U.S.S. Constitution is a subject found on various types of British ceramics, such as a number of examples displayed at the U.S.S. Constitution Museum in the Navy Yard in Charlestown, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2018/07/19th-century-ceramic-imports-and-uss.html.

There is also at least one stoneware object known decorated with the U.S.S. Constitution; that jug sold last year in the Mid-Atlantic and is thought to have possibly been made by Branch Green (1773-1847) in New Jersey or Philadelphia, otherwise perhaps another New Jersey or New York potter in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/01/an-early-stoneware-jug-decorated-with.html.

Two other events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1797 was the East Indiaman Friendship was launched (a very successful merchant ship) and the first elephant was exhibited in the city. 

Note: This jug will be illustrated in Volume II of my forthcoming, two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. Although, for more information about William Pecker - see either of these book:

1) South Amesbury’s Red Earthenware & Stoneware Production: The 1791-1820 William Pecker Pottery: https://historicbeverly.net/product/south-amesburys-red-earthenware-stoneware-production/

2) An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses: https://historicbeverly.net/product/an-influential-family-of-early-potters-the-clarks-of-new-hampshire-and-related-businesses/

Red Earthenware Jug from Essex County, Mass. Dated in Slip "1797"

Late 18th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jug Made in Essex County, Mass.

Dated in Slip "1797"

Stands 7" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie Shearer

Another View of the Jug

The Handle and Part of the Rim are Entirely Replaced

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Jamie Shearer

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Some Important Circa 1690-1750 Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sherds Recovered in Marblehead, Massachusetts

A statement that I do not entirely agree with that Lura Woodside Watkins said in Early New England Potters and Their Wares was that "...very little slip decorated pottery was produced in Essex County, Massachusetts in the eighteenth or nineteenth century." I do not believe this to be an accurate statement, and instead it is a subject that has not received much attention with little documentation of said production. Instead, it seems to be that the use of slip was less prevalent in Essex County after the American Revolution, as opposed to before 1775. There were dozens of potters who worked in the area in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and it is very difficult to speak of everything that was produced, however some of the early potters include, Pride, Osborn, Kettle, Southwick, Clark, Wilson, Goldthwaite, Purinton, Cook and Symonds, etc.

The new two-volume book that I am working on now will present all sorts of archaeological evidence showing various types of unique slip designs that were likely produced in the Salem, Danvers and Beverly area. The production of these early potters was really no different than what was happening at the industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1775; there were unique slip designs, as well as styles that were copying British types. There were also potters who appear to have been inspired by red earthenware manufactured in Philadelphia, which is a subject that has not received much attention outside of one potter's advertisement from 1768 in Rhode Island, although that potter originated in Danvers. Various forms recovered from archaeological contexts compared to similar forms produced in Philadelphia may reveal this was more widespread in Massachusetts before 1800: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/06/joseph-wilson-1760s-red-earthenware.html.

Nonetheless, be on the lookout for this new two-volume book in the near future, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.

I was thrilled yesterday to learn from archaeologist Christa Berenak of some domestic colonial slip decorated red earthenware sherds recovered in Marblehead, Massachusetts, which were almost certainly manufactured locally and will be included in Volume I of the book.

One of the designs incorporates crossing lines of slip and is similar to a known later red earthenware flask or bottle produced during the eighteenth or early nineteenth century period. Perhaps this bottle (see below) was made locally at one of the multigenerational family pottery businesses, although more evidence is needed to prove that statement.

The other design includes a circular or spiraled motif in slip, which is a style recovered at the site of the circa 1687-1709/10 James Kettle (1664/65-1712) Pottery in Salem Village (Danvers), among other contexts in the area. This motif is also a style used by some stoneware potters in the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey area, and dates back hundreds of years to designs in Europe. See these two links to stories that I posted earlier this year to read more about this circular or spiral motif:

1) A Preview of Forthcoming Tenth Book: Some Information About Spiraled Slip Designs Found on 18th Century Coastal Massachusetts Red Earthenware: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/08/a-preview-of-forthcoming-tenth-book.html

2) Some Spiraled Designs Used on Seventeenth Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Recovered on the Thames Foreshore in London: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/08/some-spiraled-designs-used-on.html

This is some information that will be included in the book: "The colonial history of Marblehead, Massachusetts, which is a neighboring community of Salem, is defined by its establishment as a thriving fishing port, starting around 1629, serving as the heart of the colony's fishing and trading industry. From that seventeenth century settlement that largely began with the common lifestyles of early fishermen in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Marblehead grew into a wealthy and prominent seaport, becoming one of the largest towns in the colonies by 1790.

There is no documented early household red earthenware production in the seventeenth, eighteenth or early nineteenth century, such as the case with many of the surrounding Essex County communities. However, some of the local potters certainly shipped their production to Marblehead, as well as perhaps the industry in Charlestown, Massachusetts, etc. before the American Revolution.

Recent archaeological excavations in Marblehead have revealed some very interesting colonial slip decorated red earthenware sherds likely from a local manufacturer (or manufacturers). They were recovered on the property of the Lee Mansion, now the Marblehead Museum.

For a brief history: The Jeremiah Lee Mansion is a pre-Revolutionary Georgian home built in 1768 for the wealthy merchant Jeremiah Lee (1721-1775). Lee was a significant figure in the American Revolution, using his vast shipping enterprise to smuggle arms for the colonial cause before his death in 1775.

This is the Circa 1768 Lee Mansion in Marblehead, Massachusetts

See Article for More Information

Portraits of Jeremiah (1729-1775) and Martha Lee (1726-1791)

Painted by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815)

Photos Courtesy: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

However, before Lee built his mansion in the 1760s, an earlier brick kitchen-coach house and outbuildings existed on the property. The slip decorated sherds are from earlier deposits that pre-date the mansion, circa 1690-1750, and possibly represent production from the Danvers and Salem, Massachusetts area. One of the sherds is adorned with a circular or spiraled design, which was discussed earlier in this chapter being a type of design recovered from different contexts in the Danvers area, including the circa 1687-1709/10 James Kettle Pottery in Salem Village (Danvers). The second sherd is adorned with a crossing slip design."

Slip Decorated Sherds Recovered in Marblehead, Mass., Ca. 1690-1750

Colonial Red Earthenware Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sherd

Discovered on the Property of the Lee Mansion in Marblehead, Massachusetts

Recovered from a Circa 1690-1750 Archaeological Context

Likely a Local Manufacturer

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Property of the Marblehead Museum

Artifacts Recovered at the Lee Mansion in Marblehead, Massachusetts

See Next Photo for More Information

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Property of the Marblehead Museum

Colonial Red Earthenware Handle and Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Sherd

Discovered on the Property of the Lee Mansion in Marblehead, Massachusetts

Recovered from a Circa 1690-1750 Archaeological Context

Likely a Local Manufacturer

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Property of the Marblehead Museum

This Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Bottle is Adorned with a Similar Design

Although from a Later Period than the Sherd Recovered in Marblehead, Mass.

Possibly Made in the Danvers and Salem, Mass. Area

Circa 18th or Early 19th Century

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Private Collection

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Good Example of 19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware from Beverly, Mass. Sells at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania

Last week, I posted a story to this website, titled, Some Information About Forthcoming Two-Volume Tenth Book: Similar Decorated Red Earthenware from Beverly, Mass. and Philadelphia, where I discussed one of the styles of decoration manufactured at the Charles A. Lawrence (1829-1904) Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/09/some-information-about-forthcoming-two_26.html.

Nonetheless, a good example of nineteenth century slip decorated red earthenware made at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly sold yesterday at Pook & Pook Auctions in Downington, Pennsylvania. The object was described as a coffee pot, but I suppose it could have been used as a teapot, too, although it also retained its original slip decorated lid. To my knowledge, there are only two other related lids known to survive from the Beverly Pottery today, one of those being a small circa 1865-1875 slip decorated pitcher in the collection of Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

This particular form is interesting because of the China Trade that happened in Salem and Beverly in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. Imported tea was included as part of this trade brought from the East Indies.

Furthermore, this coffee pot (or teapot) previously sold in 2014 at Conestoga Auctions in Pennsylvania for $1,200 plus the buyer's premium: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/26379505_19th-century-redware-pottery-coffee-pot-attributed-to-manheim-pa.

Prior to that, the lidded pot sold in a group lot at Pook & Pook in 2009 for $321.75 including the buyer's premium: https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/redware-coffee-pot-together-with-bowl-jug-5397381.

It is good to see the slip decorated red earthenware made in Beverly receiving the recognition today that it rightfully deserves; this coffee pot (or teapot) sold yesterday for $2,000 including the buyer's premium: https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/redware-coffeepot-8145850.

Note: For more information about the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly - see my first published book, titled, The Beverly Pottery: The Wares of Charles A. Lawrence: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-beverly-pottery-the-wares-of-charles-a-lawrence/.

This coffee pot (or teapot) is published in The Beverly Pottery book, although it will also be included in one of the two sections about Charles A. Lawrence that are included in my forthcoming, two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts.

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware from Beverly, Mass.

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Coffee Pot or Teapot

Made at the C.A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Mass.

Circa 1865-1875

Stands 7 1/4" Tall

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

Elisha Jones: 19th Century Red Earthenware Potter in Ellsworth, Hancock County, Maine

Yesterday, I posted a story about what appears to be an undocumented nineteenth century red earthenware business in the Brooksville, Hancock County, Maine area, located a short distance from Castine, Maine and to the west of Acadia National Park: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/09/a-possible-undocumented-19th-century.html.

I also noted in the post that there was not much information published in the twentieth century about any red earthenware production in Hancock County, although I doubted that idea, seeing that Castine was one of the richest area's in America in the 1800s. In fact, a lot of the other coastal communities in Hancock County were also successful during this period with maritime trade, fishing and ship building. The county certainly would have presented opportunity for a red earthenware business or businesses in the nineteenth century.

Out of curiosity, last night I decided to go through some census records in the Brooksville and Castine area, etc., and I did find evidence of red earthenware production in Hancock County, such as one business that operated in Ellsworth, Maine. This pottery was owned by Elisha (or Elihu) Jones (1801-1874), who appears to have lived the farmer/potter lifestyle that was common to a number of people living in northern New England during this period.

Jones was born in Ellsworth in 1801, marrying Alphia Murch Jones (1808-1888) in 1827, where she was also born in Ellsworth. It seems the couple lived their entire lives in Ellsworth, having at least two children, William (1828-1911) and Josephine (b. 1838).

It is unclear where Jones learned the potter's craft, whether it was from another Hancock County potter, etc., but he is listed with a primary occupation of "potter" in Ellsworth in the 1850 United States Federal Census. It is almost certain that he was working as a potter before and after 1850. The 1860 United States Federal Census lists him as a "farmer," although that does not mean he was no longer a potter.

Additionally, Jones' household is listed in the 1840 United States Federal Census in Ellsworth, alongside his father Theodore Jones (1760-1842), who was born in Weston, Massachusetts in 1760, arriving in Hancock County about the time he married his second wife, Catherine (1775-1848) in 1793. Theodore was a lumber manufacturer in Ellsworth, as well as a freemason.

The Jones family dates back to the seventeenth century in Watertown, Massachusetts, which is also where the Norcross family originated before family members eventually branched out in the 1700s to Farmington, Maine, establishing a multi-generational red earthenware business: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2025/09/some-more-information-about-19th.html.

Jones' pottery business was also referenced in Manlif Lelyn Branin's book, The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine, although I do not entirely agree with his interpretation of the company. Branin noted "...Jones apparently had two potters working for him in 1850, Samuel F. York, age twenty-six, and Richard Treat, age twenty-one....the pottery remained in existence until about 1860." But I believe this was a longer lived operation; Jones did not necessarily list himself in all censuses as a potter, such as 1860 where he was a farmer. He may have been operating his red earthenware business for many years, circa 1825-1870. 

In fact, I noted similar scenarios with some Western New York potters in my recently published two-volume book, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York: https://historicbeverly.net/product/americas-great-awakening-and-migration-the-red-earthenware-of-western-new-york/.

Nevertheless, shown below is a nineteenth century red earthenware jar and jug that I suspect originated at the same potter's business in Maine, perhaps the Elisha Jones Pottery in Ellsworth. These objects are both adorned with a related metallic type glaze - or a metallic sheen, which by definition is a visual effect created by the presence of tiny, reflective particles—such as metal flakes or mica—in a material, which scatter light and mimic the brightness and color variation of a polished metal surface. This is a highly unusual effect to see on a glaze made in Maine, which is the reason why I suspect these objects originated at the same business. 

Interestingly, the jar actually came out of an older house in Ellsworth; I found it in the summer of 2019 with my niece Alexis on our way to Acadia National Park. The style of the form of the jar and the jug are also mid-nineteenth century type shapes, circa 1840-1860.

Elisha Jones: Red Earthenware Potter in Hancock County, Maine

(Top Row) Household of Theodore Jones in Ellsworth, Maine

(Second Row) Household of Elisha Jones in Ellsworth, Maine

This is from the 1840 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Elisha Jones Listed as a 49-Year-Old "Potter" in Ellsworth, Maine

This is from the 1850 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Elisha Jones Listed as a 60-Year-Old "Farmer" in Ellsworth, Maine

This is from the 1850 United States Federal Census

See Article for More Information

Elihua (or Elisha) Jones' Gravestone in Woodbine Cemetery in Ellsworth, Maine

See Article for More Information

My Niece Alexis Holding a 19th Century Red Earthenware Jar from Maine

Came Out of an Older House in Ellsworth, Maine

Photo Taken in Bar Harbor, Maine

See Article for More Information

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar and Jug Adorned with a Metallic Sheen Type Glaze

Both Made in Maine and Likely from the Same Potter's Business

The Jar was Found in an Older House in Ellsworth, Maine

Possibly Made at the Elisha Jones Pottery in Ellsworth

Probably Circa 1840-1860

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jar and Jug

See Article for More Information

A View of the Metallic Sheen Type Glaze on the Jug

See Article for More Information

A View of the Metallic Sheen Type Glaze on the Jar

See Article for More Information

Another View of the Jug

See Article for More Information

A View of the Handle on the Jug

See Article for More Information

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...

A Good 19th Century Lidded Red Earthenware Jar Most Likely from the Industry in North Yarmouth, Maine

As I have recently posted on this website: "For those of you who enjoyed my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine, there will be two sections about Maine red earthenware in Volume II of my forthcoming 1,100-1,300 page, two-volume, tenth book, titled, An Early Industry of Household Wares: The Red Earthenware of Salem Village, South Danvers, Peabody and Salem, Massachusetts. These sections explain how production from Essex County, Massachusetts and the Boston area influenced some production in New Hampshire and Vermont in northern New England, although the main focus will be some of the potters in Maine. 

The reason for this is because the names Alld, Bickford, Corliss, Dodge, Norcross, Philbrick, Porter and Safford, as well as the industry in North Yarmouth can all be traced back to the Essex County and Boston area in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. In most cases, these families relocated to New Hampshire and Maine in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, otherwise they were somehow influenced by Massachusetts families. For instance, one family in particular, the Porters of Wiscasset, Maine came from a family of potters in Danvers."

This is a good nineteenth century red earthenware jar with what appears to be its original lid that will be included in the book, which was most likely made at the industry in North Yarmouth. I think this type of jar may be the form that most defines production in this area, based on the information and archaeology that is known about production in North Yarmouth today, circa 1791-1890. 

The families associated with this area's red earthenware production, include Brooks, Cleaves, Corliss, Foster and Thomas, all of which were multi-generational family operations. John Thomas (1754-1843), a native of Gloucester, Massachusettts, who likely trained at the circa 1764-1799 Daniel Bayley (1722-1792) Pottery Company in Newburyport, Massachusetts, established the first business in North Yarmouth in 1791.

Note: Be on the looked for the new book, although in the meantime - see a feature story I wrote for the November 2019 issue of  Maine Antique  Digest, titled, The North Yarmouth, Maine Pottery Industry, 1791-1890: https://www.scribd.com/document/432700038/North-Yarmouth-Pottery-Published-in-November-2019-Issue-of-Maine-Antique-Digest.

Also see my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Maine: https://historicbeverly.net/product/from-one-town-came-many-the-red-earthenware-industry-of-ancient-north-yarmouth-maine/.

Red Earthenware Jar Most Likely from the Industry in North Yarmouth, ME

19th Century Red Earthenware Jar Most Likely from North Yarmouth, Maine

The Lid is Likely Original

See Article for More Information

Photo Courtesy: Mark Newton

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...