Tuesday, January 21, 2025

A 19th Century Red Earthenware Wedding Vase from Monroe County, New York

Unrelated to any of the current documented production from red earthenware potters in Monroe County, New York in the 1800s, the information that accompanies this small nineteenth century red earthenware vase appears to be accurate, which a friend currently has listed as an auction on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356481194903.

An old tag adhered to the base, reads, "Individual Boquet holders furnished for the place of each guest at the wedding of Samuel W. Hastings and Sarah A. Sims at the home of the brides parents Zerah and Amanda McBevin Fairport, Monroe County state of New York - June 26th 1851."

Samuel Ward Hastings (1829-1898) did in fact marry Sarah Ann Burr Hastings (1831-1926) on June 26, 1851; her parents were Zerah Burr (1798-1880) and Amanda M. Goodell Burr (1804-1869) of Fairpoint, Monroe County, New York. 

Samuel is listed in the 1850 United States Federal Census as a "forwarder" in Perinton, Monroe County, New York, whereas this is also where Elonzo D. Lewis (ca. 1801-1879) was operating a red earthenware business during the circa 1840s-1854 period. Lewis and his family moved to West Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York in 1855. 

Not a lot is known about Lewis' production today, although he is a subject of a chapter in my forthcoming two-volume ninth book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York. All of the archaeology collected at the site of the Lewis Pottery in Perinton will be including in the book, which is owned today by the Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York.

Furthermore, the farm that Samuel and Sarah were married on in 1851 was described in the Fairport Herald on July 2, 1924: "The Plumb farm in the southeast part of the village (in Fairport, New York) which was the home of Charles Plumb the last thirty years of his life, was before he bought it, owned by his cousin Zerah Burr, who lived on the farm many years. Mr. Burr's wife was Amanda Goodell, whose parent's home was where the Victor Holmes house now stands (in Fairport), Mr. and Mrs. Burr had two children Lonson and Sarah (they actually had four kids), familiarly known as Bub and Sis Burr. Before Chas. Plumb's marriage he was employed by Mr. Burr by the month. Among other things he did, he helped cut cedar rails to fence the farm. Also he mowed with the scythe and cut grain with the band cradle or raked and bound after he threshed with the flail. Mr. Burr engaged in the nursery business, and for those days, had quite an extensive acquaintance, and a good trade. Scarcely a farm or village home in the vicinity but what had some product from the Burr nursery. A nurseryman whom Mr. Burr dealt with found it difficult to remember his name, so Mr. Burr told him to think of the little tory Burr. The next time they met, his friend saluted him as Mr. Sticktight. 

Lonson Burr (1829-1902) married Mary Bentley (1826-1898). He began in business on South Main street. The house and lot purchased by the R.&S. is where Mr. Burr's house and the wagon shop in the rear were. Mr. Burr manufactured lumber wagons a while, then moved West. Miss Sarah Burr married Mr. Hastings of Pittsford (Monroe County, New York). They lived in Brooklyn some time. Upon the death of Mr. Hastings his widow and two daughters moved to Michigan. A short time ago word was received that Mrs. Hastings, at the age of 93, with retentive memory, was still interested in everyday affairs. The Burrs were active in the Congregational church and society. Zerah Burr was an intellectual man and at one time held office of school superintendent of this assembly district."

Note: The Drake Pottery also ran a red earthenware business in Bethany, Monroe County, New York during this period; similar glazes were also produced in Erie County, New York.

Red Earthenware Wedding Vase from Monroe County, New York

19th Century Red Earthenware Vase from Western New York
Possibly Made in Monroe County, New York
Possibly Made at the Elonzo D. Lewis Pottery in Perinton, New York
The Drake Family also Operated a Pottery in Bethany, New York During this Period
Similar Glazes were also Produced in Erie County, New York
Reportedly Made for the Wedding of Samuel and Sarah Hastings in Fairport, New York
There were Reportedly a Group of These Made for Each Wedding Guest
Circa 1851
Stands 3" Tall
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: eBay
Old Note Describing the History of the Vase Adhered to the Base
The History Appears to be Accurate
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: eBay
Samuel Ward Hastings Listed as a "Forwarder" in Perinton, New York
This is from the 1850 United States Federal Census
Elonzo D. Lewis was Operating His Pottery in Perinton During this Period
See Article for More Information
The Farm that Samuel and Sarah Hastings were Married on is Cited in this Article
Published in the Fairport Herald on July 2, 1924
See Article for More Information

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

Monday, January 20, 2025

Circa 1865 Cowden & Wilcox Stoneware Crock with a Cobalt Decorated Deer and Trees Sells in Shermans Dale, Pennsylvania

An excellent example of a five gallon nineteenth century stoneware crock made at the Cowden and Wilcox Pottery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania sold earlier today as part of Richard P. Murry's 24th annual winter antiques auction in Shermans Dale, Pennsylvania. The crock was adorned in one of the best deers known from Harrisburg; furthermore, last fall a three gallon circa 1865 crock made by Cowden and Wilcox also decorated with a deer, sold for $54,000 plus buyer's premium at Conestoga Auctions in Manheim, Pennsylvania: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/09/circa-1865-cowden-wilcox-stoneware.html.

According to Karl Pass of Antiques & Auction News, "The prancing eight-point buck in cobalt is an unusual decoration for the prolific Harrisburg pottery operation. In 2016, Crocker Farm sold a C&W four-gallon crock, slight-sided versus slightly bulbous, with a deer in profile for $13,800. It had restoration. The auction record for C&W stoneware was set over 10 years ago in 2014, when Crocker Farm sold a two-gallon stoneware jug with a Civil War soldier in profile for $97,750. As a side note, John Cowdens son, the potter, Frederick Cowden, served in the 201st Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry C during the Civil War. It was during the war, in 1863, the partnership of John Cowden and Isaac Wilcox was formed in the capital city."

Nevertheless, the aspect about the decoration on this crock that sold today, which really makes it special is the addition of trees, whereas many of the deer crocks that exist from Cowden and Wilcox are decorated with a deer, but lack any trees. This crock has also never been sold before having resided in the same family's ownership in Pennsylvania for over 150 years.

According to the auctioneer, "This piece of stoneware has remained in the same family's ownership since it was originally created in the 1800s. In the early years, this crock was owned in the Cherry Valley in the Green Roof Farm District of Perry County, Pennsylvania. Although, most recently, it was owned by an heir of the family in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania."

For a brief history of this business: John Wallace Cowden (1817-1872) and Isaac Wilcox (1831-1906) initially established and ran this pottery in Harrisburg, although the company was also known as C.W. Pottery. The factory was a ceramic manufacturing company that was established in 1861, after Harrisburg was incorporated as a city on March 19, 1860, whereas the factory produced pottery until about 1923. This business mostly produced stoneware, but they also made some red earthenware, where production from this company was distributed locally, although it was also marketed in parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The crock sold for $36,000 plus the buyer's premium; there was a hole in the back of it, which kept the price lower than other less-decorated examples.

Cowden & Wilcox Stoneware Crock with a Cobalt Decorated Deer and Trees

19th Century 5-Gallon Stoneware Crock Decorated with a Deer and Trees in Cobalt
Stamped "COWDEN & WILCOX / HARRISBURG, PA"
Circa 1865
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Richard P. Murry Auctions

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Friday, January 17, 2025

A Red Earthenware Whippet Made by John Bell and a Possible Great Road Jug that Sold Yesterday at Pook & Pook in Pennsylvania

Last September, I posted about the Walter and Jeannette Smith Collection of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which sold at Pook & Pook in Downington, Pennsylvania, a collection that I had admired for more than a decade. I first met the Smiths back in 2013 when Walter contacted me after I wrote my first published research article for the October 2013 issue of the New England Antiques Journal, titled, Buried in Merrimacport: William Pecker, his pots and his kiln

Interestingly, a nineteenth century painted red earthenware whippet from their collection sold yesterday at Pook & Pook; the figure was made by John Bell (1800-1880). The paint was original, although there was a repaired break to the base. The mark on the base may read, "I Bell," but it is tough to tell because of the break, otherwise it reads, "John Bell."

Similar objects made by John W. Bell (1828-1895) in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania have sold for as much as $41,800, including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2005-05-21/lot-1/JOHN-W-BELL-Waynesboro-Pa-Redware-Pottery-Whippet/.

Furthermore, this form was also made by other Bell family members, such as Samuel (1811-1891) and Solomon Bell (1817-1882) in Winchester, Virginia. For instance, a pair of whippets that were signed "Samuel Bell / Winchester Sept 21 1841" sold at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland in 2013 for $115,000 including the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2013-07-20/lot-219/Important-Pair-of-Shenandoah-Valley-Redware-Whippets-Samuel-Bell-Winchester-VA-1841/.

Nonetheless, this whippet sold yesterday for $2,250 including the buyer's premium. I have also posted pictures of a very good example that is privately owned, although it was sold more than a decade ago in New York City; it is inscribed on the base "Solomon Bell / Winchester."

Additionally, a nineteenth century red earthenware jug sold yesterday at Pook & Pook that I suspect was made somewhere along the Great Road in southwest Virginia or northeast Tennessee; it sold for $7,500 including the buyer's premium: https://live.pookandpook.com/online-auctions/pook/redware-ovoid-jug-6954005.

Note: For more information about the John Bell Pottery - see a three-page cover story I wrote for the December 14, 2018 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Bell Pottery Collection at the Renfrew Museum in Waynesboro, Pa.: https://antiquesandauctionnews.net/articles/The-Bell-Pottery-Collection-At-The-Renfrew-Museum-In-Waynesboro%2C-Pa~/

19th C. Red Earthenware Whippets Made by the Bell Family

19th Century Molded Red Earthenware Whippet Made by John Bell
From the Collection of Walter and Jeannette Smith
Photo Courtesy: Pook & Pook
19th Century Molded Red Earthenware Whippet Made by Solomon Bell in Winchester, VA
Inscribed on the Base "Solomon Bell / Winchester"
Photo Courtesy: Sam Herrup Antiques

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

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Two Marked Pieces of Red Earthenware Made by Alexander Whartenby in Waterloo, Seneca County, New York

A location that seems to have had a long history of red earthenware production in Western New York is Waterloo, Seneca County, New York; production in this area began in the early 1800s with Abraham Yost (1778-1848). Yost first appears in the census records in 1810, although he is thought to have established the red earthenware business about 1802. Yost and his household are still listed in the 1820 Census in Fayette, New York, where the Village of Waterloo borders Fayette. He was the son of John Jacob Yost (born Jost) (1738-1823) and Maria Yost (1749-1825), who lived most of their lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Very little is known about his production, but he may have been a Bucks County trained potter; his grandfather, Johann Michael Jost (1720-1787) was born in Germany. He died in Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan in 1848.

Yost sold the business to James Thorn (1794-1884), probably in the early 1820s. Thorn was born in Pennsylvania and had family ties to both Middlesex County, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania; he operated the red earthenware business until the early 1830s, although very little is known about his production. Thorn is listed in the 1870 United States Federal Census as a farmer in Michigan. He also died in Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan in 1884.
Pages 73-75 from Chapter 1 in Forthcoming Two-Volume Western New York Book
This is About the Yost and Thorn Potteries in Waterloo, New York
See Article for More Information

But it was in 1830s that Benjamin P. Whartenby (1794-1851), who was born in New Jersey, purchased Thorn's red earthenware company, and thus began his family’s career in the pottery business in Seneca County, New York. Although, there is not a lot of information known about this family’s red earthenware production, either, but other family members involved with the company, include Benjamin’s son, Alexander Whartenby (1829-1896), as well as Alexander’s son, Benjamin F. Whartenby (1856-1906).

Nevertheless, the elder Benjamin's biggest accomplishment was likely helping introduce the production of red earthenware drain tile to New York State, which was a pioneering effort he was involved with, based on similar production in Scotland. This new idea of irrigation for farmers in America led to other potters producing related drain tiles in the Western New York region, such as Alvin Wilcox (1801-1862) in West Bloomfield, New York in the late 1840s and 1850s, as well as many other Western New York potters.

However, it is much lesser known that the Whartenby family apparently produced a wide variety of household utilitarian red earthenware in Waterloo; I believe there are only two objects that can be accurately associated with this company today, both of which are owned by the Waterloo Library & Historical Society. These objects will be illustrated for the first time in Chapter 1 of my forthcoming two-volume Western New York book, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York. Each object is marked“A. WHARTENBY / WATERLOO N.Y."

Note: By chance does anyone reading this post happen to own any other red earthenware pottery thought to have been made by the Whartenby family? Or even at the Yost or Thorn potteries?

Red Earthenware Made by Alexander Whartenby in Waterloo, N.Y.

19th Century Red Earthenware Pot with a Glazed Interior
Made by Alexander Whartenby in Waterloo, Seneca County, New York
Marked on the Base “A. WHARTENBY / WATERLOO N.Y."
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society
The Base is Marked “A. WHARTENBY / WATERLOO N.Y."
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society
19th Century Red Earthenware Pot with Two Handles and a Glazed Interior
Made by Alexander Whartenby in Waterloo, Seneca County, New York
Marked on the Front “A. WHARTENBY / WATERLOO N.Y."
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society
The Front is Marked “A. WHARTENBY / WATERLOO N.Y."
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society
A View of One of the Handles
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society
Another View of the Double-Handled Pot
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Waterloo Library & Historical Society

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Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Thrift Store Find: A 19th Century Red Earthenware Milk Pan Likely Made in Essex County, Mass.

I have always used the saying, "You never know what you might find if you don’t look!" And that certainly proved true yesterday when I surprisingly came across this nineteenth century red earthenware milk pan in the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Saugus, Massachusetts.

I suspect the pan was made locally in Essex County at either the Charles A. Lawrence Pottery in Beverly, Massachusetts or the Moses B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Massachusetts. In fact, the Peabody Historical Society owns a late nineteenth century catalog from the M.B. Paige Pottery, where the products sold by the company include milk pans of various sizes by the dozen that are described on page three (see below). An observation about this particular milk pan is that it is more refined than a lot of the heavier thrown examples made in northern New England in the nineteenth century.

Nevertheless, this is a very cool find because it is rare to be able to say where this type of milk pan was actually made, seeing that the form was produced by potters located all over the American Northeast in the 1700s and 1800s, although considering the context (the pan was donated from a local home) I feel confident that this pan was made in either Beverly or Peabody, circa 1870s-1890s. But there was also a lot of earlier production in Peabody too; i.e. Joseph Reed Pottery, Osborn family, Southwick family, etc.

For those who want to know what I paid - $12.99 plus Massachusetts sales tax!

For more information - 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/.

Also see my second published book, titled, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.

Note: The M.B. Paige Pottery will also be a subject discussed in my 709-page New Hampshire book that will be available to purchase later this month, titled, An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses, seeing that all sorts of pottery from this business was shipped to various areas in New Hampshire in the late 1800s.

19th C. Red Earthenware Milk Pan Likely Made in Essex County, Mass.

19th Century Red Earthenware Milk Pan Probably from Essex County, Mass.
Probably Made in Either Beverly, Mass. or Peabody, Mass.
Probably Circa 1870s-1890s
Measures 15 3/4" in Diameter
Donated from a Local Home 
See Article for More Information
Another View of the Milk Pan
See Article for More Information

A View of the Back of the Milk Pan
See Article for More Information
1890s Catalog from the M.B. Paige Pottery in Peabody, Mass.
This Information is Found on Page 3 of the Catalog
The Business is Selling Red Earthenware Milk Pans by the Dozen
The Pans Come in Different Sizes
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Peabody Historical Society

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

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Late 19th Century E. Swasey & Co. Sign Found in an Old Livery Building in Portland, Maine in the Late 1990s

This is really great! Last night I learned from a friend the story of how this late nineteenth century painted sign from the back of a carriage was found in an old nineteenth century livery building in Portland, Maine. It was the spring or early summer of 1998 when this building was opened up, retaining all sorts of original carriages and company related equipment from the 1800s; this part of the Swasey carriage and other pieces were found in the building.

For a brief history: E. Swasey & Company was a prominent business based in Portland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The company also had a branch on Summer Street in Boston. The company was run by Eben Swasey (1843–1906), his son Fred D. Swasey (1869–1931) and George Young. It produced pottery, crockery and glassware for wholesale, while also importing pottery from other American manufactures. The business model of the company was similar to how Moses B. Paige ran his company in Peabody, Massachusetts about the same period: https://historicbeverly.net/product/the-moses-b-paige-company-the-last-of-the-peabody-potteries/.

Eben Swasey began producing earthenware at his brick warehouse on Portland's Commercial Street in 1890. He had previously run the Portland Earthenware Manufactory with Rufus Lamson. Nonetheless, this sign now resides in the collection of the the Maine State Museum in Augusta Maine.

For more information - see my seventh book, titled, From One Town Came Many: The Red Earthenware Industry of Ancient North Yarmouth, Mainehttps://historicbeverly.net/product/94597/.

E. Swasey & Co. Sign Found in an Old Livery Building

Sign on the Back of a Late 19th Century Carriage
E. Swasey & Co. Operated in Portland, Maine
Found in an Old Livery Building in Portland
The Other Parts of the Carriage Were Also Found in the Building
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Chris Havey

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

A Bit of Information About Nathaniel Rochester in North Carolina, Hagerstown, Maryland and Western New York

I questioned whether Nathaniel Rochester (1752-1831) had any enslaved men working at his circa 1818-1831 pottery business in West Bloomfield, Ontario County, New York in a feature story I wrote, which was published last year in the June 7, 2024 issue of Antiques And The Arts Weekly, titled, Nathaniel Rochester's Red Earthenware Pottery: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/05/new-published-feature-story-in-antiques.html. I also noted in that story that the will he wrote about 1831 made it sound like his pottery business had already ceased production, although the potter or potters who worked for him have never been identified, but there appears to have been a Hagerstown, Maryland influence in production

Rochester was influential in North Carolina during the 1765-1780 period, in Hagerstown during the 1780-1810 period and in Western New York during the circa 1800-1831 period; his career accomplishments in each location are extensive, whereas there has been published information through the years that cite what he did in just North Carolina, just Hagerstown and just Western New York. But I have found no record of everything being put together to go along with the history of his pottery business and all of the archaeology collected at the site of the pottery in 1973 by the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Nonetheless, this is an excerpt from my forthcoming two-volume Western New York book scheduled to be published later this year, titled, America's Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York: "Following the American Revolution, the land in Western New York opened up for settlement and many of the people who relocated to this area came from New England, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Rochester was among those settlers, moving from Hagerstown, Maryland to 155 acres of land that he had purchased in Dansville, New York during a prior trip to the Genesee Country in September 1800.

In 1810, Colonel Rochester led a procession of carriages (from Hagerstown) bearing the younger children and women of the household and three great Conestoga wagons with household goods, his ten African American slaves and some of his neighbors who came along to help. The 275-mile journey lasted three weeks. The Colonel moved north, he said, "to escape the influence of slavery, to set his slaves free and to rear his family in a free state."

However, Rochester's involvement in the slave trade is disclosed in a 1790 account book owned by the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections of the University of Rochester's Rush Rhees Library. The ledger, which was obtained from descendants of Nathaniel Rochester, clearly shows the purchase and subsequent sale of human beings by Rochester and his two partners.

The first page of the account book, which is now bound for preservation, states that "Thomas Sprigg (1747-1809), Thomas Hart (1730-1808), and Nathaniel Rochester are equally interested in the Transactions which this book contains." All of the men are from Hagerstown.

The words under the heading "Negro Auction" on one left-side page read: "To Cash for 41 Negroes." The amount is 978, but it is not in dollars. In 1790 states were still using variants of the British Pound Sterling. On the top of the right-side pages is the word "Contra."

In May of 1790, in a typical transaction, under "Negro Auction" are the words: "To Cash for Sambo, Linus, Natt, and Jack 270." On the "Contra" side: "By Cash Boyd for James, Patience & 5 daughters 190."

Furthermore, there are other documents owned by the University of Rochester Library that cite Rochester’s involvement in slavery, dating back to the late 1770s, and some of which can be included with his occupancy in Hagerstown, beginning in the early 1780s; these family papers date from the 1774-1888 period and Rochester's notebook from 1776.

Aside from the names of Sprigg and Hart, Rochester also appears to be involved with Thomas Critcher (d. 1778), who was his stepfather; he married Rochester’s mother, Ester Thrift Rochester Critcher (1726-1779) after his father John Rochester Sr. (1708-1754) died in 1754. In particular a male slave named “Nedd” or “Ned,” who is cited in a document involving Critcher, dated August 28, 1783, where "Ned" is still cited in documents involving the Rochester family in 1814.

Some other notable later documents owned by the University of Rochester Library indicate that Rochester freed two slaves, Benjamin and Cassandra in Dansville, New York on January 29, 1811. There is also a two-page document of indenture for a “poor girl” named Cassandra with the same date.

Records also show that in 1825 and in 1827, Nathaniel Rochester charged Josiah Sheldon (1785-1849) $200 for “1 years rent of Slave.” Sheldon lived in Rochester, New York.

Slavery officially ended in New York State on July 4, 1827, although Rochester is documented as a slave owner until this year; the 1820 census also shows that Rochester’s household included four slaves, three of whom were under the age of 14. The question I have asked is whether there were any slaves who may have worked at the Rochester Pottery in West Bloomfield. It seems plausible."

Note: If there were African Americans working at the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery, then this was not an anomaly either for the American Northeast; for instance, I explain that there were slaves employed at the Parker family pottery in Charlestown, Massachusetts before 1755 in my fourth book, titled, The Dawn of Independence, the Death of an Industry: The Pottery of Charlestown, Massachusettshttps://historicbeverly.net/product/the-dawn-of-independence-the-death-of-an-industry/.

I also explain in my forthcoming eighth book, due out later this month, titled, An Influential Family of Early Potters: The Clarks of New Hampshire and Related Businesses, that there were enslaved men working at the Samuel Marshall Pottery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire before 1749: http://www.earlyamericanceramics.com/2024/12/proof-copy-of-forthcoming-new-hampshire.html.

A Bit of Information About Nathaniel Rochester

19th Century Slip Decorated Red Earthenware Jar
Likely Made at the Nathaniel Rochester Pottery in West Bloomfield, New York
Likely Circa 1818-1831
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Private Collection
Pages 267-273 in Forthcoming Two-Volume Western New York Book
This is Included as Part of Volume I
See Above for More Information

Household Census Records for Nathaniel Rochester in WNY: 1810, 1820, 1830

Nathaniel Rochester cited in the 1810 United States Federal Census in Dansville, New York; there are a number of people living in his household, some of whom are likely the slaves that he wanted "to escape the influence of slavery, to set his slaves free and to rear his family in a free state."
The 1820 Census shows that Nathaniel Rochester's household included four slaves, three of whom were under the age of 14.
 No enslaved people are listed in Nathaniel Rochester's household in the 1830 Census; slavery officially ended in New York State on July 4, 1827.

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