Among the area's of known red earthenware production in Worcester County, Massachusetts was North Brookfield, Massachusetts, where Charles Bailey (1744-1835) reportedly established a business in the eighteenth century. Production was then carried on by other local companies in the 1800s, such as the Drake family in East Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Bailey was born in Bradford, Essex County, Massachusetts in 1744 to Stephen (1714-1777) and Judith Bailey (1720-1790). He was baptized in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1746, and was living in Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts by the late 1760s, which is where he married Abigail Safford Bailey (1744-1823) on March 24, 1767.Their marriage record indicates that Charles was from
Newburyport, Massachusetts, which is where the Bayley (different spelling) family operated a red earthenware
business during the circa 1764-1799 period. Prior to that, Daniel Bayley (1722-1792) owned abusiness in Gloucester, Massachusetts, circa 1749-1753, and Joseph Bayley (1691-1755)
ran a business in Rowley before 1735. It is certainly plausible that Charles Bailey was working for the Bayleys in Newburyport before he migrated to Worcester County, and as a result, he would have learned of the Bayleys production forms and slip techniques.
Nonetheless, Charles Bailey first
appears in historical documents in Brookfield, Massachusetts in 1768, which is where his son, Charles
Bailey Junior (1768-1839) was born on November 24, 1768. He was then living in Hardwick,
Vermont by the early 1780s supposedly producing red earthenware.
However, Bailey is also cited in the 1830 United
States Federal Census as living with his family in Perinton, Monroe County, New
York; Perinton is where the Drake family ran a red earthenware business, and much like the Crafts family of Whately, Massachusetts, one Drake family member left for California’s Gold Rush in the 1850s. Bailey reportedly died in
Hardwick, Vermont on May 15, 1835.
Interestingly, one object in particular is illustrated in
Figure 36b in Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins’ (1897-1982) book, Early New
England Potters and Their Wares; she described the object as “Mug; black
glaze; torn attached label reads: “…clay dug and made in Fitchburg…given to T.
Marshall by cousin Jon…” The shape of this mug is also a type associated with
the Bayley family’s production in Newburyport, circa 1764-1799. For reference, I do not believe the mug was made in Fitchburg; North Brookfield and is located about 35 miles to the south of Fitchburg.
Perhaps there was a Bayley Pottery connection to
central Massachusetts by way of Charles Bailey in the late 1760s or early 1770s.
It is merely a theory, although the Bayleys were known to export their production
to places like Salem, Massachusetts, coastal Maine and even New Brunswick,
Canada during this period. The mug may also represent Charles Bailey's production in North Brookfield, seeing that he probably trained under the Bayley family before 1767.
Note: For more information about the Drake family in Western New York - see Volume 2 of my recently published two-volume, 1.400 page Western New York book, titled, America’s Great Awakening and Migration: The Red Earthenware of Western New York: https://historicbeverly.net/product/103125/.
Some Facts About Charles Bailey in Massachusetts
Charles Bailey and Abigail Safford's Marriage Record from 1767
Charles is Cited as Being from Newburyport, Mass.
The Bayley Family Operated a Red Earthenware Business in Newburyport, Circa 1764-1799
See Article for More Information
Charles Bailey and His Family Cited as Living in Perinton, Monroe County, New York
This is from the 1830 United States Federal Census
The Drake Family Ran a Red Earthenware Business in Perinton
This is Not the Same Drake Family Who Owned a Business in Massachusetts
See Article for More Information
18th Century Barrel-Shaped Red Earthenware Mug
This is a Shape Associated with the Bayley Family in Newburyport, Mass.
Possibly Made in Newburyport, Mass.
Otherwise Possibly Made by Charles Bailey in North Brookfield, Mass.
Circa 1760s or 1770s
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
No comments:
Post a Comment