Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-05
CRAFTSMEN OF TWO CITIES

Greenleaf, Nathaniel shipman, and William Cleveland the last-named grandfather of President Grover Cleveland Eli Terry, inventor of the Connecticut shelf clock, also. learned his trade of Harland, as did Daniel Burnap, the expert clock maker and silversmith of East Windsor
 Joseph Carpenter, born in f7A7, was an other enterprising silvefsmith, whose, shop still stands fronting on the old%town green. This shop has recently been renovated and restored, as noted iii f'sThe Bulletin by genef- ous. and public spirited Norwich cit
 izens, at the suggestion of Henry W.
 Kent, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. formerly curator of
 Slater Museum, Norwich, who spends
 his vacations at Norwich Town. Other silversmiths working in Ner-
 Wicf1 in early days were. William Ad-
 gate, Samuel Moves, Gurdon Tracy Charles Whiting, Philip and Russell
 Huntington, in the eighteenth century,
 and Judah Hart and Alvah Wilcox of the firm of Hart & Wilcox, Thomas c. Colt. and Elisha Mansfield, of tse firm of Colt & Mansfield, also William
 Gurley,- in the early part of the nine teenth. century.
 New London, another enterprising and wealthy town, fad it's quota of silversmiths, MT. Curtis recalls. Men ! tion has already been made of Dan- | iel Deshon, (16sf-17SD.
 1 John Gray, G692 -1720) and Samuel 1 Gray (16s4-1713) both born in Boston 1 followed their trade in New London I at an early date. Two interesting l pieces made by the latter, a can and 1 a snuff box were shown in the re-
 cent silver exhibition at the Boston
 Museum of Fine Arts.
 l Captain Pyean Adams was the sor of Rev. EiiphaIet Adams, pastor of the 1 Congregational church, New London I succeeding Hon. Gurdon Saltonstall when the latter became governor o1 l Connecticut. G
 Capt. Pygan 1712-1776) was { prominent. man and represented tht ] town in the General Assembly at mos of the sessions from 1755 to 1765. H, l was appointed by the Assembly tt
 many important offices, as auditor Eoverseer. of the Mohegan Indians a
 their reservation below Norwich ant 1 one of the builders of the lighthous,
 in New London, in 1760. He was alst
 a deacon of his fathers church.
 He is called a merchant in the H
 tory of New Londen; but his father
 in a deed of gift to Pygan in 1736 icalls him a goldsmith; and Joshu; I Hampstead, in.his diary. has three en tries which show that when he need ed, anything in the goldsmith's line he patronized Captain Pygan Adams q In 1735 he bought of him a pair 0 gold sleeve buttons, in 173S some plat ed buttons, and in 1744, Pygan re placed the broken handspring of hi
 watch.
 Additional evidence puts him in tn 2 class of the best siiversmiths Con nectfcut has produced In 1910 a fin ' porringer bearing the mark "P. A. l was sold at Gui.ford. A rat-taile fspoon and tankard owned in Lyme and several fine spoons owned on tn
 eastern end of Long Island are also S : marked No other known silversmit had these initials.
 : Mir. Curtis book pictures a siIve coffee pot made by Pygan Adams from the collection of Judge A. I | Clearwater Kingston N. Y. Its neigh : including the finial. is 10 IA inches diameter of cover ? 3-4 inches, diam
 eter at bottom, T 7-S inches. It
 marks are, on the bottom "P. A crowned in rectangle, also ''P. A, ' twice in rectangle at right of handl, : John champIin (1745- 1so0) als . worked in New London and evidentl n did a good business.
 F In 1779, his shop was entered , Sburglars. and the list of stolen art s cles gives a good idea of the content Y of gold and silversmith's shop { : jthat period: 1'2 strings of gold beads I. 40 pairs of silver shoe buckles and : parcel of silver knee buckles; 8 or i, silver plated and pinchbeck knt |; 1-buckles: 6 silver table spoons; 3 doze
 tea spoons: 10 silver watches; lars quantity of watch chains, keys, mai : springs, stock buckles, stone ring I. jewels, breaches, etc.
 s November 30th, 17S1, he notified h e old customers and others that. sint t the destruction of his shop by u !" enemy, 'he has erected new one 2 his dwelling in Main Street"
 | This destruction" referred to u Y burning of New London by a Britt. It force under command of our rather tt 1 famous townsman, Benedict Arnold! -s THE DICTAGRAPH.