Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-06-14

VI course everyone knows that
silver is manufactured in our nearby |
neighbor, Meriden, and wares bear
| ing the name of Gorham and Tiffany
are found in nearly every home. But
| how many, | wonder Town a spoon OF
! tankard made by Paul Revere. or a
caudle cup for the spiced wine
1 Aloned John Dixwell the regicide,
/ who lived in New Haven !, writes
| the work of many of the most famous
! with the early plate of e, Connecticut
churches prior to 1850 now on exhibit
! ton in the Morgan Memorial Hart
! ford Who knows that Thomas How
/ ard of Virginia was the first silver
smith to be registered in the colo-
/ mes in 1920, that Job Prince came to
| Connecticut from Massachusetts be-
J fore 1900; and that John Hull, the
i coiner of the pine tree shilling in
1862, and his partner, Robert Sander
son. in Massachusetts, made the
| earliest American silver! SO far iden-
titled.
,"Al those interested in colonial
arts and crafts should not fail to visit
the exhibition of church silver now
being held at the Morgan Memorial,
624 Main ST.. Hartford. For it includes
Florence PAUL Berger in connection
makers Of the late 18th and early
18th centuries, such as Hull, Dunn
mer, Winslow, Tyler, Dixwell, Ed
wards Hurd and Rouse of Boston;
Vernen of Newport; and Kierstead of
in 1922, and was one of the earliest
New York who came to New Haven
workers, in Connecticut, where khe
craft was later in starting than in
Massachusetts. This accounts for
the fact that the first churches to be
found in the state were obliged to
the fact that the first churches to be
found in the state were obliged to
; send outside for their communion sill
yer, as did also those of the early
settlers who could Oxford a silver
tankard from which, to drink their
home-brewed ale and cider or a
caudle cup for the spiced wine
which was taken before retiring.
Forty churches have. contributed
, to the exhibition over two hundred
, pieces of silver dating before 1850
, Among these churches the earliest
was the First (Centef) :. Church OF
Hartford, organized in. 1882, although
: the present edifce was not erected
until 1907. Curiously enough, but one
: piece of old silver is now in the pos
session of the church. and that was
returned to it sby the late William
: R. Cone in 1883, he having purchased
, it from relative of DR. Jeremiah
= Bradford who bought it for Is in
t 1903. when the old silver was sold in
9 order to get money for a new set
: 1t is a fine mug made by William
e Cowell of Boston t1682-f736) and was
the gift in 1727 of Abigail Wood
) bridge, wife Of Rev. Timothy Wood
e bridge, sixth pastor OF the church
e from 16S21736.
e "One of the two plain beakers with
l fiat bottoms given by the owners OF
| IJn Of T 1,C'r1, to+ br
Il First Congregational Church, New
! London, in 1899 may also be seen ir
: the collection: They were made by
, John Allen and John Edwards who
+ worked together in Boston in the late
d seventeenth century.
e The late George NJ. Curtis of Meri-
: den, to whose knowledge and inte-
a rest in the early American silver is
e due the preservation of a great dea
: now permanently < in museums, OF
: properly valued by its owners. con
: sidered the cup bought by the Guild
; ford. Church with the, Is pounds lefl
S by Henry Kingsnorth. in 1868, to be
: the earliest piece in Connecticut. /
d is undated, however. and bears only
J. the initials H. X besides the maker
i William Rouse's mark. He worked
" from 1639-1704 in Boston.
e Pennington owns eight early bu
Il undated caudle cups the work O.
n drummer Cowell. David Jesse ant
probably John Huh. David Jesse wa.
n born in 1870 in Hartford where hi
i father in law was a., prosperous mer
!, chant. His wife Mary Wilson's step
! sister was Abigail. Rev. Timoth!
/. Woodbridge's wife. Jesse worked il
# Boston during his short life which
r ended in LOS. He may have lcarne,
e his trade from John Coney, and h
Il also had dealings with Rene Orig
:, son, siIversmith of Norwich Yer,
Le little of his silver is known. =.
e One of the. interesting Connection
If craftsmen was Capt. Samuel Par
n mele of GuilferG who was seslctive il
Re the. Revolution. He made the hap
y tismal basin for the Guilford church
he a gift from Mrs. Deborah Spinning j.
ii 1858; and beaker given to- the sam
church by Mrs, Ruth Naughty in III;
l. Two chalices, unique in the exhi
re DitiOn, belong to the First Church @
: Christ, Fairfield. They ARE patterne
T. after the English ehalice of the las
tn half of the seventeenth century an
st were made by jeremiah Drummer. G
We Boston Q645-1710@ but not given t
" the church until 1872, according t
as the inscription which has been en-
30 graved upon them in recent years
re Dummer learned his trade from job
IN Hull the mint master, beginning a
~ the age of IA and remaining wit
Is, him eight years. He was an import
Id ant man in the }Massa chusetts colon
m and held many positions of trust. Hi
a son, William, was governor. of Massa
to chusetts; and another. jeremiah. wa
es agent for the colony in London fro1
DIS 1710-21. His wifes sister was MAJ
in rled to John Coney, who made thre
lie of the candle cups in the .stratfor
We church. Dummer- printed and prot
Ye ably engraved the plate for the fir.
eir Connecticut paper money in 1901
to some of which is; in the Conneeticl
p Historical Society. Most of his 81
nd yer is now in the churches.
John PotwiHe, who, although boz
ur in Boston, spent the last fifty of h
In ninetyfour years of. life in Hartfoi
IN and vicinity, made three beakers gi7
or en- to the Congregational church. Du,
al ham, by William Thomas in TAO. tt
nd work of Cornelius Kierstead, a Dutcl
n man already mentioned, AMONG II
no early craftsmen is found in sever
in of the churches and is noticeable f
IL its carefully finished details and ind
US viduality of shape Among the lie
ice conspicuous pieces but of great hi
ID toric interest, is a beaker or cup wi
h low splayed base lent by the Berk
81 ley Divinity school,. Middletown.
as was partly the gift of DIR. Anthol
ed Yelda1l, a loyafists Of Philadelphia,
ie- 1878, and it was used in the celebr
s" ton of the sacrament by the fir
his Protestant Episcopal bishop
cd, America, Bishop Sea bury. who
ion ashes were placed in, the chancel
st. James church, New London.
in "As has been seen by the. for
mt. going account not only the. donors