Marsha,

George Miller wrote "Perhaps the Rockingham sherds were a copy of the white
granite ware jug."  A side note to this is that Millington, Astbury & Young,
(1853-1860) the predecessor to Millington, Astbury & Poulson produced
Rockingham wares.  Charles Coxon built his career in designing molds for
Rockingham, yellow ware and cane ware forms.  Coxon designed the pitcher in
1861 for Millington, Astbury & Poulson.  It is possible that Charles Coxon
produced this pitcher in Rockingham once he opened his own company in 1863
(1863-1868).  Recent excavations at a small waster dump attributed to Coxon
have several variations on vessels designed by Coxon for other companies and
remanufactured with slight changes at his company (Rebekah-at-the-Well, the
cavalier and a hound-handled hunt scene pitcher).  See Ceramics in America
2003 New Discoveries section.  Also note no sherds matching the Ellsworth
pitcher were recovered from the waster dump.

Bill Liebeknecht
Hunter Research, Inc.
Trenton New Jersey

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
George L. Miller
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2003 1:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Query re:emobssed pottery design with caption


Marsha,

      Amy Earls recognized the Rockingham sherd with "JW Jackson the
Traitor" as probably being a copy of a jug (pitcher) usually seen on white
granite.  The white granite ones were produced by Millington, Astbury &
Poulson, who were potters in Trenton, New Jersey.  The jug is illustrated
in Edwin Atlee Barber's Marks on American Pottery (Ars Ceramica 1976
reprint edition page 48.  Better pictures of this jug are in David J.
Goldberg's excellent article "Charles Coxon: Nineteenth-Century Potter,
Modeler-Designer, and Manufacturer" American Ceramics Circle Journal Volume
IX pages 29-64.  Dave's article provides the history of the event
illustrated on the jug that reads as follows on page 45:

      "On Mar 24, 1861, Colonel Ellsworth and his Zouaves joined a brief
expedition across the Potomac River to Alexandria, Virginia.  With several
corporals, he climbed to the roof of the Marshall House and removed a
Confederate flat.  Coming down the stairs, he was shot and killed by the
innkeeper, James W. Jackson, who was a captain in the Virginia Army.
Ellsworth is considered to be the first casualty of the Civil War."

Perhaps the Rockingham sherds were a copy of the white granite ware jug.
There is an article titled "Highlights in the Development of Rockingham and
Yellow Ware Industry in the United States ? A Brief Review of with
Representative Examples" by Arthur F. Goldberg (not related to David J.
Goldberg) in the Ceramics in America 2003.  This volume has just come out
and should be available via the University Press of New England or through
online bookstores.  The article has wonderful color plates of many fine
molded Rockingham and yellow ware vessels in Arthur's collection.  In
addition to that, the University Press of New England is publishing Jane
Claney's book on Rockingham wares that is the results of her dissertation
research.

George L. Miller
URS Corporation