Vase attributed to Christian or Jacob Adam [14]
1778 Jacob Adam, John Adam Jr, and Peter Adam, perhaps sons of John Adam Senior, all took the oath of allegiance in Washington County on Henry Schnebeley's returns. [1] William Adam was listed on John Barnes' return. [2] [3] [4]
1783 John Adam Jr and Peter Adam were taxed in Salisbury & Conococheague Hundreds, Washington County, Maryland. [5]
1790 John Adams Jr lived in Washington County, Maryland in a household with one adult male, four males under age 16, and three females. Adjacent listings were for John Adams Sr and Christian Winebrenner. [6] [7]
1798 John Adams was named on the US direct tax list for Bedford County, living in Woodbury Twp on land owned by George Shoup. John Adams was listed as owner [no other occupant] of a tract with 1 house (22 by 20 feet) with a stable adjacent to Richard Shirley. [8]
This John Adam [junior] died by 1807 and was named as a deceased son in the will of father John Adam [senior] dated 1807. The children of this John Adam [junior] were named in the accounts of the estate of his father. Henry Adam, executor of the estate of John Adam [senior] may have been a son of this John Adam [junior]. The children of John Adam [junior] were Henry, John, Jacob, Mary, and Christian, perhaps, based on these records. All these names are listed here as children, except for John, for whom no subsequent recreds have been found.
1807-08 John Adam wrote his will in Washington County, Maryland. [9]
… 2nd I give and bequeath to my grand children, heirs of my son John, to each of the boys the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds current money and to Mary the daughter of John Adam, deceased, the sum of two hundred and thirty pounds current money. … In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirtyeth day of June in the year eighteen hundred and seven. John Adam. … Proved January 23, 1808.
1810-16 Henry Adam [perhaps a son of this John Adam junior] gave an account of the estate of John Adam [senior], dated October 3, in Washington County, Maryland. The Will was administered by Henry Adam on October 3, 1810. It was dispersed such: Peter £1250.0.0; deduct advance £310.9.6; Henry, Jacob, John, Christian each £250.0.0; Mary £230.0.0; Christian Winebrenner £150.0.0; John, son of William £40.0.0; balance £425.15.1½ to 4 heirs from the total estate value of £2785.5.7½. [10] [11] The will of John Adam made bequests to several grand children, so the names of children and grand children could be interspersed in the distribution list.
Research Notes:
Several of the children of this John Adam, including Jacob, Mary, and Christian, became or were married to respected makers of pottery in the Shenandoah Valley and New Market, Virginia region. Their pottery has been displayed at museums [12] and has been auctioned as pieces of art [13].
Christian and Jacob Adam were brothers. Jacob Adam purchased a New Market pottery from brother-in-law John Brouse in 1811. Jacob worked in New Market but left the area in the 1820s. He sold his half of the New Market pottery to George and Jonas Bodell in 1837. Christian Adam had already moved from the area by then. The pronounced rim of this vase is associated with both these Adam brothers. It is also associated with the work of John and Andrew Coffman, their apprentices.
[1] Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, Margaret Roberts Hodges, Revolutionary Records of Maryland, (1924), 19, items 78=John, 80=Peter, 174=Jacob, [HathiTrust].
[2] Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, Margaret Roberts Hodges, Revolutionary Records of Maryland, (1924), 17, item 47=Wm, [HathiTrust].
[3] Maryland, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1772-1890, [AncestryRecord].
[4] Bettie Sterling Carothers, 9000 men who signed the oath of allegiance and fidelity to Maryland during the revolution, [FSCatalog Book].
[5] Western Maryland Historical Library, [URL].
[6] United States Federal Census, 1790, page 25, left column, line 12 from bottom, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].
[7] United States Federal Census, 1790, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[8] Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798, Hopewell and Woodbury, list 2, line 10, adjacent to Richard Shirley. Christian Winebrenner adjacent to George Sharp and John Albrit, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].
[9] Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999, Hagerstown Courthouse, Washington, Will B-155, [FamilySearchImage].
[10] Dale & Deborah Jensen Morrow, Distribution of Estates Accounts, Washington County, Maryland, 1778-1835 (1982), not seen, [GoogleBooks].
[11] Dale & Deborah Jensen Morrow, Distribution of Estates Accounts, Washington County, Maryland, 1778-1835 (published 1982 by "Traces in four volumes", and republished 2009 by Heritage Books), [URL].
[12] Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst Street, Winchester, Virginia, [URL].
[13] Crocker Farm Auction of American stoneware & Redware pottery, [URL].
[14] Vase, Courtesy of Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, [URL].
[15] Cup, Courtesy of Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, [URL].
[16] Plate, Courtesy of Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, [URL].
[17] Plate, Courtesy of Crocker Farm Auction, [URL].