This tankard was smithed by J. Potwine in the Boston area. In 1739 he moved from Boston to Windsor, CT. J Potwine was born in 1699 in England and moved to Boston in 1700. He became a member of the Congregational Church in about 1715.
Potwine lived in East Windsor with his son from about 1739 to his death in about 1793. He did no more smithing in CT possibly because he was blinded by fumes created by the manufacturing process.
Dr. Henry Fisk, DD, Yale (Theology) took in Noah Merrick as a border where he met and subsequently married the daughter, Abigail Fisk. Noah was ordained in the Outward Commons (Wilbraham) in June 1741 in Nathaniel Warriner’s barn which was located at 599 Main Street. The ordaining council was to have taken place under a large oak tree in the yard of Daniel Warner’s house (area of 576 Main Street). On this morning a rude pulpit of rough boards was constructed, and a few seats of boards and logs were arranged around it to accommodate the people. Unfortunately, the weather was not clear with the sky hidden by clouds. As the morning went into day the weather became severe with an approaching storm. As the rain started, the people hurriedly adjourned the service to Nathaniel Warriner’s barn (599 Main Street). There, the ordination services were performed.
The tankard/chalice was either a wedding or ordination present or perhaps a combination of both.
Reverend Noah Merrick was born in West Springfield on August 6, 1711, and died in Wilbraham on December 22, 1776, at the age of 65. His gravestone can be seen in Adam’s Cemetery, Row 8, Wilbraham.
The tankard/chalice can also be seen in our museum at the Old Meeting House of Wilbraham along with other historical artifacts relating to Wilbraham and the surrounding area.
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