Britannia Ware

The American Frugal housewife ©1835 I ran across an entry on how to treat Britannia ware. (Britannia ware should be first rubbed gendv with a woolen cloth and sweet oil; then washed in warm suds, and rubbed with soft leather and whiting. Thus treated, it will retain its beauty to the last.')

This made me wonder what exactly was Britannia ware and it's origins. My search resulted in an article written by Stephen Hall for the Historical Society in Beverly, MA. In the article Mr. Hall tells not only some of the history involved with the process of who created Britannia ware but also shares some of the folklore surrounding the invention. Unfortunately when I first posted this post back in 2011 the article has since disappeared from the internet. There is a note from the Beverly Historical Society on their timeline of Beverly History:
1812 The War of 1812 closed Beverly Harbor to trade First Britannia ware made in America in the shop of Israel Trask (160 Cabot Street, ruins of a kiln can still be seen in the backyard.)

However I did find the piece from "The Plough, the Loom, and the Anvil ©1856
BRITANNIA-WARE—A LARGE ESTABLISHMENT.

The business of making Britannia-ware in our country has grown to great proportions, and its growth is still increasing in magnitude. Very much the largest establishment for this important business we suppose to be in West Meriden, Ct., owned and operated by the " Meriden Britannia Co." The establishment, whilst it has a oneness, nuiy properly be divided into three more distinct factories. One is north of the depot, where steam power i< used, and where the ware made is mostly cast, and for. common use. Immense quantities and diverse qualities of ware are turned out of this shop, exciting the admiration of even traveled persons. Another factory is "over east" some three miles, where water power is used, and where1 ware is both cast and "spun up" in largo quantities, and some of it admirable qualities. Up stairs and down, through many stories, are ponderous machines and multitudes of men, actively at work upon ware in some stage of its construction, from the rough ingot to the burnished vase or tankard. But the largest factory is " down in Wallingford," whero more men are employed, and where all the ware is either roiled, pressed and run up, or is the product of all three processes of manufacturing. In this factory the perfection of the art of making this ware is seen. With engines and machines, newly invented and constructed, with many men of great ingenuity long applied, with ample means and facilities, an immense quantity of culinary and purely ornamental wares of astonishing excellence i3 thus turned out into the American market. Each factory has its manager. Silver plating and burnishing are done only at this place. The burnishing hall is large, and the large company of men engaged in it furnishes some of the finest countenances in the State. • These three manufactories, under the name of " Meriden Britannia Co." are the largest establishment in this business on this continent. It has, too, ite "commercial gentleman," who is constantly visiting towns and villages in all the latitudes and longitudes of our country, effecting sales to persons of taste and refinement, as well as to those who use this ware in common life. "Where does our ware go to?" asks the manufacturer, astonished at the quantity demanded. "Where dots all the Britannia ware come from?" asks the million of users and admirers. We cannot say where it all comes from, but we can say, that immense quantities go from the large establishment of the Meriden Company.
End Quote

You can do a quick search of Images for Britannia Ware and discover that is was pewter plates, cups, tea sets, etc.

Quite a while back on one of my historical writer's email loops I'm on, I was reflecting upon the death of Osama Bin Laden and how wars in my life time effect me and apply this to our characters with regard to the wars our characters have lived through. Britannia ware is a result of the war of 1812. The old adage "Necessity is the Mother of invention." holds true time and time again.

Stereotype Printing

I ran across this printing process while researching the Philadelphia Bible Society and them being the first to print a stereotype Bible in the United States in 1812. This process was already being used in England and Europe and very sparingly in the United States but not with regard to Bibles. Here is a link that tells a little about the Philadelphia Bible Society and their printing of the 1812 Bible. That link also has a few pictures of the 1812 Bible.

Wikipedia says that it is a solid plate cast in papier-mache or plaster. In other words you're making a copy of the plate to print with, then recast when your printing plates wear out. Britannica online gives a little more insight to the process. Saying that these plates were stronger than a composed plate.

This printing process is still in use today but quickly falling by the wayside with more modern processes.

Another informative site is from Old and Sold entitled The Plaster of Paris Process.

The Philadelphia Bible Society

The Philadelphia Bible Society was established in 1808. This society still exists today. Their purpose was/is scripture distribution. In their 1809 report they stated they purchased 300 English Bible, 300 English New Testaments and 300 German New Testaments and their stock was quickly exhausted. So the managers ordered 1000 English Bibles, 200 German New Testaments. 

This information tells me a couple things. One, the need was great in the city of Philadelphia. Two, that German immigrants made up a significant amount of the overall community. 

Later on they also directed cheaper New Testaments be made in German and ordered another 300 copies. Then they ordered 100 French, 100 Welch and 50 Gaelic Bibles and 50 English New Testaments in large type. At the time of this report they were expecting this shipment soon.

At this point they distributed to the area of Philadelphia but saw the need to help missionary work as well. So they sent some to Muskingum to be distributed among the Indians and poor white inhabitants.

Their second report notes that 1514 English Bibles, 387 English New Testament Bibles 54 German Bibles, 196 German New Testaments, 45 French New Testaments, 1 Welsh Bible and 1 Gaelic Bible had been distributed. And again they cited bibles given to missionaries or other clergymen in different states to distribute.

They also mentioned in their report their purpose was not to "preoccupy a field which could be better cultivated by other labourers." and reported a list of other societies who also distributed scriptures:

The Massachusetts Bible Society, The Young Men's Bible Society of Ncw-York. The New-Jersey Bible Society, The New-York Bible Society, The New-Hampshire Bible Society, The Connecticut Bible Society.

In 1812 they printed 1250 copies of the bible, they hired Philadelphia printer William Fry. This became the first stereotyped Bible printed in America. Tomorrow's post will be about stereotype printing.

Taxes

There was no annual Federal Income Tax in the 19th century but the folks of that century still had to pay taxes. Here's a brief sketch of some of the taxes.

1812 because of the cost of the War of 1812 the nation's first income taxes were paid. Gold, silverware, jewelry and watches.
1817 did away with taxes and started to rely on tariffs on imported goods.
1862 Congress enacted the first income tax law
1862 Commissioner of Internal Revenue established.
1868 Congress enacted a tobacco and Spirits tax
1872 Eliminated the Income Tax law
1894-1895 Income tax returned
1895 Supreme Court decided the tax unconstitutional

Clipper Ships

One of the developments in the 19th century was the building of Clipper Ships in England and America. Clipper comes from a term regarding the pace of a fast horse but with regard to the ship it is because of the bow. The bow was narrow unlike other vessels at that time and the bow extended forward. This design allowed the ships to clip through the waves.

The first ship build was for the war of 1812 the Baltimore Clipper but the first to actually show the structure we know today as the clipper ship was built in 1833 in Baltimore. These ships are said to represent the Golden age of sailing. They were built for speed and for trade, specifically low volume, high-profit products. Spices, tea, mail and people were their primary cargo.

With the invention of steam these ships were gradually replaced with steam engines but they were quiet busy through the end of the century and into the early part of the next.

Another interesting tidbit is that American Clipper ships traveled primarily from Boston, MA. to New York and to San Francisco. In order to advertise these routes they put sailing cards in the local newspapers. Here's the thing, they used color in advertising. Below are a few cards:

Michigan Territory

In 1805 Michigan Territory was incorporated. At this time the people were primarily involved with the fur trade. Until 1812 the Indians were a vital part of the economy after the war of 1812 and over the next 30 years the Federal government started to take over the Indian lands and remove them from the area.

It is also important to note in this area that French were the first majority of European settlers, then the English.

The war of 1812 also changed the economics of the region, fur was no longer as valuable, lands were being developed for farm.

Here's an excerpt from Memoirs of Lenawee County, Michigan from the point of view of a six year old in 1835 retold as a grown man...
"It was very interesting to hear him tell of his childhood, when the Indians visited his home (there having been a trading station on the farm before his father purchased it); how the children, being afraid, clung to their mother; of the graves of an Indian chief and a papoose; of hunting deer and wild turkey, and of being lost in the woods on the farm while going after the cows. These stories are very dear to the children and also the grandchildren, ..."

What I find interesting in these little tidbits as a writer is what kind of game they hunted. What stuck out as such a vivid memory to a child and the "woods" on the farm. I think today we mostly picture the wide open fields for farmland. I know, I sometimes forget there was more on the farm then simply acres of farmland, especially during the 19th century.

Statehood of States in the United States

When the 19th century began there were 16 states to the union by the end of the century there were 45.

In the columns below you'll see the number in which the state joined the union, the state and then the date.

17 Ohio Mar. 1, 1803
18 Louisiana Apr. 30, 1812
19 Indiana Dec. 11, 1816
20 Mississippi Dec. 10, 1817
21 Illinois Dec. 3, 1818
22 Alabama Dec. 14, 1819
23 Maine Mar. 15, 1820
24 Missouri Aug. 10, 1821
25 Arkansas Jun 15, 1836
26 Michigan Jan. 26, 1837
27 Florida Mar. 3, 1845
28 Texas Dec. 29, 1845
29 Iowa Dec. 28, 1846
30 Wisconsin May 29, 1848
31 California Sep. 9, 1850
32 Minnesota May 11, 1858
33 Oregon Feb. 14, 1859
34 Kansas Jan. 29, 1861
35 West Virginia Jun. 20, 1863
36 Nevada Oct. 31, 1864
37 Nebraska Mar. 1. 1867
38 Colorado Aug. 1, 1876
39 North Dakota Nov. 2, 1889
40 South Dakota Nov. 2, 1889
41 Montana Nov. 8, 1889
42 Washington Nov. 11, 1889
43 Idaho Jul. 3, 1890
44 Wyoming Jul. 10, 1890
45 Utah Jan. 4, 1896