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 American Silver before sterling
 Two Roots on the tree exposed
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| Author | Topic: Two Roots on the tree exposed |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 03-31-2001 11:21 AM
  
Both Belden's Marks of American Silversmiths and Ensko's American Silversmiths list the firm of L. M. & A. C. Root working in Pittsfield MA ca 1830-1840, but offer no identification of the partners. It may be old news to those with a better reference library than I have, but I think I can offer a reasonable solution to the puzzle. Joseph Root and Aphia Clark were married on 10 Nov 1811 in Otis MA and, in the next 16 years, had 7 children. They began with three boys: Laurence Mattoon (4 Sep 1816), Aurelius Clark (19 Nov 1818), and Washington McDonough (23 Jun 1823). The latter went on a long, well documented career as a watchmaker, jeweler, and spoon manufacturer in several Massachusetts towns, including Pittsfield. A fourth and last son, John Quincy Curran, was born in 1827, but died young. Aside from the obvious match in names, an attribution of the partnership to Laurence and Aurelius is bolstered by information I uncovered while working on my silversmiths family tree. The Fireman's Fund Record for March, 1923 included an article on the 50th anniversary of the C. L. Root Agency of Clinton Iowa. The original company was founded in 1856 by Aurelius Clark Root, lately arrived from New England. The same year, the New England Business Directory recorded the opening of a new company, Washington Root & Brother, in Pittsfield, indicating that Laurence had partnered with his younger brother after Aurelius had gone west. If the identification is correct, it would push the working dates of L. M. & A. C. Root forward by perhaps a decade. I haven't seen any record of whether the company was a manufacturer or simply retailed goods. As with Washington Root, their mark is often found with that of J. O. & W. Pitkin, so it may have been a combination of the two. [This message has been edited by wev (edited 03-31-2001).] IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 03-31-2001 11:55 AM
Very interesting! I look forward to what else may surface. June & I may be in the Berkshires (45-60 minutes from Pitsfield) this summer for a few days. When we are there, we usually stumble across "Root" silver. If you want us to check the local library for any info, please let us know. IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 03-31-2001 01:25 PM
Thank you for the offer - it would be interesting to see if there are any listings in local directories or records pertaining to the firm. And just to add to the mix, I ran across a Root mark on ebay that I am unfamiliar with: Interestingly, the spoons are monogrammed C. W. Root. Does anyone have a listing of this maker? I have several Roots in the tree with the appropriate initials, but all were born too late to be the maker (the spoons appear to be ca 1830). [This message has been edited by wev (edited 03-31-2001).] IP: Logged |
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