Crock
Maker
Charles C. Lawrence
PeriodCirca 1800 - 1815
Place MadeBurlington, New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumSalt glazed stoneware
Dimensions9.88 × 7.38 in. (25.1 × 18.7 cm)
ClassificationsStoneware
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Henry M. Post, Mrs. Lewis Waring, and Mr. Amory L. Haskell in memory of their mother Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1944
Object number1967
DescriptionAn ovoid stoneware crock with a wide-mouth opening tapering to a narrow foot rim. the crock features two thick handles, an incised band below the wide collar, and a boldly stamped inscription reading "LAWRENCE / BURLINGTON / NJ."NotesCharles Childs Lawrence was born in Rockland County, New York, in 1786. He was one of six children of Revolutionary War veteran Jonathan Lawrence (1759 - 1802) and Janette Neale (1767 - 1790). Charles Lawrence's maternal grandfather, John Neale, left his grandson property in the township of Burlington in Burlington County, New Jersey, which apparently included a pottery business. It is uncertain whether the pottery was run by Neale himself or by Daniel Ellis, the original owner of the property before it was seized and sold by the Sheriff. Although Charles was underage at the time of his grandfather's death, he soon took over the property and continued the pottery business. On October 8, 1809, Charles married Burlington County resident Elizabeth Lowden. The couple had six children, including son John Neale Lawrence (1812 -1891), whom he named after his grandfather. An advertisement Lawrence placed in an 1810 Philadelphia newspapers listed stoneware "pots, jugs, jars, pitchers, etc." of "excellent quality," further noting that "C. C. Laurence flatters himself that his Ware is superior to any yet offered to the public of American manufacture." Although his stoneware and other ceramic wares were apparently of high quality, Lawrence encountered financial issues. In 1814, his property, including the pottery business, was seized for payment of a debt. Charles moved eighteen miles southwest to Philadelphia, continuing to work as a potter for at least four years there. By 1820, the Lawrence family was living in East Caln Township, near Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was listed in the 1820 Federal Census with his wife and six children under the age of fifteen. Financial difficulties plagued the stoneware potter, as daughters Ann (born 1814) and Elizabeth (1816) were included in the list of the county's "Poor School Children" for 1822, 1823, and 1824. Charles Childs Lawrence died on July 29, 1854.
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