''William Rogers gent" took oath as "Capt. of the 

 Troop." 20 Later that year ••William Rogers gent"' 

 was appointed "Surveyor of the Landings, Streets, 

 and Cosways in York Town." -' 



In the Virginia GazetU lor September 10, 1736, 

 Rogers advertised for rent or sale "The House which 

 formerly belong'd to Col Jenings, in which the Bristol 

 store was lately kept ... in Williamsburg" and on 

 December 22 put in a notice for an overseer. 28 The 

 following year, on June 20, Rogers was appointed to 

 build the county prison for £160. 29 In the Gazette for 

 May 4, 1739, he announced the sale of "A small 

 shallop ... in York Town: she is about Five Years 

 old . . . ." 30 



Then, on December 17, 1739, we find that Rogers 

 had died and that his will was presented in court. He 

 had identified himself as "Win. Rogers . . . Mer- 

 chant." The will lists the distribution of his lands and 

 property (see Appendix II) to his wife Theodosia, to 

 one daughter. Mis. Susanna Reynolds, and to his son 

 William Rogers — the latter being under age. In addi- 

 tion to town properties a "Trace of parcel of Land 

 lying & being and adjoining to Mountford's Mill Dam 

 m the County of York commonly called & known by 

 the Name of Tarripin Point" went to William 

 Rogers, Jr. 31 



It is only when we arrive at this document that we 

 find the clue we are seeking: "my interest is that no 

 potters ware not burnt and fit for sale should be 

 appraised." Who but a potter (or the owner of a 

 pottery) would have had in his possession unfired 

 "potters ware" not "fit for sale".' 



Any remaining doubts that Rogers operated a 

 pottery are dispelled by the inventory (see Appendix 

 III), which describes the estate of a wealthy man, not 

 a "poor" potter. He owned 29 Negroes, considerable 



-•• Ibid., p. 121. 

 » Ibid., p. l r >7. 



• Lestek J. Cappon and Stella F. Duff, Virginia Gazette 

 Index, 1736-1780 (Williamsburg, Va.: Institute of Early Amer- 

 ican History and Culture, 1950); and tin- Virginia Gazette, 

 1780 (Williamsburg, Va.: Issued on microfilm by the 

 Institute of Early American History and Culture from originals 

 loaned by other institutions, 1950), reel 1. 



Edward \1. Riley, "The Colonial Courthouses of York 

 County, Virginia," William <s Mary Quarterly Historical Magazine 

 (1942), ser. 2 (hereinafter designated WMQ_ 2), vol. 22, pp. 

 104. 

 I h Ga lie microfilm, op. tit. (footnote 28), reel 1. 



' York County Records, Hook 18: Orders, Wills, S Inventories, 

 pp. 525, 537 IT. 



plate, a clock worth £6, a silver-hilted sword and 

 spurs, and a silver watch. There were many pictures, 

 including "a Neat Picture of King Charles the 

 Second" and "52 pictures in the Hall." Some of the 

 rooms had "Window Curtains & Vallins," and one 

 of the beds had "work'd Curtains & Vallins" [pre- 

 sumably crewel-worked]. The furniture included a 

 marble table, "12 Chairs with Walnut frames & Cane 

 bottoms," a "japand corner cupboard," "Couch 

 Squab and pillows," "pel Backgammon Tables," and 

 a great deal more of lavish furnishings. But more 

 important for us is a grouping of items: 31 



1 p r large Scales & Weights £'2.10 a pel crakt redware 



£2 

 a parcel crakt Stone D° £5 1 1 pocket bottles 3/8 

 % barrel Gun powder £2.10 1 old Sain & ropes £1.10 



1 horse Mill £8 2300 lb. old Iron £9.11. 8 

 26 doz q< Mugs £5.4 60 doz p< D» 7.10 



1 1 doz Milk pans £'2.4 9 large Cream potts 4/6 

 9 Midle Sized D" 3/ 12 Small D° 2/ 



2 doz red Saucepans 4/ 2 doz porringers 4/ 

 6 Chamber potts 2/ 4 doz bird bottles 12/ 



3 doz Lamps 9/ 4 doz small stone bottles 6/ 



4 doz small dishes 8/ 6 doz puding pans 2/ 

 26 Cedar pailes £2.12 40 Bushels Salt £4 



With this, added to the provision in the will, we have 

 adequate proof that Rogers ran a pottery shop and 

 that he made both stoneware and red earthenware. 



Further evidence is found in the Virginia Gazette for 

 February 4, 1740: 



To be Sold by Way of Outcry, at the house ol Mr. 

 William Rogers, deceas'd ... all the Household Good-.. 

 Cattle, and Horses; also a very good drought of Steers, 

 3 Carts, a Parcel of Wheat, and Salt, a large Parcel i >\ 

 old Iron, Parcel of Stone and Earthen Ware, a good Worm 

 Still, a very good Horse Mill to go with one Horse; 

 also a new Sloop, built last March with all new Rigging, 

 and very well fitted, with 2 very good Boats and several 

 other Things. 33 



The horse mill was probably the potter's traditional 

 clay-grinding mill, while we may assume that the 

 large amount of salt was intended for stoneware 

 glaze. ( )ther items in the inventory show that Rogers 

 was in both the brewing and the distilling business 

 and every evidence is that he had achieved great 

 affluence. 



Governor Gooch's last report on the "poor potter" 



•<- Ibid . pp. 553 ft". 



53 Virginia Ga ofilm, op. cit. (footnote 28), reel 1. 



82 



BULLETIN 249: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



