posted 01-17-2005 07:06 PM            

Here is an interesting example of 18th century mourning jewelry. The piece was rescued from a trash bin and the finder, familiar with my tree project, asked me to take a look and see if I could track down the woman and children mentioned.

length: 1.5" (not counting the bale); width 1.25"

Mercy Minott married the Reverend John Wiswall on 21 Nov 1761 in Brunswick ME. He was a graduate of Harvard, taught in Boston and then settled in Brunswick. While there, he converted to Anglicanism and was ordained in 1765. The same year, the couple was sent to Falmouth MA (now Portland ME) to spread the English gospel. An ardent Tory, he was arrested just after the death of his wife, escaped and made his way to Boston where he served several years as a naval chaplain. He went to England in 1781 and from there to Cornwallis Nova Scotia in 1783, where he lived until his death in 1812. Of his children, only his first son, Peleg, survived childhood, going on to a distinguished career in law and public office.

The piece is not signed, but there are several possible makers, depending on where it might have been made. If in Falmouth/Portland, between Mercy's death in July and his flight to Boston, then Paul Little or John Butler are the likely choices. If he waited till he found safety in Boston, then Samuel Minott, Mercy's cousin and a fellow Tory, is a pretty good guess. Whoever the maker was, he displays masterful skill in the engraving -- the looping tail of the terminal Y is particularly graceful and cleverly designed.