posted 01-21-2009 08:58 PM            

Samuel Hoxsie, SILVERSMITH, of South Kingston, Rhode Island, was listed in the Newport Mercury of 11/18/1765 of being guilty of counterfeiting, while living in Warwick, Rhode Island. Nothing is known of his punishment.

In 1770, Noah Colton, SILVERSMITH, of Rhode Island, was part of Samuel Casey’s gang. Noah secured some dies for Casey that he got from Glazier Wheeler. Colton was not punished for turning King’s evidence against Samuel Casey.

In 1762 Nathaniel Hurd, SILVERSMITH and ENGRAVER, of Boston, made an engraving of the notorious counterfeiter, “Joshua Howe at the Whipping Post”. This engraving is at the Boston Public Library.

Gilbert Belcher, was a SILVERSMITH, of Hebron Connecticut and also of Great Barrington Massachusetts. He was convicted of counterfeiting in Windham, Connecticut and was heavily fined for this offense. He was counterfeiting in Massachusetts but apparently had crossed the line into New York territory. He was arrested and hung in Albany 1773. Before Gilbert was hung, he stated “No gain afforded me so much pleasure as that which I acquired by illicit means.”

William Hutton passed a counterfeit note to Stephen Morse, SILVERSMITH of Providence, Rhode Island. He was later arrested and fined £15 and served a month in Gaol.

Low Jackson, SILVERSMITH of Nansemond County, Virginia was arrested for counterfeiting doubloons on 3/28/1751. He was hung in Williamsburg in 1753.

In June of 1773, John Swan, SILVERSMITH and Steven Waterman, SILVERSMITH were arrested in Middlesex NJ, for suspicion of coining dollars and half joe’s. The dollars were dated 1758,1762 and 1766 and the half joe’s were dated 1743 and 1761. Nothing else is known about this case.

In 1768 Samuel Ford, later to become a SILVERSMITH and ENGRAVER, was arrested in New York for passing counterfeit New Jersey bills. He was not prosecuted and released on his own recognizance. He had made a trip to Ireland in 1765 and to England in 1771 where he learned the engraving business from the most skilled counterfeiters. He returned to the U.S. from England in 1772 with counterfeit New Jersey bills. On July 16, 1773 he was taken into custody for counterfeiting and he escaped Gaol the next night with the help of a friend named John King. There was a reward for his capture but to no avail. He went to Green Brier County, Virginia (now West Virginia) and opened up a legitimate Silversmithing business with an unknown partner. He assumed the last name of Baldwin, which was his mother’s maiden name.

This topic continues in Colorful Colonial Makers Part V

posted 02-06-2009 12:48 PM            

quote:

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In 1770, Noah Colton, SILVERSMITH, of Rhode Island, was part of Samuel Casey’s gang. Noah secured some dies for Casey that he got from Glazier Wheeler. Colton was not punished for turning King’s evidence against Samuel Casey.

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Newspaper extract, Perth Amboy NJ, June 27, 1773:
The two men who came from New-England about a year ago and passed by the names of Stephen Waterman and John Swan, hired an house and pretended to set up the silversmith's trade; some time before, another by the name of Noah Colton, set up the same trade at Middletown Point; their conduct was soon suspicious, and on Saturday last four men were apprehended in Woodbridge, Swan at work in his shop, with a man of some property, near 80 years of age, named Brown. Several instruments for making Dollars were found hid in the house, a slating press in the shop, and other tools hid in a post hole, the brook and other places. As Waterman was from home and with a suspicious man, the officers proceeded to the house of one Hutchin's near Bound Brook, who had been also suspected, in their way they met Waterman at a tavern, he attempted to get off, and was seen to throw away something which one of his pursuers took up, and found to be five pieces milled, intended for half Jo's; he was soon taken, the officers proceeded to Hutchins's from whence two men escaped, supposed to be Colton and one Boyd, a New England man. The persons apprehended were examined on Sunday, at first they prevaricated, and at last refused to answer, but being separately examined and suspecting the proof much against them, one of them made a full confession, by which several persons in different parts appear to be concerned with them. The Dollars made are of 1758, 1762, and 1766, the Dollars have been formerly described in the newspapers. The Jo's not being complete, no other description can be given of them than that they are all of 1743 and 1761.