Steve/sewell
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I posted this chest here before at this forum but it was lost during my banning as a member.Three years ago I purchased this Early American, made of beautiful chestnut wood, liquor Decanter chest.I found it on eBay live when they still ran auctions which were live.The chest had been in a family in East Falmouth Mass.I didn't pay a whole lot for it 600 considering what you were getting a box loaded with engraved decanters in a very early Stiegel/Amelung style tulip motif and the usual other decorative features found on these Germanic styled decanturs.When the package arrived it was packed more carefully then any I had ever received.It took me at least an hour and a half to remove the mountainous layers of bubble wrap,Styrofoam,card board ect. The Chest is very old and all of the original nails used to hold it together are still intact.Where the lock assembly is located can be found the initials G C 1746
After opening the chest I was surprised to find that it had lots of little notes and a folded newspaper in it.The news paper was:
The Gazette Of The United States Saturday June 1,1793. Inside of it are lots of neat stories of the day,Tickets were being sold for the Federal City lottery.These were the lotteries that were held in Philadelphia,New York,Boston ,Charleston,Albany,York pa. ect for raising money to build our capitol.There is also the mention of the Albany glass-House Mclallen and McGregor and Co.The notes were labels for the bottles in the chest,Brandy Rum, Whiskey cordial ect.There was one medicine vial inside and it was also very old.There were many tags or notes with the listing of 310 Essex Street Salem Ma.This is where the story gets interesting.What I found is that address is home to the oldest standing home in Salem Massachusetts built in the mid 1600s.the following are excerpts I found on the web.
The Jonathan Corwin House.
This lot belonged to Capt. Richard Davenport as early as 1662. He was a resident of Salem for many years before that time, but had removed to Boston to become commander of Castle Island fortification in Boston harbor. July 15, 1665, he was killed by lightning in the fort. The contemporary records of the general court speak of " the solemn stroke of thunder that took away Captain Davenport." The administrators of the estate of Captain Davenport conveyed the house (?) and lot to Jonathan Corwin of Salem, merchant, Feb. n, 1674-54 The house then standing upon the lot was enlarged by Mr. Corwin immediately after his purchase. It is also evident that the house then standing on the lot had not been finished. The contract for the finishing and enlargement of the house is in the possession of the Antiquarian Society at Worcester, and is as follows :—
" Articles and Covenants made, agreed upon, and confirmed between Mr. Jonathan Corwin, of Salem, merchant, and Daniel Andrews of Salem, of the other part concerning a parcel of work as followeth, viz.: Imprimis the said parcel of
Essex Registry of Deeds, book 113, leaf 30. t Essex Registry of Deeds, book 4, leaf 103.
worke is to be bestowed in filling, plastering and finishing a certain dwelling house bought by the said owner of Capt. Nath'll Davenport of Boston, and is situate in Salem aforesaid, towards the west end of the towne betweene the houses of Rich. Sibley to the west and Deliverance Park- man on the east; and is to be performed to these following directions, viz.
" I. The said Daniel Andrewes is to dig and build a cellar as large as the easterly room of said house will afford (and in the said room according to the breadthe and lengthe of it) not exceeding six foot in height; and to underpin the porch and the remaining part of the house not exceeding three foot in height; also to underpin the kitchen on the north side of the house, not exceeding one foot; the said kitchen being 20 foot long and 18 foot wide; and to make steps with stones into the cellar in two places belonging to the cellar, together with stone stepps up into the porch. 2. For the chimneys he is to take down the chimneys which are now standing, and to take and make up of the bricks that are now in the chimneys, and the stones that are in the leanto cellar that now is, and to rebuild the said chimneys with five fire places, viz., two below and two in the chambers and one in the garret; also to build one chimney in the kitchen, with ovens and a furnace, not exceeding five feet above the top of the house. 3. He is to set the jambs of the two chamber chimneys and of the easternmost room below with Dutch tiles, the said owner finding the tiles; also to lay all the hearths belonging to the said house and to point the cellar and underpinning of sd. house and so much of the 3 hearths as are to be laid with Dutch tiles, the said owner is to find them. 4. As for lathing and plaistering he is to lath and siele the 4 rooms of the house betwixt the joists overhead and to plaister the sides of the house with a coat of lime and haire upon the clay; also to fill the gable ends of the house with bricks and to plaister them with clay. 5. To lath and plaister the partitions of the house with clay and lime, and to fill, lath and plaister with bricks and clay the porch and porch chamber and to plaister them with lime and hair besides; and to siele and lath them overhead with lime; also to fill lath and plaister the kitchen up to the wall plate on every side. 6. The said Daniel Andrews is to find lime, bricks, clay, stone, haire, together with labourers and workmen to help him, and generally all materials for the effecting and carrying out of the aforesaid worke, excepte laths and nailes. 7. The whole work before mentioned is to be done finished and performed att or before the last day of August next following, provided the said Daniel or any that work with him, be not lett or hindered for want of the carpenter worke. 8. Lastly, in consideration of all the aforesaid worke, so finished and accomplished as is aforesaid, the aforesaid owner is to pay or cause to be paid unto the said workeman, the summe of fifty pounds in money current in New England, to be paid at or before the finishing of the said worke. And for the true performance of the premises, we bind ourselves each to other, our heyres, executors and administrators, firmly by these presents, as witnesse our hands, this nineteenth day of February, Anno Domini 1674-5.
" Jonathan Corwin, Daniel Andrewe."
In 1746, the house contained the great room, western lower room, kitchen, eastern chamber, entry chamber, western chamber, kitchen chamber, great chamber, garret and cellar. It is said that the porch was removed that year, and with it, of course, the entry chamber. The eastern room, which was the " great room " of 1746, measures 21 y^ x 18 feet; eastern chamber, 21*4 x 20 feet; western room i6j4 x 18 feet; and western chamber, i6j£ x 20 feet. The chimney is about ta x 8 feet. The several summer beams are of stout hewn oak timber. The house was originally filled with brick between the outside boarding and the inside plastering. It is said that many years ago the grade of Essex street at this point was raised between two and three feet, and the space around the house was filled to correspond with the height of the street. This caused the high underpinning to vanish.
Jonathan Corwin was one of the judges who presided over the court of over and terminator by whom the alleged witches were convicted; and it is believed that some of the victims were subjected to their miserable inquisition at this house.
Judge Corwin died July 25, 1718, intestate, and this house and lot descended to his grandsons Capt. George Curwen and Samuel Curwen both of Salem, gentlemen,and granddaughters, Elizabeth and Mary Lindall. Upon a division, this house and the land around it became the sole estate of the grandson George Curwen, Oct. 27, 1740.* Mr. Curwen lived in this house until his death, which occurred June 7, 1746. It was then occupied by his wife and children. After the decease of the widow, which occurred
'Essex Registry of Deeds, book 81, leaf 123.
Jan. 3, 1810, the estate became the property of the daughter Mehitable, wife of Richard Ward of Salem. She died about 1818, and her heirs were Charles Ward of New York city, mariner, a grandson, Eliza Wetmore Ward of Salem, singlewoman, a granddaughter, George A. Ward of New York city, merchant, a grandson, Jane S. Ward of New York city, spinster, a granddaughter, and widow Sarah Cushing of New York city, a daughter of Mrs. Ward. George and Jane released their interest in the house and lot to Mrs. Cushing Sept. 20,1826 ;* Charles released his interest to Mrs. Cushing April 28, 1828 ;t and Eliza released her interest Oct. 21, 1829.* Mrs. Cushing removed to Castleton, N. Y., and, for thirty-five hundred dollars, conveyed the house and lot to George Pickman Farrington of Salem, druggist, June 3, 1856.! Mr. Farrington conducted a drug store here many years, and died April 29, 1885, at the age of seventy-six. Since then the property has belonged to his widow, Mrs. Susan B. Farrington.
Here are the pictures of the chest the initials G. C. and the date 1746 are absolutely clear on the chest lock facia.The chest is made of American Chestnut.I know this wood well as I have purchased it from old estates here in New Jersey to finish my Mother in-laws indoor moldings and raised paneled walls.If the chest is American made and the date is from the time when it says it is 1746 and the bottles in it are from that time period also,then the only place the bottles could have come from are the following Germany, or how about this for conjecture Braintree Mass.The Glass manufactory was started at the end of the 1745.Here are excerpts from http://www.glswrk-auction.com/contest-5.htm
The first Germantown glassworks
1746-1755
By Richmond Morcom
Braintree, Mass. was incorporated in 1628 and became the home of the two Adams presidents and John Hancock, among other notables. In 1746, Joseph Palmer (B.1716), an Englishman, arrived in Boston with many German glass blowers. Palmer moved them all to a piece of land in Braintree, a wooded peninsula bounded by the Atlantic ocean and the Neponset River, and only six miles from Boston. Here he built a glassworks, homes, a chocolate factory, and a whale oil works. Soon he imported hundreds of more workers and his holdings became known as Germantown. The glassworks was soon putting out 360 square feet of window glass per day, and with ten pots, each of which could daily produce eighty bottles, glass production became profitable. By 1748, Palmer was making bottles for John Mascarene, a Boston wine merchant. Some seals turned out badly (Fig. 1) and were thrown into the scrap heap, but they survived.
These bottles are old, very old, very fragile light in weight.Is it possible that this chest was made as a gift to Georges widow Lydia.in her husbands honor.Look I know it is all speculation but there is a enough evidence in the chest to at least tie it to 310 Essex Street in Salem Ma.Whoever had the box in their possession during there tenure of ownership it was very well cared for .The only damage to the box is a split in the top of the cabinet.The box is lined with very old decorative wall paper type material.It is very brittle and flakes when touched even lightly.In summary I would be absolutely amazed if this box descended through the Corwin family beginning with the grandson of Judge Jonathan Corwin and then his son Sheriff George Corwin,Georges father.If the bottles did come from Braintree
that would be the ultimate for me
 Attachment (1)
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Old decanter chest/ The Salem Witch Trials maybe? - 
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