My Name Is James Bennett

James Bennett—Pioneer Potter© The following biography of James Bennett is based on an early version written by Loretta Riles, great-granddaughter of Selina Bennett, James Bennett’s daughter, as a college term paper. I first found it at The Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool, Ohio, and it has inspired me to continue my work in genealogy. Much of Loretta’s text is written in the first person. I have edited the text to remove some inaccuracies, expanded some sections, and added photos where available. One section of Loretta’s original paper has been deleted. She described James and his family as living beside the family of Daniel Bennett, James’ brother, in “twin” houses. Extensive research by the late Daryl Devine of census records and maps from the period disproves that situation. The brothers never lived beside each other, never lived in twin houses, and while Daniel lived on Brownsville Road, James never did. Preface The following is a story of James Bennett, the first of the Bennett family to come to the United States. It is more than a simple story though, and its scope extends farther than just to our family. Its importance is more than an interest in genealogy. James Bennett worked hard and left his mark on the pottery industry of this country. None of the testimonials to his capability or his importance to the pottery industry comes from family records. They come instead from those knowledgeable in the field of ceramics. The Bennett’s are illustrative of the many families who came to Pittsburgh in its early days and, in fact, those that came to this country in general. His story is, in essence, the story of any immigrant who came to this country to improve his conditions of life and work. This story was re-enacted again and again with each arrival of immigrants. One can almost sense the hard-working, driving character of James Bennett. He was an exacting man, an unceasing worker. But that is the nature of the immigrant – to work hard, to save money, and to have a better life. James Bennett was also typical of immigrants in that he wrote to his family back in England and encouraged them to come to this country where opportunity was great. His story is, then, not only of the Bennett’s, but also of this country.

Early Years in England My name is James Bennett. I was born May 13, 1812 in Stapenhill (boxed in red at right), Derbyshire, England.a My parents are Daniel Bennett and Martha Webster Bennett. My father was a bookkeeper for a coal company and also worked as a footman and a manual laborer. He was also very involved in the Methodist church. I was the fourth of eight children, and my three younger brothers would play a large part in my later life. When I lived in Derbyshire, I worked for several years as a packer-apprentice at a local pottery, which was the first step in the long apprenticeship system common in England.

Immigration to the United States I immigrated to the United States alone in May of 1835 and celebrated my 23rd birthday while on board the ship. After landing at Castle Garden in New York, I traveled across the Hudson River to Jersey City, New Jersey, and began employment at the Jersey City Pottery, working for David Henderson. It was at that time one of the foremost establishments of its kind in the United States1, a position which Mr. Henderson maintained by employing a group of men who had received their training in England2. Mr. Henderson was very interested in the

a In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Stapenhill as follows: “STAPENHILL, a township and a parish in the district of Burton-upon-Trent and county of Derby. The township is partly in Burton parish; lies on the river Trent, 1 mile SE of Burton r. station; and has a post-office under Burton-upon-Trent. Pop., 1,111. Houses, 247. The parish includes the townships of Cauldwelland Stanton-with-Newhall, and comprises 4,620 acres. Pop. in 1851, 2,267; in 1861, 3,077. Houses, 625. The property is not much divided The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lichfield. Patron, the Marquis of Anglesey. The church was rebuilt in 1830, and is in the early English style. There are two Wesleyan chapels and two national schools.” From GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Stapenhill, in East Staffordshire and Derbyshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time. URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20455

Copyright William Huber 2018 2 techniques used by English potters and we English potters found work easily in this country. In fact, newcomers were welcomed because they brought the newest techniques with them. Not long after arriving in Jersey City, in May or June of 1835, I met Jane Milnor Stevenson, a woman six years younger than myself. She also was a native of England, from Hull in Yorkshire. Jane and I were married on July 31, 1836 and I continued to work at Henderson's Jersey City Pottery. Potteries in America in that day made stoneware dishes, mugs, crocks, churns, and other similar ware as well as sewer pipes, flat tile, and various types of ceramics, but they made no white china or similar fine things which had to be imported, mainly from England3. Since 1830, the Jersey City Pottery had been making yellow ware and its derivative, Rockingham, which, as made in America, was usually yellow ware fired with a brown glaze. The first successful attempt to compete with England was achieved by Mr. Henderson and his manufacture of yellow ware4. (It was usual for a potter to work for a company until he gained enough experience to open his own business. In this, James Bennett was no different from other potters. He stayed on at the Jersey City Pottery for two years, from May 1835 to 1837, and owed much to Mr. Henderson regarding his training. The Jersey City plant pioneered along several lines, but “it was also a ‘nursery’ for the industry in general, being the first employer, or the first American employer, of a number of potters who later became important elsewhere. These include … James Bennett ...” 5 In 1837, Jane and I made the many preparations needed to be made for the journey to the West. (Being in such close proximity to New York, it would have been possible for them to have taken a boat from New York to Philadelphia rather than have traveled inland. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, they would have been outfitted with all the necessities for the arduous trip over the Allegheny Mountains. The Pennsylvania National Turnpike had been completed in 1820, but the trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh still took two weeks. In Philadelphia, provisions like a Conestoga wagon and other necessities for the trip could have been bought. At Pittsburgh, the wagon could have been transported on a flatboat or a steamboat down the Ohio. Pittsburgh was located at the threshold of a journey that enabled goods and persons to reach New Orleans by continuous water routes. We don’t know their specific method of travel from New Jersey to Pittsburgh, but, as described below, James’ siblings later traveled via the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal and Allegheny Portage Railroad across Pennsylvania. It is likely that James and Jane did also.)

A panic had hit Pittsburgh particularly hard in 1837 and we decided not to stay, but only passed through the city. Business was slackened and factories had closed and both workmen and merchants felt the hardships.6 The city suffered generally and I could see that it was the wrong time and place to think about setting up a pottery there, so we moved on. I didn't know it then, but I would live to see Pittsburgh at two different stages of its development: in 1837 on our way out West and again seven years later, in 1844, when we finally returned to Pittsburgh to settle in the area and to build a pottery. When Jane and I left New Jersey, we did not have a specific city in mind in which to settle. We wanted to travel until we saw something that suited our needs. Upon arriving at Pittsburgh and seeing the panic that the city was experiencing, we knew that we would have to go further west. We traveled down the Ohio River and finally came to Troy, Indiana, where a new pottery was being formed by James Clews, a successful potter from Cambridge, England.

Troy, marked by the on the map above, was then and is still a tiny village on the Ohio River, at the southern border of Indiana. We arrived in Troy in June and shortly after our arrival our first child, Mary, was born on September 2, 1837. Things went well for me as I obtained a position with the Indiana Pottery Company. An Englishman, James Clews, had received financial backing from local residents and ran the Indiana Pottery Company. It was difficult getting that new pottery ready out there in that wilderness and many of those who took part in the attempt died of malaria, as did our baby, Mary. She died in September of 1837, having lived only nine days. It was a heartbreak for Jane and me. Copyright William Huber 2018 4

A year later, on December 30, 1838 twins were born to us.a We named them William after my grandfather and Daniel after my father, but William also failed to survive. Dad would have been 53 years old when Daniel was born and it had been four years since I had seen him, mother and my eight brothers and sisters. Early the following year (1839), Mr. Clews gave up trying to establish the pottery and returned to England. He had asked me if I would like to give it a go and manage it myself. It was the opportunity that I had been waiting for since I left England four years before and an opportunity that an apprentice in England sometimes waits for his entire life. Essentially, Mr. Clews found English formulas and methods impracticable and he lacked the ability to make the necessary changes. His main problem was with the clay. In England, Mr. Clews had worked only with materials that had been tested by use over a period of years. I knew from working at the New Jersey Pottery, however, that there were differences in clay and that I had learned methods that could compensate for these differences. I accepted Mr. Clews' offer with confidence that I would succeed. It was also in 1839 that I developed difficulty in breathing from the dust particles involved in the making of pottery. This condition continued to worsen. I had managed the Clews' works for about one year and could see that it wasn’t working out despite all the confidence that I had shown at the outset. This problem plus my worsening asthma carried considerable weight in our decision to relocate once again. As before, we set out with the intention of stopping when we came to a place that suited us and a place where I could find employment, of course. We decided to take our son Daniel and head back up the Ohio River to Cincinnati or further, to Pittsburgh. On our way up the Ohio, we stopped at Cincinnati but didn’t like the city enough to stay. We reboarded a steamboat going further up the Ohio thinking that Pittsburgh would be our next stop. It was five years before we saw Pittsburgh again. On the steamboat, we made the acquaintance of a man by the name of Mr. Pratt7 when the steamboat stopped to take on wood for fuel at Mr. Pratt’s sawmill which was just across the river from East Liverpool in West Virginia. Mr. Pratt spoke highly of East Liverpool, and Jane and I decided to investigate it for ourselves.

a Whether or not a son named William was born to James and Jane in 1838 is an open question. There is no entry for William in the James Bennett family bible, but other references refer to him. A son named William was born to the couple on May 23, 1856. Copyright William Huber 2018 5

As shown at left, East Liverpool is at the southeast corner of Ohio, on the Ohio River as is Troy, and adjacent to West Virginia and Pennsylvania. We learned from Mr. Pratt of the abundance of clays in the area of East Liverpool and I wanted to be certain about the resources for clay, particularly the outcrops of the Lower Kittanning clay. Prior to this time, some of the clays had been used for making bricks and stoneware in that area, but I had a finer ware in mind. I was soon satisfied that the chances for making a finer grade of pottery than stoneware had not been overestimated. At that time, East Liverpool was a town of only about 500 people, but I thought that it had good potential for growth. I seriously began to consider building my pottery in this area. Mr. Pratt knew of my background and experience in the pottery field and also knew that I wanted to expand the products made by American potters. (James Bennett has been referred to as “an experienced and skilled English potter, one of the best craftsmen in his line that this country has ever known. ")8 I wanted to try to make Rockingham and yellow ware which I had learned to make at the Jersey City Pottery. Basically, these two products were a higher grade ware than that which had been produced previously in the west and, if it were successful, it would reduce imports of china from England. Although redware had been made by pioneer potters as early as 1807, this was a crudely made, unfinished ware. There was no competition between this redware and other crude wares produced in America and the china being produced in England. At the time, America imported all of its china from England. Aaron Brawdy, an acquaintance of Mr. Pratt, offered a free supply of clay if I would build a pottery works in East Liverpool. It seemed like a dream come true, but I explained to the gentleman that I had no capital for such a venture. It was then that Messrs. Pratt, Brawdy, and a number of other local men, including Anthony Kearns, offered to back me in the venture.

It was summer by the time all the arrangements for shipments of clay and building supplies had been made and construction of the pottery begun. We decided to start out with only a one-kiln pottery since we were the first and only pottery in that section. We wanted to be sure that the area could support a pottery. The pottery was built on the banks of the Ohio River and was completed in Woodcut of First Bennett Pottery, early 1840. on the Banks of the Ohio River in East Liverpool, Ohio

Oh, it was an exciting day! When everything was ready, I fired the first kiln of yellow ware. And what celebration! Most of the folks in the area came by to view the new ware and the pottery itself. The firings done that day were mostly mugs which were much in demand in those days, but I also made something special. I had brought a figurine with me from England and I fashioned the figure onto a teapot. It was a biblical scene on a teapot of Rebecca at the well offering water to Isaac.a I made it as a gift to express my thanks to a local woman, Mrs. Cynthia Riley Logan Bradshaw, who had brought water to us while we were working in the heat the previous summer building the pottery.b Initially, there wasn't much need for this yellow ware locally. Mr. Isaac Knowles bought up two crates of the yellow ware mugs to sell from a trading boat on the river. I sold what was left Rebecca at the Well Teapot myself, peddling it by horse and wagon from farm house to farm house and cleared about $250.009. Out of those profits I had to pay Mr. Kearns for the use of the plant. I arranged to lease the works from him for five years when I realized somewhat later that the pottery was going to be successful. a This teapot is now in the East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool, Ohio, although the donor claims that particular teapot was made by the Croxall brothers. b A portrait of Mrs. Bradshaw was done by Pittsburgh artist David Blythe in 1841. It also is in the East Liverpool Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool, Ohio. Copyright William Huber 2018 7

A local potter by the name of William Bloor started about a year after I was in operation in East Liverpool. I had worked with him in Jersey City. He began making sophisticated whiteware which was more in competition with the china being imported from England. He was in business for only one year but during that time we were able to copy his whiteware. By 1841, then, we were not only making this whiteware, but also were advertised in the Pittsburgh directory as "a regular manufacturer of porcelain, from Staffordshire, England. Manufactory now in successful operation."10 Mr. George Breed, a prominent wholesaler in the Pittsburgh area handled our ware and called it "Liverpool Ware," reportedly since housewives wouldn't buy the dishes unless they thought they were from England.11 In April of that year (1841) I wrote to three of my younger brothers, Daniel, Edwin, and William, now of Staffordshire, England. I told them of my pottery business and how well received the ware was. Since they were apprenticed potters in England, I hoped that they would join me in America. By then Daniel was 26 and had married Catherine Bates and had two children, Mark and Ely. Edwin, age 23, and William, age 20, were still unmarried. They set sail in June on the ship Eli Whitney and arrived in Castle Garden in New York harbor five weeks later followed by another inland voyage which usually took two to three weeks. From Edwin Bennett’s personal notes12, “From there I started for Ohio. I had to take a steamboat from New York to South Amboy, then by rail to Philadelphia and then by packet (a combination of a boat for crossing the streams mounted on wagon wheels for travel by land) and canal to the foot of the Allegheny Mountains. At that point there was an engine on the top of the mountain which took both passengers and freight up the incline and down and across the other side of the mountain to the canal at Johnstown. From there to the Monongahela River to Pittsburgh and then by steamboat to East Liverpool, Ohio.” So Edwin (and certainly his brothers William and Daniel with his family) traveled via the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal and Allegheny Portage Railroad across Pennsylvania in 1841. The route of the canal and Allegheny Portage Railroad are shown on the maps below. As the canal was in operation starting in 1834, it is likely that James and Jane Bennett also traveled via the same route in 1837. James’ three younger brothers all arrived in East Liverpool in September of 1841.

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Including Allegheny Portage Railroad

Route of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, Across the Allegheny Mountains from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown Copyright William Huber 2018 9

At first they were surprised to learn that many of the laborers at the local potteries were from England. "By 1850, 75% of East Liverpool's population was English. English methods of work were also followed. Work was done under a master potter, not the company, and everyone stopped for a mid-morning meal, the English Breakfast." 13 It was the knowledge of English manufacturing styles and techniques which led to our success and to the success of the other local potteries. We were able to compete equally with English wares in the market. Upon the arrival of my brothers, we operated under the name of Bennett and Brothers. Our business grew rapidly. We began immediately to manufacture Rockingham which, although previously made in Jersey City, was the first to be made in East Liverpool. Our products were sold to wholesale crockery merchants of Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis, Cleveland, and other cities. An interesting method of payment developed. When we sold to the merchants of Cincinnati and other cities, we were paid in coin. However, locally we continued peddling our wares in the back country and when these people paid us; it was often in farm products – a bushel of corn, some cheese, coal, butter or tobacco. Once, a well-to-do farmer with his two daughters passed the pottery. His daughters saw a coffee pot that had just been made. The asking price was $1.00. The farmer dickered about the price until I finally accepted 10 bushels of potatoes instead of the dollar. When it came time to pay our laborers, we were often forced to pay them in the same way -- with a bushel of corn, etc. Some of them grumbled, but it was better than not being paid at all. It was certainly a drawback to our location, not having ready access to money or banks.14 Plaque at East Liverpool, Ohio Honoring James Bennett

We continued to manufacture yellow ware and Rockingham in East Liverpool and were successful, but the difficulty of shipping the ware and seasonal flooding of the Ohio River caused problems since our kiln was situated right on the banks of the Ohio. In addition, often the steamboats wouldn't stop at East Liverpool to pick up our wares because of the many passengers they were carrying.15 At this time, railroads were just being built in Ohio. Since our pottery manufactory depended on the selling of our wares, we realized that we would have to relocate our pottery for continued success. A few years later, in 1844, we decided to sell our pottery in East Liverpool and to go to a more favorable location up the Ohio River – to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where, at that time, better coal and cheaper transportation to both the eastern and western trade centers could be found.16 Actually, East Birmingham on the South Side of Pittsburgh, across the Monongahela River, is where we were directed because of the large number of manufactories in that area. We sold the pottery to the Coxall Brothers, also four brothers from England. They eventually established one of the most important pottery firms in East Liverpool. The move to Pittsburgh was not something that we had considered lightly. We all had families and possessions to move, our pottery to sell, homes to buy in Pittsburgh and a new location to be found for a new pottery. My brother, Daniel and his wife, Catherine (Bates), prepared to leave with their three sons, Mark, Ely, and Joseph, the youngest of whom was born in Ohio. Edwin had met Mary Jane Huston in East Liverpool, and she agreed to travel to Pittsburgh with the rest of us. They were married on December 23, 1845. My youngest brother, William, had married Sarah (Phillips) Bennett on November 14, 1844 in East Liverpool, and thus had a new wife and home to move. Jane and I by this time were old hands at moving and prepared for our third move since we had been married. By then we had three children: Daniel, Thomas Jefferson, and Lucy Martha Bennett. Settlement in Pittsburgh was a major decision for all of us to be sure, but it was nothing to be agonized over. After all, I had come to this country alone at the age of 23 and I was only 32 when we decided to move again. For my brothers and me, it was something that had to be done.

Pittsburgh The City of Pittsburgh which greeted us upon our arrival was much changed from the city we had seen previously when we had traveled through Pittsburgh to the West in 1831. Now, in 1844, we came to Pittsburgh because we knew that the city had better access to the rivers for transportation of our goods and also because it was a commercial city. Our pottery business needed laborers to run the kilns, customers to buy the mugs and jars produced by the workers and banks to supply the cash for transacting business. We could find all of these in Pittsburgh. Copyright William Huber 2018 11

When we arrived, Pittsburgh was certainly a commercial city. Its industry had spilled over into Allegheny City on the North Side and to Birmingham on the South Side. Laborers in this city were specialized. The city was becoming so large that mechanics, merchants, and professional men from the East came to Pittsburgh, a city with potential for growth. (Pittsburgh’s leading manufacture of the mid-1800’s was iron and the second largest industry was textiles. However, textiles produced goods of only about one-tenth of the value of the products of the iron foundries and mills. By the middle of the century, Pittsburgh’s iron was valued at about $6,500,000 and more than 5,500 laborers were employed. By this time also, glass production in Pittsburgh totaled more than $1 million. The city had completely recovered from the panic of 1837 which the Bennetts had experienced as outsiders on their way west.) Charles Dickens had remarked in 1842 that, “Pittsburgh … certainly has a great quantity of smoke hanging over it …” and clouds of soot rained perpetually17. This was just two years before James Bennett and his family came to Pittsburgh. Maybe it would have been wiser for him to have moved to a city other than Pittsburgh, suffering as he was from an apparently bad case of asthma. But, idle speculation aside, he did not settle elsewhere. It was necessary to locate the pottery in East Birmingham, an industrial location, but the terrible smoke and soot conditions of those early days in Pittsburgh would eventually force him into an early retirement. We set up our pottery, still known as Bennett & Brothers, at Washington Street and Harmony Street, East Birmingham (now known as South Side). An 1882 map of the area (below) shows the successor business, the Crystal Glass Works (started in 1868, boxed in red) at the same corner of Washington and Harmony Streets.

In addition, we opened a wholesale and retail outlet on the riverfront at 90 Water Street downtown. This was later moved to Wood Street opposite the Spear Building. In East Birmingham, our pottery was called the "Queensware Works" because that is the type of pottery that we were best known for. Our initial capital investment for the pottery was $47,000. It was hand-powered and we had 25 male employees who were paid approximately $23.00 per month in those days.18 We continued to produce yellow ware, Rockingham, and our famous Queensware. In East Birmingham at this time there were several other manufactories. There was the McKee and Co. Glass Works (also shown to the left side of the 1882 map above, boxed in blue) and the Ihmsen Glassworks, but there was no other pottery. This seemed to insure that we would be successful in this area. On June 2, 1845 Jane and I had another child, a daughter we named Selina, after my sister. Selina was our fourth child who survived. In late May of 1846, our little girl Lucy passed away at the age of three. Our family now had three children out of six who had not lived to adulthood. It certainly is a sad thing to see one's children die before his very eyes and be helpless to do anything about it. Because of failing health caused by my asthma, I was forced to retire from Bennett and Brothers in 1846. I was only 34 years old. Too young a man for retirement, I thought, but everyday I found it harder to breathe. In the same year, my brother Edwin left Bennett and Brothers and Pittsburgh to establish what would become a very successful pottery in Baltimore. In 1848, Bennett and Brothers exhibited several of our Rockingham and yellow wares at the American Institute in New York and at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Both received medals for "superiority of manufacture." At the Philadelphia exhibition, our display of earthenware took the first premium which was a silver medal, and the judges remarked that it was superior to the English earthenware of that period.19

Front and Back of 1848 Medal from American Institute in New York

Also in 1848, while living in Lower St. Clair Township just east of the pottery, I was contacted by some old friends from East Liverpool. It seems that they had relatives who were coming into this country from Scotland who wouldn't know anyone in Pittsburgh. They asked if I would help these people out – Carnegie was their name. Well, I had known a number of Scottish men and relatives of the Carnegies in East Liverpool and wrote to tell them that I would be pleased to help. Mrs. William T. Morris, a member of the Scottish community of East Liverpool, had come to Pittsburgh for the purpose of having a kinsman on hand to greet the Carnegies and to introduce me to them. Mrs. Morris was Mrs. Carnegie's sister-in-law. Mrs. Carnegie's brother, William, who had arrived in this country earlier, had shortened his surname of Morrison to simply “Morris”. The Carnegies reached Pittsburgh, “after a three-week inland voyage that took them north on the Hudson River to Albany, west on the Erie Canal, Mohawk River, and Lake Erie to Buffalo and Cleveland, south and east on the Ohio Canal to Akron and Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, then downstream on the Allegheny River to the Ohio River to their destination…” 20 Mrs. Morris and I were on hand as was Mrs. Annie Aitken, Mrs. Carnegie's sister, who was also from Pittsburgh.

We all greeted their boat when it arrived at the foot of Wood Street at the Monongahela Wharf (picture above). The new arrivals from Scotland were Mr. and Mrs. William Carnegie and their two sons, Andrew and Thomas. Andrew was 13 years old at the time. The Carnegie family settled into a tine house on Rebecca Street (now 811 Reedsdale St.) in Old Allegheny (now North Side).21 I assume that the Carnegie relatives of East Liverpool had asked me to help because I was a businessman in Pittsburgh and, as such, would presumably have connections within the city and would be in a position to help the Carnegie men in finding employment. I was able to help Andrew, the older of the two boys early the next year, 1849, and got him a position as a messenger boy at O'Reilly Telegraph

Thomas (10) & Andrew (16) Company. He soon Carnegie became an expert telegrapher.22 He was only 14 years old when I helped him get that first job. I must say that I am proud to have been able to help. What a young, ambitious boy he was.

During those years, things at the pottery went well. William had decided to join Edwin in Baltimore at the pottery that he had established and Daniel was left to run the pottery for himself. Bennett and Brothers continued to produce a high grade, quality pottery. ("Not only (was) it not inferior to the best grade of Bennington Rockingham, but it (was) so like it as to be capable of deceiving a fairly expert judge... ")23 The pottery business thrived and my family continued to grow. During the next several years Jane and I had several more children. Bertha was born in 1847 and James, Jr. in 1850, but he only survived one year. Charles was born in 1853. Sometime after that Jane became very ill and needed someone to care for her. Margaret Carnegie, Andrew's mother, was good enough to come to the farm and stay with Jane until she was out of danger. We will never be able to repay her for her help and consideration during that time. I wrote Andrew a letter expressing our thanks to him and mentioned at that time that I would help him financially if he ever had a chance to make a beginning as an investor. 24 I'm sure he wondered at that statement – when would a messenger at a telegraph company have enough money to invest? I was showing Andrew that I

Copyright William Huber 2018 15 had faith in him and that if ever the opportunity for investment presented itself, he wouldn't have to turn it down. I was reminded of my own beginning in business in the days when I wanted to set up my own pottery in East Liverpool. If I hadn't had the financial backing of Messrs. Pratt, Brawdy, and Kearns, I couldn't have opened up my first pottery. But it was years before Andrew took me up on my offer of financing an investment of his. (It is not clear either when Andrew Carnegie borrowed money from James Bennett or to what purpose it was used. It must have been between 1856, when Andrew first started investing and 1863 when he commented to someone that he was rich.25 At the time of James Bennett’s death in 1862, a Note was held against Andrew Carnegie in the amount of $540.00. In addition, monthly interest was due on another Note in the amount of $10.80. The date of maturity on the second note was 1880.26 Andrew Carnegie was also named as one of the three executors of James Bennett’s Last Will and Testament. He renounced in favor of the other two executors due to his extensive traveling.)

The 1850 census27 (below) shows James Bennett, age 38 (incorrectly listed as James Benney) and his family living in Lower St. Clair Township. With him are wife Jane (age 30); sons Daniel (12) and Jefferson (10); and daughters Selina (5) and Bertha (3).

Excerpt from 1850 US Census for Lower St Clair Township, Allegheny Co., PA

Census records at that time did not include street names or addresses, but the nearest neighbors of James and Jane are families named Taylor and McClurg. By examining a map of Lower St. Clair Township from that time, we can locate where James Bennett and his family lived by finding their neighbors. Such a map from 1851 is shown below.

1851 Map of Lower St. Clair Township, Allegheny Co., PA The Taylor and McClurg properties are shown at the far right of this map, with Taylor adjacent to the Monongahela River. Remember, the Bennett & Brothers Pottery was in East Birmingham, which was quite close to James’ home. The same 1850 census shows that Daniel Bennett, James’ brother and partner in the pottery, lived in East Birmingham. The red triangle in the river denotes the location of Jones & Laughlin Steel, which would be built in 1859. The road between the Taylor and McClurg properties is East Carson Street. Because of his asthma and the smoke of the city, James could no longer tolerate the atmosphere near the pottery. Baldwin Township was just over the hill from East Birmingham, and provided respite from the pollution. He sold the property in Lower St. Clair Township and moved to a 115 acre farm in Baldwin Townshipa which he bought from Joseph Wilson on March 1, 1853 for $6,088.b, c, 28 The air was cleaner there, easier for him to breathe.

a See Appendix A for a discussion by Daryl Devine of the location of various Bennett family houses in Baldwin Township b $156,000 in 2007 dollars; but this property, where Baldwin High School now stands, is probably worth many millions of dollars today c See Appendix B for a copy of the Indenture for the purchase of the farm Copyright William Huber 2018 17

James Bennett Farm on Route 51, Baldwin Township, PA; Picture taken about 1893

The following details are from notes of Ruth Bennett Heuser, 3rd great granddaughter of Daniel and Martha Webster Bennett:29 “The house was built in 1841 and was torn down in 1946 or 1947. The house was located on what was then known as the Old Elizabeth Road in Baldwin Township, Allegheny County, PA. This road later became known as Route 51, but is now known as Clairton Blvd. In terms of 1965 political subdivisions, the house stood directly opposite 4710 Clairton Blvd, which is the address of Kurt’s Sales and Real Estate Office in Whitehall Borough, Allegheny County, PA, just below Baldwin High School. The house stood on the side of a hill – and at this point the hill had been leveled for quite a distance in both length and width along Clairton Blvd. This photograph was taken about 1893 (Ruth Heuser’s notes say 1899). Thomas Jefferson Bennett inherited the house with part of the acreage in a property settlement after his father’s death, and here raised his family. 1. On the porch (left to right): Mrs. Lucinda (Best) Bennett (age 35)a(2nd wife of Thomas J. Bennett), Miss Sarah E. Beggs (age 46), Harry Lincoln Beggs (age 13). 2. Below the porch (left to right): William Webster Bennett (age 8), Sadie Ellen Bennett (age 17).

a Ages of those in the photo did not appear in Ruth Bennett Heuser’s notes, and have been added Copyright William Huber 2018 18

3. Beside the tree (left to right): Elsie Isabel Bennett (age 10)(later married to Frederick C. W. Storch), and Jennie May Bennett (age 27), one of two daughters by Thomas J. Bennett’s first wife (Mary Anne Beggs).” Apparently, by the time of his retirement, James Bennett was a wealthy man and he could afford to retire while his brothers managed the pottery. James Bennett became a farmer – not an easy transition I would think for someone who had been in the pottery business all his life. But he was no “gentleman farmer” either. At first he ran the farm alone, and later his eldest son, Daniel, joined him. In the years after moving to the farm the size of the James Bennett family again increased. William was born in 1856 and Richard Webster in 1858. The 1860 census30 of Baldwin Township, Allegheny County, PA (below) shows James (age 48) and Jane (42), with their children Daniel (21), Thomas Jefferson (19), Selina (14), Bertha (12), Charles (6), William (4) and Richard (1).

Excerpt from 1860 US Census for Baldwin Township, Allegheny Co., PA

This same census shows that James had real estate and “personal property” (i.e., cash, etc.) each valued at $10,000. Our youngest son, Andrew Carnegie Bennett, was born March 9, 1861. He was named after our dear friend. There were some complications regarding the birth and my beloved wife, Jane, died eight days after our son Andrew's birth. She was just 40 years old. Andrew himself didn't thrive and died four months later. Out of the twelve children to whom Jane gave life, only seven lived into adulthood. The chart below shows the children of James and Jane Bennett and their birth and death dates.

James Bennett Family Bible lists children and their birth and death dates (Note that there is no entry for William in 1838)

We can only imagine James’ state of mind in mid-1861. He himself was in poor health, with chronic asthma that had forced him to retire at the age of 34. His wife, Jane, had died after childbirth on March 17, 1861 at the age of 40. And his infant son, Andrew Carnegie Bennett, had died on July 8, 1861. It had to be with a heavy heart that James wrote his last will and testament, which was signed on July 15, 1861.a

James Bennett Family Bible with Flowers Same Bible with Lock of Blond Hair Inserted at Proverbs 31 (“The Virtuous Woman”) a A transcribed version of James Bennett’s will is included as Appendix C Copyright William Huber 2018 20

Above are pictures of James Bennett’s bible, presently owned by Joan Bennett Clayton, 2nd great granddaughter of James Bennett. I believe the flowers are from wife Jane’s funeral, and that the hair is from his infant son, Andrew Carnegie Bennett.

Epilogue James Bennett didn’t live long enough to see his children grow into adulthood. He died on July 30, 1862, 15 months after the death of his wife. He was 50 years old. Of his children left behind, the eldest, Daniel, was 24; his youngest, Richard Webster, was 4. Through his Last Will and Testament, James Bennett entrusted his daughters, Selina and Bertha, ages 17 and 15 respectively, with the care of his three youngest children ages 9, 6 and 4. There was one final footnote to James Bennett’s life and it was published in The Daily Pittsburgh Post Gazette and Commercial Journal on Thursday morning, July 31, 1862, the day after his death. “Died. Bennett. – In Baldwin Township, of a lingering disease, Mr. James Bennett, aged 50 years. The funeral will take place this (Thursday) afternoon at 3-½ o’clock. Carriages will leave S. Miller’s Livery Stable, Carson Street, Birmingham at 1-¼ o’clock.” James’ wishes as expressed in his will were honored; he was buried beside his wife and son at Concord Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Brownsville Road in Pittsburgh.

Jane and Andrew Carnegie Bennett James Bennett

Concord Presbyterian Church, Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA at the time James died

There was no testimonial to the man who had come to the United States alone at the age of 23; had made this country his; had pioneered the first pottery in East Liverpool and also pioneered several design motifs. When James Bennett died, his memories and his life’s work passed into obscurity. Many of his descendants reside in the Pittsburgh area, but few have ever heard of James Bennett. The tales of James Bennett, his pottery, and his friendship with Andrew Carnegie were passed on as oral history through three generations of his descendants. Those stories, bolstered by written records including first-person notes of his brother, Edwin Bennett, have resulted in this biography.

Appendix A: “Bennett Homes in Baldwin Township” by Daryl Devine

I'll start with the text written about Wm. Bennett in the "Descendants of Thomas and Ann Bennett Document," which stated the following about William's return to Pittsburgh in 1856: "About this time he bought twelve acres of ground in Baldwin Township, on the east side of the Brownsville Road, four miles south of Pittsburgh, one mile south of Daniel's home, and one and one half miles north of James' home. "

Next, you will need to view the 1876 Baldwin Township Map (attached). First, realize that this map is dated 1876 (James had passed, but Daniel and William were still alive). Next, I yellow highlighted all of the "Bennett" properties shown on the map ... I cannot identify all of them, but I can identify the three (3) Bennett properties that are in question (see red arrows). As you view the map: Red Arrow Upper Left: Map is marked for DL Bennett (Daniel's house). Using the same map overlay process ... This property is in the 2100 Block of Brownsville Road. Red Arrow Upper Right: Map is marked for Wm. Bennett. We now know that this is 3123 Brownsville Road. Red Arrow Lower Right: Map is marked for Jos Bennett (should have read Jas; abbreviation for James). Using the same map overlay process ... This property matches exactly to the location of Baldwin High School and where the James Bennett farm house once stood.

Lastly, with this information in hand, the last thing to check was the distance between the 3 houses as previously described ... and it all matches.

23 Appendix B: Indenture for Bennett Farm in Baldwin Township (on what is now Route 51 [Clairton Blvd.], Baldwin Township, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania)

This indenture made the first day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty three, between Joseph Wilson and Margaret his wife; Susan Wilson; William Barron, Herriott his wife, formerly Herriott Wilson; Samuel Wilson and Margaret his wife; James Barron and Eliza his wife, formerly Eliza Wilson; James Skees and Sarah his wife, formerly Sarah Wilson; Thomas Cowan and Mary his wife, formerly Mary Wilson; all of Allegheny County, Penn.; John Wilson and Nancy his wife; John Dunn and Nancy his wife of Lawrence County, Penn. heirs at law of Mary Wilson late of Baldwin Township Allegheny County dec’d. by Thomas Varner their attorney in fact; see power of attorney recorded in Power of Attorney Book, page 34 of the first part and James Bennett of Baldwin Township Allegheny County Pennsylvania of the second part.

Witnesseth that the said party of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of six thousand and eighty eight dollars, lawful money of the United States of America, unto them well and truly paid by the said party of the second part at or before the sealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, aliened, enfeoff, released, conveyed and confirmed, and by these presents doth grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff, release, convey and confirm into the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, all that farm or tract of land situate in Baldwin Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania bounded and described as follow: beginning at a stone at the corner of Wm. Gilleland land and running thence by land of Jesse Cunningham South forty nine and half degrees East eighty one and half perches to a stone thence still by lands of Jesse Cunningham; South thirty one and a half (perches?) East one hundred and thirty five and a half perches to a White Oak, thence by land of Wm. H. Wightman; North eighty two and a quarter degrees, West one hundred and nineteen perches to a Dogwood thence by land of Wm. H. Wightman and David Cowan; North fifty one degrees West sixty three perches to a stone, thence North four degrees East twenty and a half perches to a post, thence by land of the heirs of Samuel Cowan; North sixteen degrees West one hundred and twenty five and a half perches to a stone, thence by land of Wm. Gilleland; North sixty seven degrees East twenty five perches to a stone the place of beginning; containing one hundred and fourteen acres and one hundred and forth perches strict measure, being part of a tract of land which the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by letters patent dated March 10th AD 1788 granted to James McClelland and Brice McGeehan and which the said McClelland and McGeehan by their instrument of writing dated April 7th, 1809 did release to James Millegan and which the said McClelland did subsequently by his instrument of writing dated April 15th 1814 did release to Agnes Culbertson, James Millegan and Elenor his wife to their heirs and assigns forever, recorded in Book U, page 39 and which the said James Millegan and wife and Agnes Culbertson by their deed dated May 9th, 1809 recorded in Book 2 page 191 granted and conveyed the same in fee simple to David Cowan and Joseph Wilson which tract was subsequently divided by a conditional line agreed to and acknowledged by Joseph Wilson and Andrew Spear admin. of David Cowan dec’d. as recited in deed recorded Book T, page 466. The part above described being allotted to Joseph Wilson and of which he died seized willing the same to his wife Mary Wilson by will dated 13th of Feb. 1848, duly proven and recorded in the Registers Office in Allegheny County in Vol. 6, page 368, and the said Mary Wilson being intestate seized of the aforesaid described land leaving heirs at law the parties of the first part referenced to all which will more fully appear. Together with all and singular the buildings, improvements, ways, waters, water-courses, rights, liberties, privileges, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining, and the reversions and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof; and all the

23 estate, right, title, interest, property, claim and demand whatsoever of the said party of the first part, in law, equity, or otherwise howsoever, of, in and to the same and every part thereof. To have and to hold the said one hundred & fourteen acres & one hundred & forth perches strict measure, hereditaments and premises hereby granted, or mentioned and intended so to be, with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, to and for the only proper use and behoof of the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever.

And the said party of the first part, for themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators do by these presents, covenant, grant and agree to and with the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, that they, the said party of the first part, their heirs all and singular the hereditaments and premises herein above described and granted or mentioned and intended so to be, with the appurtenances unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, against them the said party of the first part and their heirs, and against all and every other person or persons whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim the same or any part thereof shall and will warrant and forever defend.

In witness whereof, the said parties of the first part, to these presents, set their hands and seals. Dated the day and year first above written.

Sealed & Delivered in the presence of us James Wallace

Signed by Thomas Varner, their agent and Atty. in fact: Joseph Wilson Samuel Wilson Margaret Wilson Margaret Wilson Susan Wilson James Skees Wm. Barron Sarah Skees Herriott Barron Thomas Cowan James Barron Mary Cowan Eliza Barron John Wilson John Dunn Nancy Wilson Nancy Dunn

Received, the day and date of the above indenture, of the above named James Bennett, the sum of six thousand and eighty eight dollars, lawful money of the United States, being the consideration money also mentioned in full. Signed by Thomas Varner Witness James Wallace

Allegheny County S.S. On the first day of March Anno Domini 1853, before me, one of the Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid personally came the above named Thomas Varner, Attorney in fact as aforesaid, and acknowledged the above indenture to be his pact and deed, and desired that the same be recorded as such. Witness my hand and seal, the day and year aforesaid. Signed James Wallace

Recorded November 21, 1853

24 Appendix C: Last Will and Testament of James Bennett

26 27

1 E.A. Barber; The Pottery and Porcelain of the United States; New York; G.P. Putnam & Sons; 1893; p. 192 2 A.W. Clement; Our Pioneer Potters; New York; The Maple Press, 1947; p. 34 3 George Swetnam; “’Mr. Pratt and The Potter”; The Pittsburgh Press Family Magazine; January 26, 1964; pp. 4-5 4 A. W. Clement, op. cit.; p. 32 5 John Ramsay; American Potters and Pottery; Massachusetts; The Colonial Press, Inc.; 1933; p. 49 6 Oscar Handlin; The City Grows – Pittsburgh, The Story of an American City; ed. Stefan Lorant; New York; Doubleday and Co., Inc.; 1926; p. 101 7 George Swetnam, op. cit.; pp. 4-5 8 John Spargo; Early American Pottery and China; New York; D. Appleton-Century Co., Inc.; 1926; p. 322 9 George Swetnam, op. cit.; p. 5 10 Isaac Harris; General Business Directory of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny; Pittsburgh; A.A. Anderson; 1841; p. 267 11 George Swetnam, op. cit.; p. 5 12 The Smithsonian Institution; obtained by Barbara Bennett, [email protected]; copy in my files 13 Martin Clover; “Ceramic Museum Opens;” Ohio Motorist Magazine; April 1980; p. 8 14 “Potter for Sixty Years;” The Baltimore Sun; November 19, 1906; p. 7 15 Ibid. 16 E. A. Barber, op. cit.; p. 194 17 Oscar Handlin, op. cit.; p. 93 18 Schedule 5, Manufacturer’s Census to the 1850 United States Population Census 19 E. A. Barber, op. cit.; pp. 194-195 20 Harold G. Livesay; Andrew Carnegie and the Rise of Big Business; ed. Oscar Handlin; Boston; Little, Brown and Co.; 1975; p. 16 21 Acker Petit, “Concern for Carnegie,” The Pittsburgh Press, December 9, 1962, p. 6 22 In the Early Days of Pottery – The Green Book; June 20, 1905; p. 34 23 John Spargo; The Potters of Bennington; p. 177 24 Letter from James Bennett to Andrew Carnegie, March 11, 1858; Library of Congress, Volume 1, Folio 72 25 Harold G. Livesay, op. cit.; p. 46 26 Inventory and Appraisal, Estate of James Bennett; Office of the Register of Wills; Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 27 1850 United States Population Census 28 Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County; Deed Book, Volume 110; p. 360 29 From Jeanne Heuser, daughter of Ruth Bennett Heuser 30 1860 United States Population Census