The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Claney, Jane Perkins                          

Title:               Research notes on Jabez Vodrey

Dates:             circa 1990-circa 2001

Call No.:         Col. 945         

Acc. No.:        15x71

Quantity:        6 boxes

Location:        18 J 2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Jane Perkins Claney holds a PhD in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has researched, analyzed, written, and lectured about historic artifacts, especially ceramics. 

 

Jabez Vodrey (born 1795) was the first English potter to work west of the Appalachian Mountains.  He settled in East Liverpool, Ohio, formed a partnership with others, and produced yellow wares and Rockingham [i.e. brown glazed earthenware] pottery.  Vodrey died in 1861, but his sons continued making pottery until 1928.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Most of the collection is a transcription and annotation of the diary of Jabez Vodrey, an English potter who moved to the United States in 1827.  (The diary apparently remains in family hands.) The diary covered both Vodrey’s personal life and professional activities.  Jane Perkins Claney annotated the diary, but her work on Vodrey does not seem to have been published.   Also in the collection are photographs and slides of Rockingham ware.  Vodrey made Rockingham wares, but the photos are not of his manufactures.  Rather, these photos were probably gathered by Dr. Claney as she was researching and writing her book Rockingham Ware in American Culture, 1830-1930.  Some notecards in the collection seem to index something, but it is not clear what that is.

 

           

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan Claney.

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

People:

            Vodrey, Jabez, 1794-1861.

 

Topics:

            Potters - Ohio - East Liverpool - 19th century.

            Potteries - Ohio - East Liverpool - 19th century.

            Rockingham pottery.

           

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 18 J 2

 

Box 1:

 

Folder 1:          Diary gleanings

 

Folder 2:          Vodrey: pre-Louisville and Louisville

 

Folder 3:          Vodrey: Troy, [Indiana]: March 1839-March 1847, p. 3-94

 

Folder 4:          Vodrey: East Liverpool, Ohio: March 1847-1860

 

Folders 5-6:     Diary: typescript: 1833-1853, Oct. 24

                                    [continues in next box]

 

 

Box 2:

 

Folder 1:          Diary: typescript: 1853, Oct. 25-1860, April 14

                                    [continued from previous box]

 

Folders 2-3:     Annotations [of diary]

 

Folder 4:          Vodrey: illustrations

 

Folder 5:          Vodrey: miscellaneous

 

Folder 6:          Notes and correspondence

 

Folders 7-8:     Photographs of Rockingham wares

 

 

Box 3:

 

Folder 1:          “The World of Jabez Vodrey”: preface

 

Folder 2:          Draft: Introduction

 

Folder 3:          Draft: Pittsburgh

 

Folder 4:          Draft: Louisville

 

Folder 5:          Introduction and preface

 

Folder 6:          Draft: Intro/America: draft 3

 

Folder 7:          Editing notes

 

Folders 8-10:   Diary and annotating: current stage

 

 

Box 4:

 

Folders 1-2:     Material used in additions and annotations of earlier versions of pages       

 

Folder 3:          Shapes and decoration mentioned in diary and account book

 

Folder 4:          Correspondence, with some photos

 

Folder 5:          Lists of figures, with some photos

 

Folder 6:          Computer floppy disk

 

Folder 7:          notebook: “American Civilization”

                                    [course at an unknown college]

 

Folder 8:          Negatives

 

Folder 9:          Slides: miscellaneous

 

Folders 10-12:             Slides: from blue notebook    

 

 

Box 5: Notecards

 

These cards seem to be indexing something, perhaps the Vodrey diary.

 

 

Box 6: Slides of Rockingham earthenware

 

[Some of these slides are not labeled.]