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Writer's pictureMelissa Davenport Berry

The Shop of John Emery Furniture Maker Newbury MA



Emery Cupboard at the Winterthur Museum Museum Object Number: 1966.1261 Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Article] Trent, Robert F., et al. 2001 "First Flowers of the Wilderness: Mannerist Furniture from a North Essex County, Massachusetts, Shop". American Furniture. 1-64. Published: p. 206. [Article] Follansbee, Peter. 1998 "A Seventeenth-Century Carpenter's Conceit: The Waldo Family Joined Chair". American Furniture. 1998: 197-214. Published: figs. 8-12 & 14, pp. 9-12. [Book] Fairbanks, Jonathan L. & Trent, Robert F. 1982 New England Begins: The Seventeenth Century. III. 366-575. Published: V.3, p.531, cat. no. 488.


In 1982 the John Emery shop, a previously unrecognized seventeenth century joinery shop, was identified as the possible maker of the Peter Woodbury cupboard, one of the most important seventeenth century cupboards in America. Three years later “The Emery Attributions” was published and twenty-nine chests-of- drawers, cupboards, chests, boxes and tables were attributed to the shop. The furniture attributed to the Emery shop incorporates carved, turned and joined features. Additionally, much of it is dated and carved initials commemorating marriages in seventeenth century Massachusetts can be found on the front of many of the cases.The Emery attribution suggests that twenty-cine artifacts associated with seventeenth century Essex County, Massachusetts share enough characteristics to have originated in a single large multi-generational shop. Only three large multi-generational shops can be identified in seventeenth century Essex County, Massachusetts records. The three shops include the Dennis/Searle shop of Ipswich, the Symonds shop of Salem, and the Emery shop of Newbury. Since these objects differ from works attributed to the Symonds and Dennis shops, the two other known multi-generational operations in Essex County, Robert Trent has attributed these objects to the shop of John Emery. John Emery (1598-1693) emigrated to Newbury, Massachusetts from Hampshire. England in 1635. John, Sr. and two sons, John Emery, Jr. (1628-1693) and Jonathan Emery (1652-1723) were listed in seventeenth century Essex County records as carpenters.5 Ensign Stephen Emery (1691-1746), John Emery, Jr’s son and John Emery Sr.’s grandson is listed in court papers as a gentleman and millwright. Read more PDF below


Thesis of Tommy Arthur McPherson, In this thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in Early American Culture Summer 1999 Read PDF



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