Hagaman & Co. General Dealers, Bronte C.W. Jug
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Text
- Item Type
- Pottery
- Description
- This "stoneware" storage jug was found in a shed at the former Patterson family farmhouse in the old village of Merton, R.R.1 Bronte, Halton County. The present day owner is a descendant of the Riggs and Patterson families who farmed for generations at Merton.
Pictured here is a glazed 2 gallon stoneware jug. It was made by Hart Potteries of Fulton, New York. The glaze is likely a "salt glaze". The stylized cobalt design is often known as a "plow flower" design but a pottery specialist has explained to me that the names given to the flower designs were often personally chosen rather than following established norms. (The "2" is so stylized that I thought it was the number 9.)
The pottery specialist who contacted the TTHS explains that it is the "ovoid (round) form that tells of the American origins. The few ovoid marked Ontario examples are exceptionally uncommon."
In early days of European settlement in Canada, Americans had the advantage over any Canadian pottery because the raw stoneware clay all came from the U.S. Travelling salesmen would travel the rough roads from store to hamlet to village to town to sell these wares.
In 1849, Samuel Hart backed a pottery managed by his nephew, William Hart in Picton, Canada West. William managed the Picton business until 1855. Other family members carried after that. The Picton business made Canada West made wares available for the first time and used the unique designs of the parent Fulton, NY company.
According to the Town of Oakville research report by Laurie Smith Heritage House Consulting which is linked here for your further information, the Hagaman business was started sometime before 1842 by Benjamin Hagaman. The business bought and shipped grain as well as the importing of ready-made goods from family connections in Oswego, New York state for their stores, one in Oakville, the other in Bronte, and later in Ridgetown, Ontario.
Pages 48-8 to 48-9 of the linked report have the detailed information about the two Hagaman cousins.
Benjamin's cousin, Worthington Ely Hagaman, 1820-1892, took over the business including the Oakville dry goods store Benjamin had founded, Gage & Hagaman, later called Hagaman & Jull when his daughter married Bennett Jull who had come from Orangeville to clerk in the Oakville store (as per the Orange Lawrence family history document also linked here FYI) in 1872, from 1850 to 1892. Benjamin kept the Bronte store.
W.E. Hagaman lived in the house that was built in about 1866 at what is now 1118 Lakeshore Road East, aka "the Hopgood Estate". The house has a heritage plaque on it, "1866 W.E. Hagaman Grain Dealer".
The Hagaman's moved to Ridgetown, Ontario in later years although W.E.'s wife, maybe more family members, is buried in St. Jude's Cemetery, Oakville. - Notes
- The interior of the jug is glazed and clean. Around the mouth there is rough, hardened, greyish matter that perhaps originally sealed the cork and could not be cleaned off. Or, possibly the jug was used to store oil or grease, this being the residue.
"C.W." stands for "Canada West". Upper Canada was the formal name from 1791-1841. It changed to Canada West in 1841 through 1867 although the old name continued in use too. - Inscriptions
- Hagaman & Co. General Dealers Bronte C. W.
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Worthington Ely Hagaman, 1820-1892 Benjamin Hagaman.
- Local identifier
- TTJPB000706
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.40011 Longitude: -79.71632
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- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- Hagaman & Co. General Dealers, Bronte C.W. Jug
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
