January 19, 2024
Introduction: In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about more of the men who donated a relic from America’s past, a silver tankard gifted to Rev. Samuel Deane in 1775. Melissa is a genealogist who has a blog, AnceStory Archives, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.
Today I continue with identifying some of the 21 young men who presented a silver tankard to Rev. Samuel Deane of the First Parish Church and Society in Falmouth, Maine, in 1775.
To recap: The men who presented the silver tankard had their initials engraved on the base along with the maker’s mark: J.COBURN [John Coburn of Boston]. Also engraved on the front: EX DONO JUVENUM ALIQUORUM REV. SAMUEL DEANE PASTORI FIDELISSI MO. 1775. (Translation: FROM THE GIFT OF SOME YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE REVEREND SAMUEL DEANE THE FAITHFUL PASTOR, MARCH 1775.)
So far, I have identified three of the tankard donors: Ephraim Jones Jr., Pearson Jones, and Andrew Philip Titcomb. See: Relics of Our Ancestors (part 3).
Here are two more of the donors (their names in bold).
My last story concluded with two sons born to Benjamin Titcomb and Anne Pearson – one of whom, Andrew, was a donor. A third son, Moses Titcomb (1755-1804), was another donor of the silver tankard. He was a successful merchant who resided in St. Croix.
A portrait of Moses and his brother Andrew can be viewed in the Titcomb family genealogy published by Henry Cole Quimby at Americana-Archives.
Moses’ obituary was published in the Daily Advertiser.
His obituary reported:
Died – at Ballston Springs [NY], on Saturday, 2d September, Moses Titcomb, Esq., aged 49 years, of the Island of St. Croix. He was a native of Portland, in the District of Maine.
A legal case over his estate mentioned a widow by the name of Elizabeth. More research is needed.
Another tankard donor was Hon. Superior Court Judge John Frothingham (1749-1826), son of Deacon John Frothingham and Esther Call, and a direct descendant of William Frothingham (who was among the first settlers of Charlestown, Massachusetts).
John worked in the same law office of Theophilus Bradbury.
Judge John Frothingham’s home was at the corner of Free and Center Streets in Portland, Maine. The home was torn down in 1888.
His obituary, published in the Gazette of Maine, noted he was respected and held many prominent offices in the community, including serving as a counselor at law and one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas from 1804 to 1811.
John married Martha May, daughter of Samuel May and Abigail Williams, and left descendants – including a son John Frothingham Jr. (1788-1870), who became a successful Canadian merchant and philanthropist. John Jr. married his first cousin Louisa Goddard Archibald, daughter of Azor Gale Archibald and Louisa May.
John Jr. engaged in the hardware business with his uncle Samuel May and eventually relocated to Montreal. He later partnered with William Workman, forming Frothingham & Workman. His son George Henry Frothingham would take over the business.
When John Jr. died in 1870 newspapers published a warming tribute from the words of Justice Day of McGill College in Montreal, who spoke of his generous nature and liberal donations to support the college.
This article quoted Mr. Day:
I mention last the name of the late Mr. John Frothingham – a name which must ever be gratefully remembered by us. He was one of the foremost on the list of subscribers to the first endowment fund. His present subscription was among his latest acts. Since then, after an old age prolonged beyond the limit of years usually accorded to men, singularly tranquil and cheerful, his virtuous life closed in peace and hopefulness. He was truly a just and honorable man, and those who knew him best, among whom I count myself, can bear testimony to the benevolence and worth of character which made his death a calamity to the community in which he lived so long.
Here are some Frothingham family photographs from the McCord Stewart Museum collection.
To be continued…
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Note on the header image: Harriet Frothingham. Credit: McCord Stewart Museum, Canada.
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