Early Military Ephemera

I have always loved early ephemera from our country's history and I have been lucky enough to collect several pieces for my own collection including an early document from 1747 with the signatures of John and Josiah Cotton from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

I also use early letters and documents as 'props' in and on some of my antique furniture like this early 19th century desk from northeastern Pennsylvania.

My favorite forms of early ephemera are the ones associated with our Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. I have one for sale in my shop that is a Revolutionary War era Promissory Note from the Connecticut Committee of Four that includes the vertical signature of Colonel Samuel Wyllys, the namesake of Ft. Wyllys found at West Point, NY. It was built in 1778, was an infantry fortification for the protection of West Point, and is still a well-preserved redoubt. Colonel Wyllys came from an important Connecticut family and was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel in 1776. He was in command of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment during the Siege of Boston and then marched with General Washington to New York. After the war, he became a representative to the Connecticut General Assembly and then became the Secretary of State for Connecticut from 1796-1809. During the war, he also served as a revolving member of the Committee of Four in Connecticut which was the body that provided the monies necessary to further the battle against the British.

Samuel Wyllys was only one of the signers of this 1781 Promissory Note. You can see two other signatures underneath the strong vertical signature of Colonel Wyllys. They are the signatures of William Moseley (noted as a 'patriot of the war') and Eleazer Wales, who is listed as a minister in Connecticut. The address on the back of this pay voucher and is the address of Ralph Pomeroy, the Military Paymaster for the colony of Connecticut during the war. A wonderful piece of history from 1781 that is in fabulous shape to be 233 years old.

The last one that I have listed in the shop is of an 1823 Militia Certificate that commands the appearance of L. Page at Richard's Tavern in Charlestown, MA for inspection and review. It is signed by the clerk of that particular militia and is a call to be 'armed and equipped' as the law directs. This was only 8 years after end of the War of 1812 that lasted until 1815 and I am sure that our country was still reeling from that war that had its beginnings back in 103 when the British began to impress American sailors and forced them to work on British ships. This soon became an international incident when the American ship 'Chesapeake' was fired upon by British forces. The War of 1812 has always been overshadowed by the Revolutionary War but is a very interesting part of our early history. Check these two pieces out under my Ephemera button in the shop! We are headed out on another buying trips to New England in the morning and maybe I will find more military ephemera!

Snipe Hinges: What Are They?

Hello and welcome to the first Winterberry Farm Primitives Store Blog. I decided to start this blog to answer some of the questions that I get concerning primitive antiques, what they are and how to decorate with them. What is a snipe hinge and why were they used in early America? The snipe hinge is probably the earliest type of hinge used on American furniture and document boxes. Two 'cotter' pins are used to make the snipe hinge and here is a picture of how they are added to the piece of furniture or document box from the website http://www.horton-brasses.com/resources/installation/snipehinges.

Each cotter pin was drilled through one part of the furniture or document box and then the ends of the pin are bent back to secure it in the wood.

Here is a picture of the snipe hing on the interior of my circa 1790-1800 William and Mary chest over drawers that illustrates that bending back of the pin. Using snipe hinges to help you date your antique is a helpful guide but beware of the new reproduction furniture that has the same style of hinge. When you look at the hinges (and the piece of furniture or document box) several things will pop out at you including the perfection of the new hinges.

They will usually look too 'perfect' unlike this picture of the same snipe hinge that in on the outside of my William and Mary chest. Snipe hinges can also help you figure out where your piece of furniture or box originated. Snipe hinges were used in early New England and can help you figure out the origin of your antique. Below are a couple of my favorite boxes from my collection that have snipe hinges. One is a tobacco stained document box that is circa 1800-1820 and the other is a dome top document box that is early 19th century. Both are from the New England area and are wonderful early boxes. and here are pictures of their hinges There is a small document box in my May 2014 update that has snipe hinges on it and it is an early box. Here is a picture of one of the snipe hinges on the little box.

Not all early document boxes were painted and this little box never had paint on it but sometime in its history, a vibrant and colorful wallpaper was added to the interior.

Check it out on my website at It is under the Primitive Antiques button and is #1708. That's all until next time! Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out my May 2014 Update today, May 16, 2014! UPDATE to this blog! The early little document box with the snipe hinges that was in the month's update has sold! Thank you!