Thomas Addeman of Providence, Rhode Island

"T. Addeman / Prov. R.I." Blacking Bottle

Thomas Addeman was born in Yorkshire, England in 1803. Following his marriage to Mary Ann (Flagg) in
1836, the couple relocated to New Zealand where many opportunities were being offered to new settlers. During their time in New Zealand, the Addemans had a son and daughter, and the family lived happily with Thomas working as a store owner. In 1844 there were increased rumors of impending conflict between the British New Zealand government and the indigenous Maori over the interpretation of the 1840
Treaty of Waitangi. The Addemans booked passage to Providence, Rhode Island and arrived in the Spring of 1845. A number of conflicts did break out between the British settlers and the Maori from 1845 to 1872, particularly in the far north of New Zealand where the Addemans had lived.

Despite their quick departure from New Zealand, the Addeman family was able to settle quite nicely into a new life in Providence. Thomas and Mary Ann had three more children after arriving in Providence. The description of Thomas' career varied over his time in Providence including: confectioner, manufacturer of leather preservative, leather preservative, trader, leather presser, and manufacturer, but it is clear that he was definitely involved the production and preservation of leather products.

We are pleased to offer what we believe to be a unique, labeled Thomas Addeman leather preservative bottle. Thomas probably placed an order for these bottles in the mid to late 1840's at the newly opened Granite Glass Works in Stoddard, New Hampshire. This extremely rare and exciting bottle is fresh to the marketplace and a true early New England survivor. It is currently the only known example.

This bottle was offered in our Premier Auction 133, March 7-16, 2016.