Plow Plane
Date1811
Maker
Henry Wetherell III
1764 - 1840
MediumBeech, iron, brass, steel, and ivory
DimensionsLength: 8 3/4"; thickness of body: 1 1/2"
Credit LineGift of Thomas Elliott
Object number2024-333
DescriptionPlow plane with rounded chamfers which end with a turn-out, a wood depth-stop, and round- top arms. Ivory band let into toe below date.Label TextThe son of Henry Wetherel, Jr., Henry Wetherell III followed his father into the planemaking business, but added a second "l" to his last name, perhaps to distinguish himself. When Henry Jr. passed away in 1797, Henry III inherited his father's well-equipped, blacksmithing and woodworking shop in Chatham, Connecticut, where he operated until 1808. That year he relocated to Glastonbury, CT, only to return to Chatham in 1809, where we worked until 1824, when he moved to Middletown. Sometime between 1827 and 1830, he once again returned to Chatham, where he died a decade later.Mark(s)The toe of the plane marked with H.WETHERELL over GLASTONBURY over CHATHAM in relief within serrated rectangles (Elliott, AWP, p.402, imprint D). Date 1811, incuse, also struck into toe.ProvenanceApril 2003, purchased by Thomas Elliott (Westbrook, CT); 2024, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
