Grooving Plane
Dateca.1770-1777
Maker
Nathaniel Briggs
1744 - 1777
MediumBirch, iron, steel, and leather.
DimensionsOverall: 10 1/8"; Width; 1 1/2"
Credit LineGift of Thomas Elliott
Object number2024-261
DescriptionGrooving plane with iron skates, flat chamfers which end with a turn-out, a snecked iron, and a slightly relieved wedge. Its replaced fence is held by handmade screws, faced with a leather spacer, and is topped with a molded shoulder.Label TextBorn in Norton, Massachusetts on August 23, 1744, Nathaniel Briggs had relocated to Keene, New Hampshire by 1773. His father and brothers were woodworkers, and he was second cousin to Elisha Briggs, a known planemaker operating out of Keene. Though Nathaniel's trade has never been documented, his estate inventory includes planes and other woodworking tools.On August 16, 1777, Briggs found himself serving in the New Hampshire militia, under command of General John Stark. Part of a contingent of about 2000 men, Stark's forces were defending Patriot supplies held at Bennington (now Vermont) when attacked by about 700 "Hessians," amongst others, commanded by Lt. Col. Frederich Baum. Though it was a resounding victory for the Patriots, Nathaniel Briggs was one of about thirty Americans to die in the Battle of Bennington, as it is known.Mark(s)N•BRIGGS in relief within a serrated rectangle, is struck into the toe (Elliott, GAWP 5th ed., p.46).ProvenanceSeptember 1996, purchased by Thomas Elliott (Westbrook, CT); 2024, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
