The
James Avery Toolbox
---By Brian Erickson
A few years ago my dad gave me a wood tool chest
that my Grandfather, George Erickson, had in his possession. My dad said Geo
was a Blacksmith by trade and did some work for someone who could not pay him
so he was given the tool chest for his work. It has nice inlay on the top and
on the drawers inside. The engraving on the top says J.E.A. Inside it also has
a metal tag that says J.E. Avery.
I did a grave search at the cemetery sites in that area. The
In reading the obituary there was something interesting. It says that James E
Avery came to Saugatuck in March of 1891
and engaged in the wagon making business with S.C Reed until the spring of
1897. It then says he left Saugatuck for
My grandfather is buried in the same cemetery and I read his obituary. It said
Geo apprenticed himself (circa 1910) to a blacksmith (Samuel C. Reed) who
operated blacksmith shops in Saugatuck
and Douglas.
I thought my grandpa may have known James Avery as both lived in Saugatuck. Both worked for Samuel C Reed so
there could be a connection. There was approximately 2 years of overlap from
when my grandfather started working as a blacksmith at SC Reed and the death of
J.E Avery. James may have done woodworking from his time making wagons. James
could have paid with the chest as payment for services rendered.
I looked at the metal tag again. It says J.E. Avery,
The tag has a bird on it. To me the wings
look like an eagle but it looks like the bird has something below its mouth. I
was not sure what that was.
I kept going with my research and came across a website called 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment,
1861-1864, "Grand Army of the Potomac". http://www.4thmichigan.com/ Below is the
Bio on J. E. Avery.
Avery, James E.,
I emailed George who does research for the 4th
and asked him about the chest and tag from J.E. Avery. George replied and we
talked by phone.
It turns out George is in charge of seeking out information and grave plots for
about 2000 men that served in the 4th
Michigan. One of them is James E. Avery. He had medical records and discharge
papers with more details on his medical condition, etc. He had accurate records
on where James lived after the war. I emailed him a photo of the tag and one of
the tool box and asked for his opinion.
He started with the tag and felt it was not
civil war but after the civil war. It lacked Regiment information, etc. used
for identification that actual Civil war tags would have. His records indicated
James lived in
George said the tag was well worn indicating lots of use. He thought it was
most likely a pocket watch fob. He said it could have been something stamped
out at a 4th reunion, gathering, etc. He
said it could have come from a flag or cloth and attached through the hole in
the tag but that would not explain the wear of the tag so he was more
comfortable with it being a watch fob.
I sent him a picture of the unopened chest. George called it a box and said he
had seen them before. He described the inside of the box to me without having
seen the pictures I took. Military records indicate James was a Carriage Maker
by trade before he entered the military in 1861. He said in those days a Master
Woodworkers first project was to make there own tool box. They used them to
display their handiwork and carry tools. Based on military medical records and
discharge papers James Avery became completely blind in his right eye and could
not distinguish people more than 10 feet away with his left eye. George felt
James would not be able to do the detail inlay on the box so he thought it was
made before he was commissioned (pre
1861). George said this would have been a very important and personal piece to
a Master Woodworker.
I sent him pictures of the inside that confirmed this. He especially
liked the inlay if the shields on the inside treys. I told him my grandfather
was a blacksmith and put the iron frame on the lid to help protect the box as
he used it. He felt that the metal on the corners was something from
grandfather also as a woodworker would pride himself on strong corner joints
and would not use metal reinforcements. I asked if we should repaint or strip
the paint. He said the paint could be original or put on by my grandfather so
he suggested leaving it or at least have someone look at it to verify the
originality of the paint.
George said James was discharged on December 4, 1862. A week after his
discharge the 4th
Note about the chest, my dad said my grandfather forged and added the metal
strips around the top for strength and protection as he used the chest. He also
added casters so the chest could be moved easily as it is very heavy. There are
8 treys inside. The center has a lid that slides open to reveal a lower
compartment. Each trey can slide to the center exposing the trey below. When
all treys on one side are moved to the middle there is a compartment below for
storing larger items. The top treys have locking mechanisms but we have no key.
I still have some tools from my grandfather inside the chest. A couple levels
(they say Stanley Rule & Level Co., New Britain, Conn.), wood chisels, and
a measuring tool my dad said they used to measure how many board feet a logged
tree would produce. I remember being told when
UPDATE: In my continued search for information on James E. Avery, I found a
website titled Descendants of Stukely
Westcott.
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/l/a/p/James-R-Laplante/GENE4-0001.html
James E. Avery is a descendant of Stukely
Westcott. It appears Stukely was one of the original settlers
coming to
Rhoda Westcott is listed as person
number 127. She is in the Generation No. 7 list. She Married Daniel
Brown Avery of
James E Avery Obituary: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=avery&GScid=1959645&GRid=22634175&
Stukely Westcott
had some interesting friends including Roger Williams (
The Stukely daughter Damaris Westcott Arnold (married Benedict Arnold)
became the "First Lady of the Colony" when her husband succeeded
Roger Williams in 1644 as President of the Colony and again in 1663, when he
was named Governor under the Charter granted by King Charles II.
They also reference a Lewis Jr. (relative) who was knighted by James I in 1603,
and in 1617, was appointed guardian of Thomas Rolf, infant son of John Rolf and
his wife, the American Indian Princess, Pocahontas.
James E. Avery had some interesting American heritage.