
This baptism basin has
the names of the seven youngest of the deacon's 11
children and the years of their christenings engraved
in it, and the seven names of son Ezra's children.
The bowl was probably made shortly before the first
date that appears in it -- 1704.
Both Nathaniel's and
Ezra's families lived in Killingworth, Conn.
The engraved
candlesticks that flank the bowl were wedding gifts
from Ezra to daughter Jemima when she married Josiah
Griswold (1752-1821). Their marriage was recorded on
June 22, 1774, in the records of Killingworth's 2nd
Congregational Church.
The piece is part of
the family collection at Guest House Retreat
& Conference Center in Chester, Conn., formerly
The Inn at Chester, which is the 1755 house built by John Parmelee.