James Prothro was born in South Carolina, resided in Alabama by 1840, and may have been in Texas by 1846. He settled in Rusk County where his pottery business was recorded in the 1850 manufacturing census. Prothro contracted with the Confederate States Army in 1864 to produce stoneware for use hospitals; the contract made specific reference to an enslaved worker named Alex.

This jar features an impressed four-gallon capacity mark and two strap handles. Its rim became deformed after the pot was turned on the potter’s wheel.