CultureAmerican
Datec. 1860
Made inGonzales, Texas, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions3/4 × 1 1/8 × 5 3/4 in. (1.9 × 2.9 × 14.6 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of William J. Hill
Object numberB.2018.53
Current LocationBayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Texas Room
On view
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DescriptionThe short-lived Gonzales, Texas, partnership of Carter & Morrill involved three individuals from Concord, New Hampshire. Abiel Carter (1827–1898) and John William Dodge Carter (1840–1917) were brothers. Samuel F. Morrill (1838–1910) was also from the Concord area, but there is no record of a partnership there before their move to Texas. In Concord, Abiel partnered initially with his father, Jacob Carter (1796–1881), in the firm Carter & Son (active c. 1853) and then with George H. Whitford (1829–1906) as part of the firm Carter & Whitford (active 1853–1857). By 1860 Abiel Carter, John Carter, and Samuel Morrill are all listed in Gonzales in the same household as watchmakers. The Carter & Morrill partnership appears to have been between Abiel Carter and Samuel Morrill, both of whom are recorded as having equal personal estates of $2,250 in the 1860 census. Little is known about the partnership’s history in Texas. They are not listed in the 1860 manufacturing schedules, and no contemporary advertisements have been yet located. Intriguingly, the Carters appear on both the New Hampshire and Texas censuses for 1860, placing their arrival in Texas between June and July of that year. Abiel Carter left his wife and family in New Hampshire, possibly indicating that the firm’s establishment in Texas was intended to test the market before permanent relocation. The Civil War was almost certainly the cause for the dissolution of Carter & Morrill. By 1870 the men had likely all returned to New Hampshire. It is probable that the business did not last past 1863, as John William Dodge Carter enlisted in the Union army in New Hampshire that year. Morrill entered business under his own name in Concord, New Hampshire, taking over the workshop of Abiel’s old partner George H. Whitford. After the war, the Carter brothers formed a partnership, Carter Brothers (1872–1991) in Portland, Maine, as silver retailers.
ProvenanceWilliam J. Hill (1934–2018), Houston; given to MFAH, 2018.
Exhibition History"Made in Texas: Art, Life and Culture: 1845–1900," Beeville Art Museum, Texas, September 20, 2014–January 10, 2015.
"A Texas Legacy: Selections from the William J. Hill Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 2, 2016–January 2, 2017.
"Texas Silver, William J. Hill," Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, March 1–June 1, 2017.
Inscriptions, Signatures and MarksInscribed on handle: CSW
Marked on back of handle: CARTER & MORRILL. / GONZALES.TEX. / PURE COIN. [in rectangles]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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