| |
The William Trent House interior is being re-created
to simulate the early eighteenth century household of
merchant and entrepreneur William Trent using the inventory
of the house taken after his death. The ongoing reinterpretation
of the William Trent House interior will follow this
historic "blueprint," the 1726 probate inventory.
An inventory of a decedent's property was typically
taken within thirty days of a death in order to determine
the estate. When a greater period of time has elapsed
between an individual's death and the inventory (18
months, in Trent's case), it suggests that the estate
was contested --which was certainly the case of William
Trent. Since William Trent died without a will, his
estate was contested between his eldest son, James,
and his widow, Mary Coddington Trent. Mary Trent's possessions
were inventoried separately by others and are listed
at the end of the inventory. The outcome of the case
is not known.
Eighteenth century inventories included household goods
and personal possessions such as clothing and jewelry,
real estate, cash, or bonds, tools of trade, shop inventories
in the case of a merchant, livestock, outbuildings,
farm implements, as well as slaves. The specificity
of the recording varied a great deal, with some items
described fully: 2 Large peer Glasses with Sollpopt
Shells gilt with gold, which tells us the type of looking
glass (pier glass), its size (large), finish (gilt with
gold), and decoration (scalloped shells); other entries
, such as 12 Small Chears tells us little about a group
of chairs in the lower front hall, except their size
and number.
The reinterpretation project uses the inventory as
a starting point. Other early eighteenth century inventories
have been evaluated as well, in order to see what kinds
of furnishings were used in the homes of Trent's contemporaries.
This information, along with extensive research on decorative
arts of the early eighteenth century, contributed to
the comprehensive furnishings plan for the house. There
is an ongoing reevaluation of the existing furnishings
acquired through donations and purchases between the
years 1930-1960 to determine which pieces will be retained
for the new presentation. Our goal is to represent the
William Trent House as it would have looked at the time
of Trent's 1726 inventory.
Although the inventory does not provide exact information
about how the Trent home was furnished, much can be
learned about the family and their way of life by closely
studying this document. The large number of kitchen
implements indicates generous entertaining. Several
pieces of furniture japanned in gold indicates that
Trent had access to the high-style import furniture
that was popular in large colonial cities like New York
and Philadelphia in the first quarter of the 18th century.
The large supply of table silver (referred to as "New"
and "old" Plate) demonstrates that William
Trent was quite wealthy by any standard. The inclusion
of sundries from the Grist, Saw, and "fouling"
(fulling) Mills shows the diversification of Trent's
business interests. The "great Boat" confirms
that Trent traveled to and from his estate by ship via
the Delaware River. "Sloop Guns" and "Ship
Muskets" indicate that river travel could be dangerous
in this very early period of colonial history. The fact
that people are listed among the possessions is a clear
indication that William Trent owned African slaves who
lived and worked on his country estate at the Falls
of Delaware.
Interestingly, Trent's inventory lists no portraits
or paintings. The only mention of pictures is the notation
of "Eight Indian pictures without frames."
It is possible that some family treasures could have
been distributed to the three adult sons and one adult
daughter from Trent's first marriage prior to the making
of this inventory, since more than a year had elapsed
between the date of his death in December 1724 and the
estate appraisal in April 1726.
The inventory itself is on file in the office of the
Superior Court of New Jersey, State House Annex, contained
in a bound volume filed as 1211-1216C, 1433-1448C.
|
|
"Although the inventory does not
provide exact information about how the Trent home was
furnished, much can be learned about the family and
their way of life by closely studying this document"
1726 Inventory of
William Trent's household
Click image to enlarge.
1726 Inventory of
William Trent's household
Click image to enlarge.
|
|
