David Cleaves

American potter

David Cleaves

Born| September 1, 1794

Saco, District of Maine, U.S.

Died| February 13, 1860(1860-02-13) (aged 65)

Yarmouth, Maine, U.S.

Resting place| Old Baptist Cemetery, Yarmouth, Maine
Nationality| American
Spouse| Lydia Corliss (m. 1818)

David Cleaves (September 1, 1794 – February 13, 1860) was an American potter in 19th-century Yarmouth, Maine. Cleaves Brook and Cleaves Street in that town are now named for him.

## Life and career[edit]

Cleaves was born in 1794 in Saco, District of Maine.[1]

He married Lydia, daughter of Ebenezer Corliss, on May 31, 1818.[1] The couple had two sons: Robert C. Cleaves, a potter, and Payne E. Cleaves, a sailor.[2] They lived at a couple of addresses in Yarmouth, Maine, including today's 30 West Elm Street.[3]

In the early 19th century, Cleaves worked for a pottery business owned by his father-in-law and George Bruce.[2] They ran it until 1820,[4] when it was passed to Cleaves and his son, Robert.[5][6][7] In 1856, they were in business alongside that of fellow potters Joel Brooks and Benjamin Foster, son of Nathaniel.[8]

## Death and legacy[edit]

Cleaves Brook, beside Yarmouth town hall

Cleaves died in 1860, aged 65.[1] He was interred in the Old Baptist Cemetery in Yarmouth, beside his wife.

Cleaves Street and Cleaves Brook, in the area of Yarmouth today known as Brickyard Hollow, are now named for him. Clay for Yarmouth's numerous potteries were dug from Brickyard Hollow,[6] prior to it being filled in in the 20th century.[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Corliss, Augustus Whittemore (1876). Genealogical Record of the Corliss Family of America. p. 71.
2. ^ a b Corliss, Augustus Whittemore (1881). Old Times in North Yarmouth, Maine. p. 758.
3. ^ Yarmouth Historic Context Statement DRAFT 5 – August 31, 2020 Archived November 1, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, page 24 - Town of Yarmouth, Maine
4. ^ Branin, Manlif Lelyn (1978). The Early Potters and Potteries of Maine. Wesleyan University Press. p. 93\. ISBN 9780819550224.
5. ^ Yarmouth Historic Context Statement DRAFT 5 – August 31, 2020 Archived November 1, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, page 4 - Town of Yarmouth, Maine
6. ^ a b Watkins, Lura Woodside (2011). Early New England Potters and Their Wares. Read Books Limited. ISBN 9781446546994.
7. ^ Old-time New England. Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. 1932. p. 184.
8. ^ The Maine Register, and Business Directory. Edward C. Parks. 1856. p. 258.
9. ^ Images of America: Yarmouth, Alan M. Hall (Arcadia, 2002), p.37