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Contribution #280 of 365
Thomas W. Commeraw
Pottery Manufacturer and New York Entrepreneur
1790s–1819
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born enslaved, Thomas W. Commeraw gained his freedom and developed into a skilled potter and entrepreneur in New York City. Beginning in the 1790s, he owned and operated a successful pottery in Lower Manhattan, manufacturing utilitarian stoneware for the city's growing commercial market. During approximately two decades in business, Commeraw also accumulated property, transforming specialized craftsmanship into independent manufacturing, business ownership and property acquisition during the early economic development of the United States.