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Carver Chair. Material : Fraxinus Americana (American white ash) and maple. Made in Plymouth Colony, 1630-1670. Ownership attributed (at one time) to John Carver. It is highly unlikely that this chair actually belonged to John Carver, the first Governor of Plymouth Colony. Although the chair was long thought to have been brought on the Mayflower by Carver, a recent wood analysis determined that the chair was actually made in America. American white ash does not grow in England. Governor Carver died in Spring of 1621 and it is not probable that people in the fledgling colony had time to build such a chair during that first devastating winter when half the Pilgrims died. The name of Plymouth’s first governor, however, has been firmly attached to this type of Early American chair; chairs with turned spindles in the back only are known generically today as "Carver chairs." |
They differ from Brewster Chairs, which have spindles under the seat and arms as well. The chair is related to other chairs made by craftsman Ephraim Tinkham (1649-1713), who worked in Plymouth and Middleboro.