Talk:William Savery (cabinetmaker)

In the early 20th century it was said of Savery, "a Quaker and we presume of the stock of Quakers". He was actually of Huguenot ancestry. In 1746 under the guidance of Peter Stretch for whom he worked at times, Philadelphia yearly Meeting records indicate he went before a "clearness committee" and became a Quaker in order to marry Mary Peters referred to as "a Welsh Quaker". He was referred to as "cabinetmaker of Philadelphia". At this time you had to be a Quaker to marry a Quaker. A trace of early records in Maryland find William Savery as the "test of a will" in Cecil County in 1695 and later referred to as "senior" upon his death in 1739. This implies a junior. He left 300 pounds. An accountant also named Savery handled the estate. William the cabinet maker was born in 1721. By 1741 he was apprenticed to Solomon Fussell and soon had his own shop and home and in 1746, a wife. Their son, the minister died in 1804 and his temperament was related to his Huguenot ancestry, referred to in his obituary in the Pennsylvania Advertiser. Since his mother was Welsh, this could only refer to his father, born in a Huguenot area of Maryland (Cecil County) This is consistent with oaths recorded there. Quakers were forbidden to make oaths. A later "Severit" was a general in the French Revolution.

A mortice and tenon joint was common to Huguenots, where English chair makers commonly use dowel joints. This no doubt led him quickly to case furniture after working for Fussell a chair maker.Questionall Quaker (talk) 21:54, 10 July 2014 (UTC)