A Walnut and Curly Maple Desk and Bookcase by Jacob Werrey (1838-1893)
Fulton County, Ohio, Dated 1889
with poplar secondary, of two-piece construction.
interior fitted with a central secret drawer with an eglomisé panel bearing the name Jacob Schad with a stenciled date 1889 below.
the upper section left drawer as well as the interior upper left drawer bearing a penciled inscription Pettisville Fulton Co Ohio / December 27, 1889 / Made by Jacob Werrey.
retaining original finish and hardware.
Height 95 1/2 x width 43 1/2 x depth 22 1/2 inches.
Jacob Werrey (1838-1893), a Mennonite, lived in German Township, Fulton County, Ohio. Census records indicate his profession as a farmer, though his obituary identifies him as a carpenter. His furniture was painstakingly crafted in the Germanic tradition and is in every aspect equal to examples of similar heritage from other regions. Roughly twenty pieces of Werrey-made furniture survive and date between 1863 and 1889 with the majority being blanket chests. Case furniture by him is exceedingly rare, with approximately six surviving examples known to exist.
Information obtained from the 1880 census identifies a Jacob Schad, age 36, occupation farmer, living in Hudson, McLean County, Illinois with his wife, Louisa and their children. Genealogical research indicates that Jacob Schad was born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1844 and died in Heyworth, McLean County, Illinois in 1922. Louisa Winters was born in Pettisville, Fulton County, Ohio, in 1853, marrying Jacob Schad in 1870.
Exhibited: A Tradition of Progress: Ohio Decorative Arts 1860-1945. Ohio Decorative Arts Center, Lancaster, Ohio.
