The clay for this crock came from New Jersey and was used to make “stoneware”, which made a stronger product than the clay found in Western Massachusetts. Made for a period of eight years in the mid-19th century in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the finished stoneware was sold by peddlers all over the northeast. Stoneware meant a big improvement in food storage since its salt glaze was less likely to contaminate foodstuffs than earthenware vessels glazed with lead.