Chauncey Thomas was a Deerfield, Massachusetts, potter from 1908 to 1911. He worked in a shop behind a house that once belonged to Dennis Stebbins (1778-1842), who once had a broom making shop behind the house. Thomas was a member of the Society of Deerfield Industries, which started in 1901 as the Society of Arts and Crafts and existed until 1926. In the spirit of the Colonial revival and the Arts and Crafts Movement, these artisans created a variety of handcrafted goods, including pottery, basketry, metalwork, woven rugs, photography, and embroidery. Thomas moved several times before settling in Berkeley, California, where he and William Bragdon set up a small pottery which eventually became California Faience.