In 1862, the Franklin Herald reported that Martin Crafts of Whately had been arrested, under the headline Arrest of a Forger. He was arrested in Burlington, Vermont after the Franklin County Bank in Greenfield complained that Crafts had forged his father’s name in 1860. The arrest resulted in three trials, including one in the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and years of bad feeling between the plaintiffs and the defendant, all of whom were sons of Thomas Crafts, b. 1781, Whately’s renowned stoneware potter.
Martin Crafts, b. 1807, was the first living son of Thomas Crafts and his wife Mehitable Graves. He was named in honor of Mehitable’s father, Martin Graves. Although Thomas and Mehitable had eight children, only five survived to adulthood. The youngest, Thomas Spenser, left Whately to move to California. That left only Martin, his brothers Elbridge Gerry, b. 1814, and James Monroe, b. 1817, and two sisters, Aurelia and Tryphena. Martin, Elbridge, and James all followed in their father’s footsteps, working as potters.
In 1832, when Martin was 25 years old, he married Emily Ingram of Newfane, Vermont. Their first child was born in Whately and soon died. Martin and Emily then moved to Portland, Maine. In 1833 the couple had twin boys, Edward and Alonzo, both of whom died the next day. Still in Portland in 1835, their daughter Mary was born. About 1838, however, Martin and Emily moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, where he and his brother, James M. Crafts, had a stoneware factory. A daughter, Harriet Mehitable, was born in Nashua in 1840 and died soon thereafter, and a second Harriet was born in 1843. A son, named Martin, was born and died in August 1845, and their final child, Emma, was born in 1847. Thus, of eight children, only three daughters survived. In 1850, enumerated in the U.S. census as Martin Crofts, he was living in Nashua.
In 1853, his father Thomas Crafts was on a train trip when he was robbed of $100 in cash and of a note for $1800, signed by Martin Crafts. Thomas Crafts, a relatively affluent man, must have been lending money to his son Martin, perhaps helping him with his several moves and business relocations. Further family arrangements ended up in court in 1854. Martin Crafts had insured property in Nashua, then transferred the policy to his brother James. He did not pay arrears (back taxes and other unpaid debts) on the policy and James Crafts did not sign the transfer. The property was destroyed by fire and James Crafts successfully sued for the insurance money. In 1857, that verdict was set aside and another trial was held. This time the insurance company prevailed, and the payment to James was reversed.
After the fire Martin and his family went back to Whately. In 1855 they were living near other members of the Crafts family and Martin’s occupation was reported as stoneware. By 1860, however, Martin and family were in Malden, Massachusetts, where his occupation was reported as “tyle maker.”
When Thomas Crafts died in 1861 his remaining will, signed in 1852 when he was 80 years old, named his sons James and Elbridge as his executors. He left half of his estate to his wife and half of his furniture to his son Elbridge and stipulated that Elbridge should provide a home for Thomas’ brother-in-law Perez Graves. He left $200 to his son Martin “in money or demands that I may hold against him,” All the rest and residue was to go to Elbridge, James and Thomas Spencer Crafts. However, Thomas had added a codicil in 1855, which stipulated that Martin Crafts was to have a part of the home property “it being where the said Martin is building upon.”
In March of 1861, before Thomas Crafts died, he sued Martin, claiming that Martin had forged Thomas’ signature to “several” drafts or notes. The jury returned a verdict favorable to Thomas. Elbridge and James were not satisfied with the verdict, however. They sued for a new trial after Thomas had died. Again the verdict was in their favor, but again they were not satisfied. In both cases they were unhappy with the damages awarded. Thus the case was sent up to the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Finally, after litigation that continued into 1862, Martin Crafts was acquitted. In 1870 the family moved to Newark, NJ, then by 1876 to Salinas, California. Martin was recorded there on a list of registered voters and was called a potter. Emily Ingram Crafts died in California in 1876 and Martin died of pneumonia in Newark in March of 1880. He was 72 years old.
Copies of the newspaper coverage of this sad and tangled family tale, as well as the documents of record at the Massachusetts Supreme Court, are catalogued at the Whately Historical Society. The WHS collection also includes many examples of the pottery of Thomas, Martin, and James Crafts, which are on display in its Museum at Whately Town Hall, 194 Chestnut Plain Road.
Dereka S. Smith
February 2026
