Thomas was born in Brampton, Derby, England on April 1, 1815 to parents Robert Davenport and Ann Jarvis. His wife, Sarah, daughter of John Burrows and Charlotte Barber, was born in Eckington, Derby, England on July 24, 1811. How they met is up to our imagination: maybe it was in a pottery factiory in the small country town of Brampton.
The first change they faced , which would shape the rest of their lives and on throughout the eternities, was accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ in the spring if 1847. They made plans to unite with the saints in America and set sail in 1849, landing in New Orleans. Little about their trek west is known; however, 2 entries from his journal are notable. He told of his milk cows which had to be used to pull the heavily loaded wagon as his bull had died. And then an actual quote: "Had a pleasant trip over the plains."
After arriving in Salt Lake on October 8, 1852, he and family were sent almost immediately to Parowan, arriving there November 4. As an artisan from the Old World, a potter to be exact, his skills were needed in the new settlement there.It is interesting to note that English researchers and the 1841 census records indicate that he was most likely a pot thrower with no experience in finding or processing raw clay, making glazes, and especially in building and burning a kiln. I guess that has something to do with the fact that it took nearly 5 years of disappointing failed firings before finding success. Trial and error,patience, learning new tricks of the trade, and pure grit and determination eventually led to his success. His "Davenportware" was found in nearly every home in the valley and was identified by his thumbprint placed in the soft clay before it was fired. His pottery business was successful for over 4 decades.
The Davenport family lived in "the" old adobe house which Thomas acquired for the price of 3 steers and a wagon. Years later his grandson, Thomas Davenport Adams (Grandpa Ray's father) purchased that home for $500.
Imagine hauling clay - in a wheelbarrow - from 2 and 3 miles up Parowan Canyon to his lot just south of the town square!
Consider the following passage. "On Nov. 18, 1961, Luella Adams, the wife of Thomas Adams, described the pottery as she remembered it. We went out on the back porch of the home and looked over the yard. There was one old tree left from pioneer time, but everything else had been taken down and removed from the place. Mrs. Adams said that the pottery consisted of three log buildings which stood back in the lot and southwest of the present home. The building on the south held the clay; the next one was the factory; it housed the wheel. The third room was used to store the pots for drying. There was a basement midway between the home and the factory where the potter had his kiln." (The Development of Pioneer Pottery in Utah by Emma Cynthia Nielsen. 1961:101-104)
