Place Made

Date Made

1795-1810

Medium

cherry

Dimensions

HOA: 29″; WOA; 24″; DOA: 13″

Accession Number

6147

Description

Petite figured cherry sugar chest with hinged slant lid concealing divided interiors fitted with three small drawers at top. Lid has molded edge and centered light wood oval inlay and brass lock escutcheon. Three elongated light wood oval inlays down the case front mimic the appearance of drawers and are contained within an outer border of inlay. Three contrasting round inlaid pegs are inset down each side of the case. Case sides are continuous and terminate in bracket feet with spur. Front face of skirt is applied and continues the bracket and spur design with curving drop apron.

History

The sugar desk was sold with history in the Kemper family of Garrard County, Kentucky and later St. Louis, Missouri. Subsequent genealogical research shows a probable direct line of descent to Kemper ancestors living in the area of Forks of the Dix Baptist Church. The desk was possibly recorded in the 1834 estate inventory and auction of John Kemper (1757-1833) as the “Shugar desk” purchased for $2.00 by Nancy Kemper. There were two women who might have been recorded as “Nancy Kemper”: Nancy Pepper Fox Kemper (1787-1861) and Nancy Kemper Mayfield (1796-1841). At the time of the sale, Nancy Kemper Mayfield had just married Frederick Mayfield. Both Nancy Kempers moved away from Garrard County (to Trimble and Mason County, respectively). If the desk is the one in the estate inventory, they ultimately passed it to their niece, Jane L. Route Kemper (1807-1882), and her descendants who settled in Missouri.

Credit Line

On Loan from the collection of Ronald R. Tackett