Noah’s Ring
(part
of pages for adults)
The ring came to the Noah Webster House in 1975,
as a gift from a descendent of Noah and Rebecca
Webster. When it reached the museum, it was put
in a safety deposit box for safekeeping. Over the
course of 21 years, the museum forgot that it had
the ring. Luckily, it was rediscovered in January
1996.
The
center of the ring contains hair, believed to
be the hair of Noah Webster, and his wife, Rebecca. On
the back of the ring, an inscription reads:
Noah Webster
Rebecca Webster
We
know of three pieces of jewelry that resemble
this ring. They were all made between 1806 and
1812. It
was not unusual to incorporate hair into the
design of rings and other pieces of jewelry in
the 18th and 19th centuries.
One similar piece was a mourning ring: the hair
of a deceased man was placed under crystal and
surrounded with pearls. The back of the ring was
decorated with black enamel, and inscribed with
his name and the date of his death.
Another ring, and a handkerchief pin, were tokens
of friendship. Abigail Adams had them made using
her own hair, that of her husband, John Adams,
and a friend, Mercy Warren.
The
Webster ring may have been created to mark an
important event in the Websters’ life.
They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary
in 1814, so it might have been designed to commemorate
that event. There is a chance that the Websters
had several rings made, and gave one to each of
their daughters.
We
will never know the true story of the ring, but
we do know that it represents a form of art that
was common during the Websters’ life
time, and that it shows a side of Noah that is
not often seen: Noah as a husband and family man.
For additional information and a photograph,
follow this link.
The Noah Webster House &