The Story of The Green China
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ONE OF THE Nantucket stories which has been often told, but rarely substantiated, is of the Island shipmaster who was about to embark on a voyage to China. In response to an offer to his wife to bring back some Chinese item that she might prize, the lady of the house announced that she would like some of the famous Chinese tableware - "blue china", she an nounced. The shipmaster made the voyage, and when he returned to Nan tucket he brought with him some carefully packed barrels of china. But the se quel to the story at this point had a different ending. One of Nantucket's delightful story-tellers was the Rev. William E. Gardner. His devotion to this Island, and his ready acceptance of many re quests on his time, brought about many episodes which demonstrated his dedication to Nantucket. Quite aside from his several books, such as Three Bricks and Three Brothers and The Coffin Saga, in which he gave excellent accounts of two Island families and their descendants, Dr. Gardner delved in to many folk lore stories, in which some pertinent details were missing. One of these was the account of the "Blue" china that became "Green". Among the different versions was a statement that Judge Coffin, of Poughkeepsie, who had purchased the Coffin House ("Oldest House") in 1881, had learned of the whereabouts of the china on the Island, had bought it from the owners, and put it in the Jethro Coffin House. But "Will" Gardner was not satisfied and, finally, learned that Mrs. Emerson Tuttle, a summer resident, could provide him with some further details. Mrs. Tuttle, a grand-daughter of Mrs. William Barnes - Emily Weed Barnes, daughter of Thurlow Weed - wrote to him that while Mrs. Barnes was visiting her son, Thurlow Barnes, at "Driftwood", on Brant Point, they at tended one of the Main Street auctions. Among the articles for sale was the quantity of green China, with the story duly attached. According to the ac cepted version given to the crowd at the auction, the shipmaster had brought home the china, opened one barrel in the front hallway and produced the first piece. To his consternation, his wife looked at it in dismay, and remarked: "But John, it's green!" Whereupon the captain put the head back on the bar rel and put the whole shipment down in the cellar, where it remained during the rest of their lives. As the auction dragged on, Mrs. Barnes had to leave for a previously arranged meeting, but she deposited 83 with the auctioneer. After her few days on the Island, she returned to her home in Albany, thinking her bid had failed, and, having left her address with the auctioneer, expected to hear from him. The story still intrigued her. Some time passed, and she had nearly forgotten the incident, when one day a notice came from the freight office that two barrels of "goods" were
