Although the mark P.REVERE was used by both Paul Revere Sr. and Paul Revere Jr., these porringers may be attributed to the patriot, Revere Jr., based on their original ownership by Tristram Dalton, who graduated from Harvard in 1756, two years after Revere Sr.'s death. Paul Revere Jr.'s Daybooks, although incomplete, do record one order of Tristram Dalton in 1769 for table silver engraved with crests. It is most likely that these porringers, also engraved with crests, were ordered around the same time.

Tristram Dalton, son of Newburyport merchant Michael Dalton, was married in 1758 to Ruth Hooper, daughter of Robert "King" Hooper, wealthy merchant of Marblehead. From 1764 to 1791, Dalton lived on State Street in Newburyport, where his house still stands. Dalton was primarily engaged in mercantile activity, but he was also active in Revolutionary politics, served as a State legislator from 1782-1788, and became U.S. Senator in 1789. For further biography, see Peter Benes, Old-Town and the Waterside, Newbury, 1986, p. 152.



Photo Caption 1: Tristram Dalton (1738-1817), portrait attributed to Joseph Blackburn, circa 1757. Dalton Club, Newburyport.

Photo Caption 2: Entry in Paul Revere's Daybook recording Tristram Dalton's order in February, 1769, vol. I, p. 34.