The brand "J. Peterson" may refer to mariner John Peterson of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who is listed in the 1821 Directory as living on Water Street. By 1827, he had left Portsmouth. The owners of branded furniture in this seaport community were all members of fire societies, but Peterson's name does not appear on any of their surviving membership rosters. The ownership of the chair by this particular individual, however, is a distinct possibility, considering the close trading ties between Portsmouth and England in the Eighteenth century.