Lot Essay
Made of imported mahogany, this table is emblematic of the type of sophisticated and elegant goods available to Colonial America's elite such as the Boardman Family of Newburyport. Offin Boardman (1748-1811), the first owner of this table, was a prosperous shipmaster, ship owner, and patriot. In January 1776, he led a shore-based boarding party in the capture of the British ship Friends whose captain had mistaken Newburyport bar for Boston Harbor. Later in 1776 and again in 1779, Boardman was captured by the British and confined to a prison. He married Sarah Greenleaf (1747-1796) daughter of Timothy (1719-1764) and Susanna Greenleaf (1724-1771), both of Newbury and had a son, Benjamin Greenleaf Boardman (b. 1783).