Abraham Mead

Abraham Mead was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1742, the eleventh son of Ebenezer Mead II and Hannah Brown Mead. His father's family traced their lineage to William Mead of England, who came to America in 1635 via the Massachusetts colony; his mother was a descendant of Peter Brown, who came from Rye, Sussex, England on the "Mayflower." At the age of fourteen, Abraham Mead became an apprentice to the potter Adam Staats, who is considered to be Connecticut's first stoneware potter. After his apprenticeship, Mead opened his own pottery in the Horseneck area of Greenwich. He remained in Greenwich and was the master to several Connecticut stoneware potters, including his master's son, Adam States, who later worked in Stonington.

Abraham Mead was a Revolutionary War patriot who held the rank of captain. He married Keziah Howe in January 1764. They had five children: Deborah; Zophar; Isaac; and two other daughters who died in infancy.