Samuel Casey (silversmith)
Samuel Casey was a noted silversmith and counterfeiter active in Little Rest, Rhode Island.
Casey was born in Newport, Rhode Island in 1723 or 1724, and said to have apprenticed with Boston silversmith Jacob Hurd. In 1745 he was admitted as a freeman in Exeter, Rhode Island, and by 1750, he had moved to Kingston, Rhode Island to a village then called Little Rest. Though Casey is often identified as a silver or goldsmith, he was also often described as a merchant. According to The Newport Mercury, his house and shop burned down in late September 1764:
From 1765-1768, Casey was repeatedly brought to court for failure to pay debts. In September 1770, he and his younger brother were imprisoned on felony charges of counterfeiting. In October, a jury found them not guilty, which verdict was rejected by the judge. A week later he was sentenced to death by hanging, which sentence he appealed. In early November, however, The Pennsylvania Gazette reported that considerable new evidence had been unearthed against him:
However, as the Essex Gazette reported, he was freed that Saturday night:
After being freed by the mob, Casey fled Rhode Island. He is believed to have died around 1773, his whereabouts unknown. Today his silverware is collected in a number of museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Yale University, Winterthur Museum, etc.
