www.925-1000.com

Perhaps to add to the story, there is a Frederick Curtis, silversmith, listed in the 1860 Hartford City census. He is an unmarried, born in 1799, and living in the city poor house.

Curtis is listed in Hartford city directories as "German silver manufacturer, office 1 Asylum." He is not mentioned as a silversmith, unlike the twenty plus others who were working there at the time.

The Curtisville partnership was in a serious financial state and declared insolvent in 1860. It was ...

Pieces I see with that sort of pronounced drop are far more likely to be plate versus coin. How stiff is the handle? Coin has flex, German silver far less. Silver will also ring clearly.

Just a small correction -- it is Everett Edwin Isbell
http://www.americansilversmiths.org/mak ... 255786.htm

William Coleman, Lewes DE, before 1829 (his death)

The spoon was made decades before his extent account books. It is a desirable example, but the hope of tracing the initials is thin.

To correct the above -- CONKLING.

Thank you. It might do well to post a picture of the spoon, front and back, to gauge its period.
In the mean time, you might query his account books for any pieces ordered by the Conkling families various. They were well-to-do, lived at hand, and David was a common given name amongst them. Elias sr ...

I have seen many different separators on spoons of this era -- sprigs, leaves, curlicues, dots, diamonds, stars, etc. Some may have been specific (matching and existing pieces), family meaningful, or simply the whim of the engraver.

And if I may ask the OP again -- who is the maker? That would ...

That would be the normal convention in to the early 19th century -- surname over husband/wife
Who is the maker?

This mark (and three others similar) is now given to Carleton & Newcomb, silversmiths of Haverhill MA c 1812-1825.

There is no Hillsman or variation in Cutten. To save you the effort. there is also nothing in
Kentucky
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Vermont
Philadelphia
NY (and NYC, Utica, Albany)
or any general reference that I have

This was not unheard of. Revere practiced rudimentary dentistry, as did other smiths. Aside from their knowledge of metal working, they had tools more applicable to small spaces than the local blacksmith.

Interestingly, all the "Hillsman" entries I search in the 1850 were either in Georgia or Tennessee. It is certainly possible the surname was creatively spelled, so the pool to search could be far bigger.

Possibly Henry St John Hillsman (1814-?), enumerated in the 1850 Morgan County GA census as a jewel[ry] merchant.

As a note, the "1790" on the O.R piece is a later 19th century addition.

The G•R mark is listed as unidentified on a spoon at Winterthur. The flanking marks have been found on pieces by William Hamlin, working 1810-1860 in Providence RI.
The O.R is unrecorded that I have seen, but its flanking marks are found on a number of Philadelphia pieces by various makers and ...

This set of marks represent an unidentified NYC wholesale manufacturer presumed to be associated with Albert Coles. They are only found on hollow-handled pieces such as this and match his handle die designs.

Yes, Peter, thank you for that.