On November 23, 1993, the artifact on the right was recovered during the archaeological investigation of the 1805-1808 Prophetstown village near Greenville, Ohio. The artifact has been identified as a silver brooch manufactured for Indian trade between 1780 and 1812. Initials in square cartouche identify the silversmith as John Kinzie.

Born on December 27, 1763, John Mackenzie later shortened his name to Kinzie. At age 10, Kinzie indentured himself as apprentice with Quebec silversmith George Farnham, Ltd. In 1777, he moved to Detroit and worked for William Burnett's business in the Indian trade. By age 17, John Kinzie was an Indian trader entirely on his own. He established two trading posts on the Maumee river. The first was located near the principal village of the Miami Indians near present day Fort Wayne, Indiana. The second was located at the mouth of the Auglaize river near where Defiance, Ohio now lies. In 1804, John Kinzie moved to the Illinois country and established a new trade business as Kinzie & Forsythe Merchants of Chicago. That same year, William Henry Harrison made John Kinzie the first Justice of the Peace of Chicago.

To purchase a copy of the booklet further detailing the archaeological investigation of the Prophetstown site, download an order form. There are a limited number of this out-of-print first edition available.