Jane Inch (born c. 1725) Jane Inch was a white woman and is one of the few 18thcentury American female silversmiths whose silver has been identified. Her childhood is undocumented, but she married John Inch in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1745. Together, they operated a silversmith workshop, a boat service on the Chesapeake Bay, and a lively tavern known for serving punch and retailing liquor. The Inches had at least one daughter, Elizabeth. Although Jane was likely making and selling silver alongside her husband and the workshop’s indentured silversmiths, her role in the business was not confirmed in print until after John’s death. On April 14, 1763, Jane published a notice in the Maryland Gazette newspaper: “The Silversmith’s Business, Tavern-keeping, and Boats to go up and down the Bay, are carried on as usual, by Jane Inch.” Jane was one of many women in 18th-century Maryland who continued their businesses independently after the deaths of their husbands.