October, 19 13 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



365 



the clockmakers' trade, marked with 

 his name and that of the shop or 

 house owner and the street on which 

 he lived. But the industry did not 

 get its impetus until after the close 

 of the Revolution and the turbulence 

 of war had ended; then such names 

 as Daniel Burnap, of Connecticut, 

 Eli Terry and Eli Terry, Jr., Silas 

 Hoadley, Seth Thomas, Thomas 

 Harland, together with Simon Wil- 

 lard and his sons, became famous. 

 Carden Proctor, Thomas Perry, of 

 Hanover Square, and John Niesh, 

 of Front Street, New York, became 

 well known in the early days of the 

 city. An account book of the last 

 named clockmaker still exists, with 

 a record of his business dealings 

 with well known people of his time 

 ( 1 8 19-1833) , and shows his modest 



Old shelf clock made by David Williams, Newport, from 

 the collection of Mr. Thomas A. Lawton, Newport, R. I. 



charges for repairing and cleaning watches, 

 and his price for bracket clocks to be in 

 striking contrast to those of the present day. 



Perhaps the family most closely identi- 

 fied with clockmaking in Connecticut, was 

 the Terrys. Eli Terry was born in East 

 Windsor, Conn., in 1772, and having 

 learned the trade from Thomas Harland, 

 who had many apprentices, made his first 

 wooden clock in 1792. Having later con- 

 ceived the idea of using water power in- 

 stead of hand work in the manufacture of 

 clocks, Terry began to produce them in 

 great quantities, at reasonable cost. They 

 were known as the 30-hour wood clocks, 

 pillar and scroll top, and became very 

 popular. A contemporary copy of a 

 Terry clock is illustrated on page 363. 

 In 1 8 1 8, Eli Terry died after a life 

 devoted to clock-making and inven- 

 tions contributing to the facility of clock 

 manufacture, and his sons, Eli, Jr., and 

 Henry Terry, the former inheriting his 

 father's ability and genius, continued for 

 many years in their father's business. 



In another illustration may be seen 

 a shelf clock made by Seth Thomas, 

 of Plymouth Hollow, Conn., who, in 

 1809, was associated with Eli Terry 

 and Thomas Hoadley in the manufac- 

 ture of clocks. This strongly shows 

 Terry's influence, and has on the inside 

 of the case the following printed notice 

 added to the usual directions and guar- 

 antee: "The public may rest assured 

 that clocks made at this factory are 

 equal if not superior to any made in 

 this country." The case is of mahogany 

 with slender columns in each side, and 

 has four delicate legs. Two brass 

 knobs surmount the tops of the columns 

 and a brass eagle with outspread wings 

 ornaments the center top. An ivory 

 diamond-shaped escutcheon covers the 

 keyhole. This is a feature of most 

 early American clocks. Seth Thomas, 

 after the dissolution of the aforesaid 

 firm, continued in the manufacture of 

 clocks in Plymouth Hollow (now known 

 as Thomaston) until he died in 1850. 



Old Laybourne shelf clock f romChester, 

 Eng. Mahogany case. Collection of 

 Mr. Thomas A. Lawton, Newport, R.I. 



Old shelf clock made by Henry C. Smith, 

 of Waterbury, Connecticut, 1814 



Another example of a Con- 

 necticut clock showing the char- 

 acteristics more or less common in 

 the designs of the popular shelf 

 clock of the period, is the one il- 

 lustrated, made by Elisha Hotch- 

 kiss, about 181 5. This is of ma- 

 hogany, with carved feet, and has 

 a well preserved English scene of 

 Stoke-Poges Church, painted in the 

 inside of the glass, in the lower part 

 of the door. This has the bell 

 strike, wood movement and one-day 

 time. 



Of the many families of Colon- 

 ial times, when clock-making was 

 the industry of father and sons 

 alike, there is none greater than the 

 Willards, the most distinguished of 

 whom was Simon. An illustration 

 on page 364 shows a copy of 

 the "banjo clock" patented by Simon 

 Willard in 1802, and generally associated 

 with the name, although he also made long- 

 case clocks, and clocks for churches and 

 town turrets. Many of these "banjo" 

 clocks or "improved timepieces," as they 

 were termed, were ornamented with very 

 elaborately painted decoration on the glass 

 and varied as well in the elaboration of the 

 brass used in the clock. 



The price originally of a Willard mahog- 

 any eight-day clock averaged from $30 to 

 $60, and for a 30-hour warranted timepiece 

 $10, so it will be seen that even at that 

 time they somewhat exceeded the prices of 

 other makers. An attractive example of 

 an eight-day clock with brass movement, is 

 that illustrated and made by the Forest- 

 ville Manufacturing Company of Bristol, 

 Conn., about 1825. This clock has a ma- 

 hogany case with gilded columns supporting 

 the top with a double door, in which are 

 painted country scenes in vivid coloring. 

 Perhaps the old clock most easily 

 obtained to-day and for the lowest cost, 

 is that shown in the plain mahogany 

 box case clocks made by Henry C. 

 Smith, in Waterbury, Conn., about 

 1 8 14. With their wooden works and 

 "twangy" bell they bring an old-time 

 touch to the mantel shelf of the country 

 house dining-room and even living-room 

 which makes them eagerly sought after, 

 especially as certain modern clock- 

 smiths have given much attention suc- 

 cessfully to the repairing of these old 

 clocks. Indeed, the collecting of clocks 

 has become an ever-increasing interest 

 with many Americans, and it is to them 

 and their untiring efforts to acquire the 

 early examples of American clock- 

 making that we are indebted more pos- 

 sibly than to our museums. 



Many of the famous clocks of the 

 world are in the private collections of 

 royalty, such, for example, as those 

 owned by the late King Edward, but 

 there are still clocks, within reach of the 

 modest purse, that will be of pleasure 

 and interest to their owner and successors. 



