Clock Makers
James Snelling, Providence, Rhode Island. Currently, very little is known of James Snelling. There is a vague reference that he was born in 1782 and died in 1828. It also suggests that he was at work in Providence from 1810 through 1828. I have had a difficult time confirming this. We do know that… read more
Samuel Solliday was born the son of John Solliday (1755-1842) and Elizabeth Hinckel (1764-1841) in 1804. Samuel father’s John and his grandfather Frederick were also clock makers. It is believed that Samuel trained under his Father John and most likely worked with him for a period of time. At the… read more
Francis Sommer worked for the retail firm of Carrington, Thomas & Co, previously known as Steven Thomas & Bro. This business was located on King Street and made a fine trade in jewelry, silver, holloware, and clocks. William Carrington, the driving force of the business, was born on May 24… read more
Currently, very little is known about Edward Spalding's early life. His parents were Stephen and Marry (Lawrence) Spalding, who lived in Plainfield, Connecticut, when Edward was born there in 1732. It appears that he moved to Providence at an early age and may have trained as a clockmaker in this… read more
Elmer Osbourne Stennes was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on June 9, 1911. After high school, he attended the Wentworth Institute in Boston during the 1933 - 1934 school year. From Wentworth, Stennes received a certificate stating he had completed a special course in carpentry and architectural… read more
Barton Stillman was the son of Joseph and Eunice (Stillman) Stillman. His birth date is unknown. His brother Paul was born in 1782 and died in 1810. His Cousin William Stillman is a better-known Clockmaker from the same area. The family was known as a family of inventors. Barton is listed as… read more
William Stillman was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, on May 4, 1767. It is recorded that he was a self-taught clockmaker developing considerable skills over his lifetime. His first clock was made when he was a boy of fourteen. It was a wooden geared clock that struck the hour on a piece of glass.… read more
Nathan Storrs was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, in 1768. It is currently thought that he was trained as a clockmaker by Jacob Sargeant. Nathan first advertises in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1791, and that he is open for business and is lately from New York. In 1792, he partnered with Samuel… read more
Abel Stowell Jr. was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on March 14, 1789, and died in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on September 6, 1860. He was the son of Abel Stowell Senior, who was an ingenious individual. Senior is listed in Paul Foley's book, "Willard's Patent Time Pieces," as a clockmaker,… read more
Abel Stowel was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1752. His parents were Cornelius Stowell (1724-1804), a prosperous clothier, and Zurvillar (Goulding) Stowell (1730-1812). He lived 66 years before he died on August 3, 1818. On November 22, 1871, Abel married Relief Jennison in… read more
David Studley was born in Hanover, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1783. He died in West Hanover in October of 1873 at the age of 90. At his death, he was reported to be the oldest man in Hanover. David had two sons that were involved in clockmaking. Benjamin F. was born in 1823 and died by his own… read more
Benjamin Swan, the son of Francis and Abigail (Eliot) Swan, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on January 15, 1792. Sometime in 1808, the Swan family moved from Haverhill to Augusta, Maine. Previously, a number of Haverhill residents had made this same move. One of which was Frederic Wingate,… read more
Elnathan Taber was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1768, and may have died in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on February 27, 1854, at the age of 86. His grave was moved from Dartmouth to Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain on October 29, 1870. His parents were Thomas and Elizabeth (… read more
Stephen Taber was born on October 23, 1777, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and died there on September 10, 1862. His older brother Elnathan was nine years his senior and had moved North to Roxbury, where he served his clockmaking apprenticeship under Simon Willard. Simon considered Elnathan a… read more
Sylvester Wheaton Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts, on August 6, 1799, and died while on a trip in Richmond, Virginia, on April 19, 1847. His body was returned to Dedham, where he is buried in the Old Village Cemetery. His parents were Joseph Talbot III and Lydia Wheaton Talbot. To whom… read more
Sylvester Wheaton Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts, on August 6, 1799, and died while on a trip in Richmond, Virginia, on April 19, 1847. His body was returned to Dedham, where he is buried in the Old Village Cemetery. His parents were Joseph Talbot III and Lydia Wheaton Talbot. To whom… read more
Henry Terry was born in Plymouth on November 2nd, 1801, and died on January 7th, 1877. He was one of eight children born to Eli and Eunice (Warner) Terry. He worked in various clock-making enterprises, some of which included the firm E. Terry & Sons (1823-1831), E. Terry & Son (1831-1832),… read more
Silas B. Terry was born on February 1, 1807 (during Eli's involvement with the porter contract) and died of a heart attack on May 20, 1876. He was the youngest of eight children born to Eli & Eunice (Warner) Terry. Silas worked in various clockmaking enterprises. Unlike his father, he focused… read more
The firm Terry & Andrews was comprised of Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews. This partnership was formed in 1842 and was focused on brass gallery and shelf clock manufacture. The business was located on Preston Street in East Bristol and was the largest manufacturer in Bristol after C… read more
The Eureka Clock was the brainchild of Timothy Bernard Powers. Powers was an electrical engineer living in New York on Broadway. His first patent was applied for on 12 May 1906. Several other patents were to follow. The Patents that Powers applied for were for the design of a movement that featured… read more