Clock Makers
Peregrine White was born the son of Joseph White (1713-1794) and Martha (Sawyer) White (1719-1804) in Sutton, Massachusetts on August 10, 1747 and died in East Woodstock, Connecticut on August 23, 1834. He was a namesake and direct descendent of the first English child born to the Pilgrims in the… read more
John White Jr was a casemaker, carpenter, and millwright who worked in Humphreysville, Connecticut. The village of Humphreysville was renamed Seymour in 1850. This town is located just south of Naugatuck, previously named Salem Bridge. Salem Bridge is now known in the horological world as the small… read more
Benjamin was born the son of John Whitear Sr. He was a successful bell founder, clockmaker, a warden of his church and an important and respected citizen. John Sr. had seven children, but because of the burning of Fairfield by the British under General Tryon in 1779, little information is known. In… read more
John Whitear's birth date is not currently known. It is currently thought that he may have been born in Fairfield and traveled to Boston to learn the art of clockmaking and bell casting. It is known that he returned to Fairfield in 1736 because he is listed as a member of the Church of England… read more
John Whitear Senior’s birth date is not currently known. It is currently thought that he may have been born in Fairfield and traveled to Boston to learn the art of clockmaking and bell casting. We know that he returned to Fairfield in 1736 because he is listed as a member of the Church of England… read more
Riley Whiting was born in Torrington, Connecticut, on January 16, 1785, the son of Christopher and Mary (Wilcox) Whiting. In 1806, he married Urania Hoadley and served his apprenticeship with her brothers Samuel and Luther Jr Hoadley. They had who had settled in Winchester, Connecticut, in 1803 and… read more
Elijah Whiton was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, on March 6, 1799, and died there on February 10, 1871, at 72. He is listed in Paul Foley’s book, “Willard’s Patent Time Pieces,” as a clockmaker, watchmaker, silversmith, mathematical instrument maker, and a wooden ware manufacturer. He worked in… read more
Oliver Wight was born in Medway, Massachusetts, on September 27, 1765, and died in Sturbridge on October 22, 1837. His parents, David Wight, born August 16, 1733, and Catherine Morse, born March 5, 1737, were both originally from Medfield, Massachusetts, and married on June 19, 1760. They settled… read more
Charles Wilder was born the son of Mark and Eliza Ann ( Thayer ) Wilder. He attended the common schools and the Academy in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Charles became a popular teacher at the Academy and later the Principal. He had planned to continue his education and become a lawyer, but his… read more
Joshua Wilder was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, on December 2, 1786. He was trained in the art of clockmaking by John Bailey Jr. of Hanover, MA. Wilder completed this apprenticeship sometime around 1807. It appears he stayed in Hanover briefly before moving back to Hingham to establish his home… read more
Aaron Willard was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, on October 13, 1757. Little is currently known of Aaron's early life in Grafton. His parents, Benjamin Willard (1716-1775) and Sarah (Brooks) Willard (1717-1775) of Grafton had eleven children. Aaron was one of four brothers that trained as a… read more
It is recorded that Alexander Tarbell Willard was a direct descendant of Col. Simon Willard (1605-1676), a co-founder of Concord, Massachusetts, in 1637. Col. Willard had three wives who bore him seventeen children. The descendants of which made the Ashby / Ashburnham Willard families relatives of… read more
Benjamin Willard is the oldest of four Willard clockmaking brothers. His younger brother Simon is considered by many to be America’s most famous Clockmaker. The two other younger brothers that also made clocks include Ephraim and Aaron. Benjamin was born on March 19, 1743. As a New England… read more
Ephraim Willard was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, on March 18, 1755. His parents, Benjamin Willard and Sarah (Brooks) Willard, had twelve children. Four of the boys became clockmakers. Little is known of Ephraim's early life in Grafton, where he probably learned clock-making from his older… read more
Philander Jacob Willard was a direct descendant of Col. Simon Willard (1605-1676), a co-founder of Concord, Massachusetts in 1637. Col. Willard had three wives who bore him seventeen children. The descendants of which made the Ashby / Ashburnham Willard families relatives of the Grafton / Boston… read more
Simon Willard was born in Grafton, Massachusetts, on April 3, 1753. He was the seventh of twelve children born to Benjamin Willard (1716-1775) and Sarah (Brooks) Willard (1717-1775) of Grafton. While living in Grafton, Simon answered the Lexington alarm on April 19, 1775, along with his brothers.… read more
On January 13, 1795, Simon Jr. was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He served his first clock apprenticeship to his father, Simon. Sometime during 1810-1812, he went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to train in the art of watchmaking under the stewardship of John Pond. In 1813, Simon Jr entered West… read more
Aaron Willard Jr. was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1783. He had the good fortune of being born into America's leading clockmaking family. His father, Aaron, and uncle Simon had recently moved from the rural community of Grafton and began a productive career manufacturing high-quality… read more
Simon Jr., was born January 13,1795 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He served his clock apprenticeship to his father Simon and in 1810-1812 to his brother in law John Pond who was a Watchmaker working in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In 1826-27 he lived in New York City in order to trained as a chronometer… read more
David Williams was born in Rochester, Massachusetts, on March 29, 1769. His parents were John Williams (b. 1731- ) and Mary (Peckham) Williams of Middletown, RI (b. 1733-). David was a Quaker. It is not clear who trained David as a clockmaker. It is thought that he was at work in Newport by 1800.… read more