Elnathan Taber Roxbury, Massachusetts

Elnathan Taber was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1768, and may have died there on February 27, 1854, at the age of 86. His family roots trace back to the early colonial period in New England, a time when craftsmanship and trade were integral to the growing American identity. His grave was moved from Dartmouth to Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain on October 29, 1870, reflecting the lasting reverence for his legacy. His parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Swift) Taber, were part of a community that valued skilled trades and the transmission of knowledge through apprenticeship. Elnathan was the older brother of Stephen Taber, whose fortune later contributed to the founding of Taber Academy in Marion, MA, further tying the family to regional educational and social advancement.

Both brothers ventured to Roxbury, a hub for clockmaking in the late eighteenth century, where they were trained by the renowned Willard family. Elnathan began his apprenticeship at just 16, immersing himself in an era when American clockmaking was coming into its own, moving from reliance on imported English clocks to the production of distinctively American timepieces. After completing his apprenticeship, Elnathan remained in Roxbury, establishing his own shop on Union Street—later renamed Taber Street in his honor in April 1868, a testament to his influence on the community. He was the first resident of that street, which soon became a center of horological innovation. William Cummens, another accomplished clockmaker, later joined him on the block, setting up shop at the corner of Winslow. This short street, nestled between Warren Street and Winslow Street, became symbolic of the burgeoning American clockmaking tradition.

Elnathan maintained a close working relationship with his mentor, Simon Willard, a leading figure in American horology, and became one of his most celebrated apprentices. Simon authorized Elnathan to manufacture his patented timepieces during the crucial patent period, thereby making Elnathan a key figure in the spread of American-made clocks. In addition to crafting clocks, Elnathan was also a prolific repairman, and his name can be found engraved on numerous Boston-area clocks as a record of his service. His marriage to Catherine Partridge in January 1797 further connected him to the clockmaking community, as Catherine and her sisters married into several prominent clockmaking families—Elizabeth to Abel Hutchins, Mary (Polly) to Aaron Willard, and a third sister to Samuel Curtis—creating a network of artisans and innovators. Over the years, many tall case clocks, wall timepieces, including banjo and coffin clocks, and several Massachusetts-style shelf clocks crafted by Elnathan Taber have been owned and sold, each representing a piece of early American history and craftsmanship.