Isaiah Eaton, clockmaker, silversmith farmer. Charlestown and Walpole, New Hampshire, and Westminster, Vermont.

Isaiah Eaton was born on October 15th, 1757, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and died in Westminster, Vermont, on January 21st, 1847. His parents were Captain Timothy Eaton and his first wife, Abigail Massey. Isaiah served as a private under James Sawyer in the Revolutionary War and was at Lexington on the alarm in 1776. By the war's end, his rank had risen to the level of Major. In 1785, he first married Priscilla West in Charlestown, New Hampshire. She died on November 5th, 1804. It is logical to assume that he served his apprentice under Stephen Hasham before moving to Walpole. In The New Hampshire Journal, Isaiah advertised on June 6th, 1793, that he worked as a silversmith and clockmaker and that his shop was in Walpole, NH. This ad also stated that he wanted a steady, active boy of about thirteen or fourteen to train. In 1797, he bought a farm on what would become “Eaton Hill.” In 1803, he advertised that he had moved from Walpole to Westminster, Vermont. The town of Westminster is located just across the Connecticut River. In Westminster, he carried on the gold, silver, and clockmaking business with Benjamin Kendrick under the firm name of EATON & KENDRICK. This partnership lasted until August 5th, 1805. His first wife died shortly after this move. He then married widow Azubah (Rockwood) Grout in Westminster. They had one son in 1808. Both Isaiah and Azubah had been widowed before their marriage. In 1811, he was appointed a Representative. Three years later, he began service to the Town of Westminster as a selectman. He held this position until 1826. 

Several tall case clocks are known to us. One has an engraved brass dial that features a lunar calendar, a significant feature in early American craftsmanship, and is signed Charlestown. A second engraved brass dial example is signed with the place location of Walpole and is on display in the museum at Deerfield. A third clock, having been sold at Bill Smiths in November of 2009, also featured an engraved brass dial signed Walpole. I. M Weise offered a brass dial example for sale in Antiques Magazine., February 1977, on page 291. Thomaston Auction Gallery sold a painted dial example in March of 2007. Another painted dial example is currently in the collection at Drexel University.