John Kennard of Newfields, New Hampshire

John Kennard was born in Kittery, Maine, in 1782. He was one of nine children born to Timothy Kennard and Abigail Stevens, who married on September 8, 1779. John is thought to have learned clockmaking in Portsmouth, NH. On July 3, 1806, he married Sarah Ewer, daughter of James and Drusilla (Ewer) Burleigh. They moved around New Hampshire, living in Nashua and then in Concord before moving to Newfields in 1812. In Newfields, they occupied the Palmer House. Here he made clocks and kept a store. He was postmaster from 1822 through 1824. He served as Town Clerk, Selectman, and State Representative. In 1823, John built the Kennard House on Piscassie Street and began a foundry with Temple Paul and the Drakes. They sold out in 1834. John died on January 14, 1861. Tall clocks, banjo clocks, and a surveyor’s quarter circle with a compass are known.