John Wood Sr. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The clockmakers John Wood Sr., Peter Stretch and Joseph Wills are considered the three most significant Pennsylvania clocks makers of the first half of the 1700's. For John Wood, no birth dates are currently known. We do know that he was at work as early as 1729 and died in 1760-61. John Wood Sr. advertised his business in the Pennsylvania Gazette as early as 1734 and continued to operate his establishment at the corner of Front and Chestnut streets, in a shop that had originally belonged to Peter Stretch, until his death in 1761. He had a son John Wood Jr who was also a clock maker to whom he willed his tools and house.

There are a small number of John Wood tall case clocks in public collections. One fine example can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a history of descent in the family of Joseph Barber (about 1763-1830) of Princeton, New Jersey.

For a more in depth discussion of John Wood and early brass dial American clocks, Please read Frank Hohmann's, Timeless \/ MASTERPIECES AMERICAN BRASS DIAL CLOCKS.