Lemuel Curtis of Concord, Massachusetts

Lemuel Curtis was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1790. He was the son of Samuel and Sarah (Partridge) Curtis, whose sister married Aaron Willard, making him his nephew. It is thought that Lemuel probably trained with Simon Willard in Roxbury. Lemuel had two brothers who were also involved with clockmaking. In 1811, he moved to Concord, MA, and took a shop near the Court House. At that time, Lemuel advertised that he was working on his own. On July 12, 1816, he was granted a patent for the girandole wall clock. This decorative form is considered by many to be America's most beautiful contribution to the market. Lemuel had two brothers who were also involved with clockmaking. His brother Benjamin Curtis may have painted a number of the glasses in his signed clocks. In 1820, he formed a partnership with Joseph N. Dunning. This partnership moved to Burlington, Vermont, in 1821. Their shop in Burlington was located at the corner of Church and College Streets in the Thomas Hotel. They worked there in collaboration until 1832. While in Burlington, they worked as clockmakers, silversmiths, and jewelers. Lemuel died in New York on June 17, 1857. Lemuel is known to have made girandoles, timepieces, lyre clocks, and shelf clocks.