Robinson Perkins of Jaffrey and Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire.

Robinson Perkins was born on December 22, 1766, in Methuen, Massachusetts, the son of Captain Joseph (1744-1821) and Ruth (Clark) Perkins. Captain Joseph moved the family to Jaffrey,  NH, in 1778. Robinson originally trained as a mason. This was an occupation he was not naturally suited to. He quickly turned to shoemaking for two years before working as a clock and watchmaker. Robinson began work in Jaffrey, NH, in 1787. He was a fine workman with a genius for mechanics. The style of his surviving wooden geared movements suggests that he was trained in the Ashby, Massachusetts school of clockmaking. His clockwork design and construction are very similar to those of the Ashby school. One noted difference is that Perkins recessed the winding clicks into the great wheels. A Jaffrey property deed dated 1795 lists him as a clockmaker. He is reported to have been the first person to own a two-wheeled shay in Jaffrey. Robinson moved to Fitzwilliam from Jaffrey in 1810(1) with his son John. Together they built a white pillar mansion that still stands on the Fitzwilliam common. In Fitzwilliam, he is also listed as a silversmith and later as the Justice of the Peace. He died in Fitzwilliam, NH, February 20, 1847. A tall clock made by him is on display in the Fitzwilliam Historical Society. A second tall clock that is numbered 203 on the dial is on display in the Narragansett Historical Society in Templeton, Massachusetts.

We are fortunate that Robinson numbered many of the clocks he made. This number is usually painted on the dials below his name. The earliest number we have seen is No. 15 and is recorded in Philip Morris' book, "American Wooden Movement Tall Clocks 1712 – 1835." The highest number known to us to date is No. 203. This clock is displayed in the Narragansett Historical Society in Templeton, Massachusetts.