Clock Makers
Nehemiah B. Bassett and Joseph Warford formed a partnership in Albany, New York, on August 25, 1800. Their shop was located at the upper end of Market St, No.12, at the sign of the silver watch. Both men were trained as silversmiths by the Huttons in Albany. Nehemiah Bassett may have learned clock… read more
The Boston firm of William Bond & Son was founded in 1793 by William Bond Senior. Before moving to Boston, he was first in business in England and set up a shop at 97 Water Street. Here he is listed as a watchmaker and chronometer maker. In the early years, he purchased a number of chronometers… read more
The New Haven Clock Company of New Haven, Connecticut, made and sold clocks for over 100 years. The history of this business is largely tied to the case maker Chauncey Jerome and to the movement maker Hiram Camp. The New Haven Clock Company was organized in 1853. This first phase of the company’s… read more
The Welch, Spring & Co. was formed in 1868 to produce a better quality clock than its parent label, E. N. Welch. The clocks produced incorporated high-quality wood in the construction of their cases and a higher level of detail work. As a result, Welch & Spring Clocks were often more… read more
Samuel Abbott was born May 14, 1791, in Concord, NH. He was the son of Stephen Abbott and Mary Giles. Samuel began his career as a clockmaker, watchmaker, silversmith, and jeweler in Dover, NH, in 1812. On March 5, 1813, Samuel married Jane Day of Concord, New Hampshire. Together they had two… read more
Nathan Adams of Danvers and Andover, Massachusetts, and also in Hallowell, Wiscasset, and Edgecomb, Maine. He also worked as a silversmith in Boston, Mass.
Nathan Adams was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, on May 1, 1755. His parents were Henry and Sarah (Emery) Adams. His father was a joiner… read more
Amos Denison Allen was born in Windham, Connecticut on March 13, 1774. His parents were Amos Allen Jr and Anna Babcock (Allen). In 1790, at the age of 16, Allen began his training as an cabinetmaking apprentice with Colonel Ebenezer Tracy (1744-1803) in Lisbon, New London County, CT. Allen worked… read more
James C. Almy is listed in Paul Foley's book, Willard's Patent Timepieces. He is listed as a Clockmaker and a Watchmaker working from 1820 to 1872. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on June 19, 1802, and died in South Dartmouth, MA, on February 2, 1872. He is listed as working in partnership… read more
This firm is listed in Paul Foley’s book, Willard’s Patent Timepieces, as working in New Bedford for the period of October 21, 1821, through August of 1823. In partnership, they made tall clocks and wall timepieces.
John C. Almy is listed as a Clockmaker and a Watchmaker working from 1820 -1872.… read more
Samuel Aspinwall was born in Canton, Massachusetts, and died in Berlin, Maine. Aspinwall moved around a bit. Unfortunately, it is not crystal clear when he worked in the towns of Cambridge, MA, Salem, MA, Pittston, Maine, and Berklin, Maine. In an 1803 lawsuit, he describes himself as a Cambridge… read more
This firm was established in 1859 to succeed the Atkins Clock Manufacturing Company, which went bankrupt in June of 1858. In 1859, 12 employees made approximately 4000 clocks.
Merritt W. Atkins was born in 1804 and died in 1873 at the age of 69. He worked in both Bristol and later Forestville,… read more
Charles Babbitt was born in Taunton on December 3rd, 1786 and died there on August 13, 1854. He is listed as a clockmaker, watchmaker, silversmith, jeweler, merchant and as an inventor at one time or another during the period of 1807-1850. His shop was located on Main Street and was in direct… read more
Stephen Badlam was born on May 7, 1751, in Stoughton, now Canton, Massachusetts. His parents were Deacon Stephen Badlam, who worked as a part-time cabinetmaker and as a tavern keeper, and his wife Hannah (Clapp) Badlam. They had four children, Hannah, Eliza, Stephen, and William. Stephen's mother,… read more
Benjamin Bagnall Sr was born in England in 1689 and came to America, Philadelphia, sometime before 1710. Here it is thought that he was trained as a clockmaker by Peter Stretch. By 1710 he had moved up and settled in Boston, where he died on July 11, 1773. In moving to Boston, Benjamin is generally… read more
Calvin Bailey was born in Hanover, MA, the son of John (A shipbuilder) and Ruth Randall Bailey on May 6, 1751. He died in Bath, Maine, in 1835. He was into Southeastern Massachusetts's most prominent clockmaking family. He was a Quaker and one of six members of the Bailey family that were involved… read more
Lebbeus Bailey was born in 1763 in Hanover, Massachusetts. It is thought that he served his apprenticeship along with his older brother Calvin, born 1761 and his older brother John II born in 1751. Lebbeus is listed as a clockmaker in Hanover, MA in 1784 through 1791. In 1791, he is recorded as… read more
Phinehaus J. Bailey was born on November 6,1787 in Landaff, NH. He was the son of Asa and Abigail (Abbott) Bailey and was the fourteenth of seventeen children. In 1793, his parent recently separated, Phinehaus was sent to live with his older sister Abigail and her husband, Stephen Bartlett, in… read more
John Bailey II was born in Hanover, Massachusetts, the son of Colonel John (A shipbuilder) and Ruth Randall Bailey on May 6, 1751. He died there 72 years later, on January 23, 1823. It is thought that he learned clockmaking at a very young age and may have been self-taught. John is responsible for… read more
John Bailey III, or Junior, was born in Hanover, Massachusetts, on August 13, 1787. It is thought that he learned the family trade of clockmaking from his father, John II. John III finished his apprenticeship in 1809 at the tail end of the tall case clock's popularity. The wall timepiece and shelf… read more
Edward Payson Baird was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 26, 1860, and died on October 23, 1929, at the age of 69. In 1879 he went to work for the Seth Thomas Clock Company until 1887, when he moved to Montreal, Canada. Here he formed the Baird Mfg. Co., which was located at 112 Queen… read more