Clock Makers
James Edward Conlon was born in 1880 in Little Rock, Minnesota. For many years he operated a shop at 38 Providence Street in Boston as an antiques dealer and clockmaker/restorer who worked in Boston from the 1910s through the 1940s. He was trained or served his apprenticeship under George Greer in… read more
Walter Cornell was born in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on September 15, 1777. His parents were Walter Cornell (1742-1805) and Elizabeth (Mott) Cornell (1753-1810). As a young boy, he traveled to the city of Providence and served an apprenticeship as a clockmaker. In February of 1803, Walter had… read more
Clockmaker, watchmaker, gunsmith and brass founder.William Crane was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts on August 12, 1749 and died there on May 8, 1820. In about 1780, William moved to Canton, MA on Packeen Road now Dedham Street and and worked as a clockmaker, gunsmith and brass founder. He had at… read more
William Crawford was born in Rutland, Massachusetts, on October 23, 1745, as the fifth son of Alexander and Elizabeth Crawford. The family relocated to Oakham in 1750, where Alexander became one of the town's founders. The identity of Crawford's clockmaking mentor remains unknown. A tall clock… read more
It is recorded by the New Hampshire Historical Society that James Cross was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, the son of Richard and Sally? (Smart) Cross on January 1794 and died there on May 16, 1867. He is buried in the Village Cemetery.
The details of James Cross's clock apprenticeship… read more
George Crow's birth dates have yet to be discovered. It is assumed he trained in Philadelphia and moved to Wilmington. A clock is known that is signed 1744. Public records established him in Wilmington in 1746. It is recorded there that he served as Wilmington's High Constable and was married in… read more
Thomas Crow was the son of George Crow, who was also a Wilmington, Delaware clockmaker. His birth dates are not known. Thomas appears to have been involved in clockmaking as early as 1770. He became one of Delaware's most prolific and best-known clockmakers. He is recorded to have served the public… read more
William Cummens was born in 1768 and died in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on April 20, 1834. He was 66 years old. William worked in Roxbury as a clockmaker as early as 1789. He learned clockmaking from Simon Willard. In fact, he was an apprentice in Willard's shop about the same time that Elnathan Taber… read more
Edmund Currier was born the son of a Doctor on May 4, 1793, in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He lived to be 60 years old and died in Salem, Massachusetts, on May 17, 1853. His first shop was located in Hopkinton. This shop was previously owned by Philip Brown, who was also a clockmaker. As a result… read more
Lemuel Curtis was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1790, to Samuel and Sarah (Partridge) Curtis. Sarah had five sisters, and four of them married clockmakers: Abel Hutchins, Elnathan Taber, Aaron Willard, and Samuel Curtis. Lemuel likely learned his craft from Simon Willard, a well-… read more
Lewis Curtis was born in Coventry, Connecticut, on November 20, 1774. His parents were Gabriel Curtis (1750-1826) and Susannah (North) Curtis (1750-1829). In the late 1780s, possibly 1787, Curtis began as an apprentice to Daniel Burnap (1759-1838) of East Windsor, Connecticut, alongside another… read more
The partnership of Curtis & Dunning was comprised of Lemuel Curtis and Joseph N. Dunning. It was formed in 1820 in Concord, Massachusetts, and 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… read more
Henry J. Davies operated a clock-related business at No. 5 Courtland Street in New York, New York, from 1858 through 1886. Today, Davies is probably best known for his Crystal Place mantel clock design. This clock, introduced in 1874, was displayed under a glass dome. Oftentimes, figures were… read more
Nehemiah Dodge was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, on December 16, 1774. His parents were Ezrah Dodge Sr (born abt. 1730-1786) and Susannah (Hotchkiss) Dodge (1733-died abt. 1820). Nehemiah was the half-nephew of the clockmaker Seril Dodge. Nehemiah is best known as a silversmith and worked in… read more
Seril Dodge was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, on August 19, 1759. His parents were Nehemiah Dodge (1733?-1796? and Lois (Paine) Dodge (1737? - ?) He is thought to have trained with Thomas Harland in Norwich, CT. His movement designs are certainly inspired by the Harland school, featuring… read more
Nathaniel Dominy (4th) was born in 1737 and died in 1812. He is listed as living in Sag Harbor and then East Hampton, New York. For a more complete story regarding this family, please read Charles Hummel’s “With Hammer in Hand, published for The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum by the… read more
James Doull was born in Scotland in 1785 and immigrated to Boston in 1806 at the age of 29. A year later, Doull was listed in Boston's 1807 tax records as a journeyman working for Aaron Willard. This notation suggests that Doull came to this country already trained and highly skilled. Because… read more
Ephraim Downs was born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, on December 20, 1787, and died in Bristol, Connecticut, on December 8, 1860. He was the son of David and Mary Chatterton Downs and had a brother Anson who was a Carpenter.
Ephraim was known to have made wooden geared tall clock movements as… read more
P.H. (Plimmon Henry) Dudley(1843-1924). Mr. Dudley was a gifted civil and metallurgical engineer whose opinions on these matters were held in high regard and respected by the railroad industry. Concerning clocks in the development of standardizing time, he believed in electronically adjusting or… read more
Joseph Nye Dunning was born in Brunswick, Maine, on January 2, 1795, as the ninth child of John Dunning (1738-1831) and Lois (Hinckley) Dunning (1753-1811). The identity of his clockmaking mentor remains unknown. If Dunning apprenticed in Brunswick, possible mentors include Charles Bisbee Jr (… read more