James Cross of Peterborough, Rochester, and Somerworth, New Hampshire. Clockmaker.

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 remain a mystery. While it is not currently known to whom he served, it is reasonable to assume that he had some working relationship with James Cole of Rochester, NH, given the striking similarity between their clocks. 

James Cross worked as a clockmaker in Rochester, New Hampshire, from 1825 through 1830. To date, numerous Rochester-cased tall clocks and timepieces (banjo clocks) have been found with dials signed by Cross. One timepiece in the collection of The Monadnock Center for History and Culture has a dial signed with the place location of “Peterborough.”

James Cross married Esther May (b2/4/1798) of Peterborough, NH, on January 15, 1818. 

James is listed in the U S Census records for Peterborough in 1820 and 1830.

James and Esther returned to Rochester. They are listed there in the 1840 census records. 

The 1850 Census lists James in Sommersworth, where three of his sons lived. 

In the 1860 census, he returned to Peterborough and was listed as a clockmaker.