Joseph Chadwick of Boscawen, New Hampshire. clockmaker, scalemaker, and musical instrument maker.

Joseph Chadwick was born on July 19, 1787, in Boscawen, New Hampshire. The Town of Boscawen is situated in Merrimack County. It is on the northern border of the Capital City, Concord. Joseph's father was Edmund Chadwick, and his mother was Susanna (Atkinson) Chadwick. It is now thought that he may have trained as a clockmaker under Timothy Chandler in Concord. He would have completed his apprenticeship in about 1801. Joseph married three times. His first wife was Judith (aka Betsy) Morrill of Boscawen. Judith was the sister of clockmaker Benjamin Morrill (b. 12/13/1792 - d. 3/12/1821). Joseph next married Eunice Bliss (b 3/19/1791) of Lebanon, NH. He married his third wife, Mary Ann Merrill, on 4/20/1851. Mary Ann (b. 1/23/1800) was the daughter of the Bristol, NH, Tanner John Merrill. Joseph died on January 16, 1868, in Boscawen. 

Joseph is listed as a clock and watchmaker, reflecting the important role such craftsmen played in early 19th-century New England communities. The town history of Boscawen also suggests that he was a scalemaker and an instrumentmaker, a testament to the era’s spirit of innovation and self-sufficiency. He is said to have made melodeons and seraphones, contributing to both the practical and cultural needs of his community. While very few tall clocks survive from his workshop, a birch and mahogany inlaid case is now in the collection of The New Hampshire Historical Society, having been given by Charles Parsons. This rare example highlights the craftsmanship and aesthetic choices typical of the period. Joseph is best known for making wall clocks, particularly the New Hampshire mirror-style clocks that became popular in the early 1800s. The number of these clocks found in the marketplace today suggests that Chadwick was a significant supplier for his region, supporting the developing economy of rural New Hampshire and helping to define local material culture during a formative period in American history.