Joseph Henry Eastman

Joseph Henry Eastman was born on September 10, 1843, in Georgetown, Massachusetts. He was one of two sons born to Timothy B. and Caroline B. (Pearson) Eastman. His Father, Timothy, is listed as a shoemaker from Derry, NH, in the 1840 census. Joseph was listed as a watchmaker in Boston from 1867 through 1880. From 1881-1884, he served as superintendent of the Harvard Clock Company. In 1894, he joined the Boston Clock Company. Then the Eastman Clock Company until 1896. After the failure of the Eastman Clock Company, Joseph Eastman joined with Busby Bell and Tool Company of Fairhaven, Vermont, in 1896 to form the Fairhaven Manufacturing Company. Fairhaven Manufacturing Company became the Vermont Clock Company in 1898, also in Fairhaven. Clocks were produced in Fairhaven with movements from the original Boston Clock Company and the Eastman Clock Company, as well as from Fairhaven MFG Co. and Vermont Clock Company. Although the Vermont Clock Company catalog of 1900 offered a wide variety of clocks, only about 3,000 items were produced between 1896 and 1902, when production ceased. He was then involved with the Little & Eastman from 1906 to 1907, the Derry Manufacturing Company from 1908 to 1910, E&O Clock Co. from 1920 to 1921, and lastly, the Eastman Manufacturing Company from 1922 to 1924. Joseph Eastman died of pneumonia following a stroke on December 17, 1931, at his home on 123 Eastern Ave, in Dedham, MA. 

Joseph H. Eastman formed the Eastman Clock Company in 1895, following the failure of the Boston Clock Co.—a reflection of the volatile and competitive nature of the American clock industry at the turn of the 20th century. The Eastman Clock Company constructed a factory in Chelsea, Massachusetts. This factory soon became the headquarters for the newly established Chelsea Clock Co., demonstrating how facilities, technology, and skilled labor often passed between companies during this period of rapid industrial change. The Eastman Clock Company itself lasted only about a year, underscoring the challenges faced by many small manufacturers in an era marked by economic uncertainty and shifting consumer tastes. The Chelsea Clock Company, however, would go on to become a prominent name in American clockmaking.

Joseph Eastman’s entrepreneurial persistence is notable; he revived the Eastman Clock Company name from 1916 to 1918 and later used a variation, Eastman Manufacturing Co., from 1922 to 1924. These repeated efforts highlight both the resilience of individual craftsmen and the broader trends of business adaptation within the changing landscape of American industry.