Tag: 30-hour clock

How Common Are Brass Mainsprings in Clocks?

Elisha Manross, though less commonly known compared to American clockmakers such as Seth Thomas, New Haven, or Waterbury, played a significant role in the development of Connecticut clocks. In his book American Shelf and Wall Clocks Robert Ball listed Elisha Manross as being in business from 1827 -1849. 

He was a prolific clockmaker and produced a variety of clocks but one of his more desirable clocks is a “double steeple” shelf clock with an 8-day time and strike spring strap brass fusee movement with a 12″ pendulum.

Manross was known as the clockmaker’s clockmaker because his products were used by many clock-manufacturing firms such as Boardman and Wells, Sperry and Shaw, and other well-known makers. Although my clock is a 30-hour version, Manross made 8-day weight-driven movements as well.

However, the focus of this article is a 30-hour gothic steeple made in the early 1840s that came to me as part of a collection of old clocks found in a barn 20 minutes drive from my home.

The completed Manross steeple clock, the hour, and minute hand are replacements
The completed clock, the hour, and the minute hand are replacements; the original ones would have been spade and spear

There were thousands of steeple clocks made by many American manufacturers at that time but it is unusual to find one with its original brass mainsprings intact as many have undergone replacements with steel mainsprings. The brass mainsprings in this clock have not only remained but also seem to be in excellent condition.

brass mainsprings
Cleaned brass mainsprings, notice how tight the brass is in the centre

Brass springs were developed in the E.C. Brewster shop in Bristol sometime around 1833-35 and patented in 1836. They were used by Seth Thomas, Brewster & Ingraham, and others.

Brass mainsprings were uncommon in American clocks, having a brief period of use from 1836 to about 1850. Domestically manufactured mainsprings were not available in the US until 1847. In 1847, the widespread adoption of tempered steel mainsprings began and soon replaced the use of brass mainsprings in clockmaking so ending the era of brass springs. Brass springs were used in Manross miniature Ogees, and shelf clocks.

The goal of servicing

Preserving the movement with the least intervention possible is the primary goal. There is a temptation to replace them with steel counterparts and put the brass springs aside. However, to maintain the historical authenticity of this clock, they will remain in the movement.

Elisha Manross 30 hour movement, as found. It is very dirty
Elisha Manross movement, as found: Type S5.1 30-hour movement with centre mount count wheel

Working with brass mainsprings and addressing wear

Working with brass mainsprings requires careful handling; unlike steel, they cannot be stretched out for cleaning. After cleaning in an ultrasonic cleaner, and meticulous drying using strips of terry cloth worked into the coil, the results are impressive.

Upon inspecting the movement as a whole, I noticed certain pivot holes with punch marks around them. Punching was commonly used to close pivot holes then but is not considered an acceptable practice today. Despite being punched, they continued to function effectively.

To address the most significant wear, only the problematic pivot holes underwent bushing. Four bushings were added on the strike side, where wear tends to be more pronounced—a commonly encountered issue in clock restoration. There were no new bushings required on the time side.

Punch marks to close a hole on a clock plate
Punch marks to close a hole

A past tooth repair resulted in a sturdy albeit somewhat rough appearance. It could have been filed down and polished but I left it as-is because it is part of the clock’s history.

Main wheel tooth repair
Main wheel tooth repair

The final step involved returning the clock to its case, preserving not just its functionality but also its historical integrity.

Continue reading “How Common Are Brass Mainsprings in Clocks?” →

Hamilton Clock Co. ogee – a dull and tired case needs help

Should antique clock cases be refinished or rejuvenated? It can be a judgement call. I am all for patina and preserving an old clock case but there are times when certain amount of intervention is practical from an aesthetics and resale point of view.

There is a certain philosophical argument among collectors who believe on the one hand that any intervention is sacrilegious while others feel that some amount of intervention may be necessary to preserve an antique clock.

Auction photo

I won this Hamilton Clock Company 30-hour ogee clock at auction in the spring of 2022 and only now have had a chance to work on it.

I was not specifically looking for a 30-hour ogee as I have 6 already (and who needs another 30-hour clock) but as this clock was made in Hamilton Ontario, Canada it is special to me as adding Canadian clocks is a prime goal as a collector.

Auction photo showing the lower acid etched tablet

A brief history

The company was established in 1876, after the failure of the Canada Clock Company (version 1) in Whitby, Ontario. Using a new factory building and the original production machinery the second company, the Hamilton Clock Co. was formed by three principles, James Simpson, George Lee, and J. F. Collins.

The Hamilton Clock Company made a valiant effort to provide clocks for the Canadian market, in competition with the huge U.S. clock factories in Connecticut that already dominated the market. 

Ogee clocks were manufactured at Hamilton, and these were identical in construction to those that had been made at Whitby with veneered pine cases. After four years the company went bankrupt but was shortly resurrected as the Canada Clock Company (version 2), again using the same Hamilton production facilities. Clock production ended in the mid-1880s and it was not until a new Canadian-owned clock company emerged in 1904 (the Pequegnat Clock Co.) in Berlin, Ontario that Canadian-made clocks resumed production.

It is tempting to group the three companies into one, but the design focus of each company separated them from each other, the early company focused on 30-hour movements and simply styled mantel clocks while 8-day wall clocks and more ornate mantel clocks were a feature of the later company.

The case

Yes, it is dulled and tired and it has had a rough life. These clocks are handed down from one owner to the next and in the process they undergo changes. Some of the changes are reversible and some are not. Luckily this clock can be revived and brought back to life.

There are veneer losses, particularly on the two upper corners and the trim strip along the right side. The bottom strip is missing completely. So the challenge is to replace missing veneer with new and old stock but the end result is not always perfect.

Let’s see what I can do with the case.

Circa 1845 Chauncey Jerome Ogee Clock

An ogee clock is so-called because it is a 19th century U.S. shelf clock with a distinctive S-curve (convex above and concave below) molding.

30-hour ogee clocks were very popular from the early 1840s to as late as the 1890s, a good run for a distinctive style of clock. Before the days of the Internet, these clocks fetched hundreds of dollars at auctions houses and antique stores. Along came eBay and prospective buyers quickly learned that large numbers of these clocks were produced in their day and the supply of clocks flooded the net and prices dropped accordingly. I have 5 ogee clocks among my collection of over 100 clocks and have never paid more than $60 for any of them.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. The distinctive case has housed movements other than the 30-hour time and strike commonly found and some are quite desirable. Fusee, single weight 8-day time-only, calendar models, minis, Gesso fronts, 8-day time and strike clocks, and a few unusual ones have good value.

As found

30-hour clocks are worth collecting and if you a new to clock repair, they are a great clock to begin your journey.

This is a Chauncey Jerome 30-hour or one-day clock from about 1844-1845 and based on my research, the movement is from the same period. So, an excellent chance that the case and movement started life together. The pendulum bob looks very old and hard to say if original as pendulums often go missing during a clock’s life. But I’m not sure a modern pendulum bob would have similar detail.

Original (?) bob cleaned with Brasso

The dial is in good condition with attractive Gesso spandrels although the Jerome name under the twelve is barely readable and the chapter ring has faded. The moon hands also look original and the clock came with the correct weights. The mahogany veneer, while very dirty is almost flawless.

The name Jerome is just readable

Not original is the strike bell as the clock would have had a coil gong. The suspension spring and leader are missing. A top wooden block that attaches the movement to the case is also missing and the label, printed by John Benham, though readable, has some losses. The suspension spring and leader can be easily sourced, the block fashioned from old stock and I have a spare Jerome style coiled gong in my parts bin.

30-hour unmarked Jerome movement

The tablet design did not look original at first glance but after removing a piece of cardboard (first photo) and Christmas wrapping paper behind the glass I discovered a frosted tablet with thistles and flowers. The red paint might have been added and it is very possible that it was not painted originally.

Original tablet?

The plan is to service the movement, source missing parts, and refresh the case.

I am not a strong believer in maintaining the original patina which one reader opined is just another word for dirt. The case will be cleaned with Murphy’s Soap and a coat of shellac will be applied.

Original materials and techniques will be used when working on the case. This includes the use of traditional shellac (flakes mixed with shellac lacquer), and fasteners like old slot head screws, old wood, and square nails. The replacement coil gong is very similar to other Jeromes I have seen and will come out of a donor ogee case. There are a few stray pieces of label at the bottom of the case that will be glued back in place.

John Benham label is in rough shape

There is not a lot of demand for ogee clocks today as reflected in their asking price. Perhaps the 30-hour ones are considered a hassle for some as they must be wound once per day, nevertheless, I find them very appealing.

Coming soon will be an article on servicing the movement and later on, refreshing the case.

30-hour clocks in my collection – a complete list

George H. Clark 30 hour movement

While I have over 85 clocks in my collection twelve are 30-hour or one-day clocks. One of the twelve is a relatively modern clock.

The history of mass-produced clocks in America began in the 1820s and 1830s with 30-hour clocks that had woodworks movements. While the clock business was booming with many companies selling clocks to the masses, an economic recession in the late 1830s brought clock production to a halt.

Pioneer clockmaker Chauncey Jerome, who was in the clock business at the time, considered his “business troubles and disappointments” and he along with his brother Noble formulated the idea that movements could be made from brass. Noble Jerome received patent number 1200 for his brass clock movement, issued June 27, 1839. Woodworks movements began to be phased out and replaced by brass movements which were made in the hundreds of thousands. 30-hour brass movements were made well into the 1860s and were eventually replaced by the 8-day brass movement.

Because 30-hour clocks were produced in the thousands many examples have survived to this day. Most clock aficionados today have at least one ogee clock in their collection.

Of the 12 in my collection 5 are running continuously. Yes, winding a clock everyday is a hassle but we often forget that at one time the thirty hour clock in the form of the bedside alarm clock was a fixture in every home but for this post I am excluding the dozen alarm clocks in my collection.

Half are weight driven, so let’s begin with those.

Sperry and Shaw

Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock
Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock

This, a four-column shelf clock designed in the “New York” style was made between 1841 and 1851. Sperry and Shaw were assemblers and distributors and sourced parts from various producers. The movements and cases could have been made by Silas Hoadley or Chauncey Jerome or both.

I bought the clock from student in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the fall of 2018 and he would not budge on the price. My only question to him prior to making the deal was whether or not the clock had the original wafer weights which would be almost impossible to source if missing.

Daniel Pratt and Son

This is the only clock I have with a woodworks movement. Daniel Pratt worked with others but eventually went out on this own in the 1830s. I would date this clock to around 1837. This clock was won at an estate auction for the price of $30 during a time when clock prices were hitting rock bottom. The clock has a wood dial and a mirrored lower tablet (may or may not be original) and the case is in very good condition for its age.

Daniel Pratt and Sons

Chauncey Jerome

Chauncey Jerome 30 hoir Ogee clock
Chauncey Jerome 30 hour Ogee clock

This clock is from around 1855, made just before Chauncey Jerome’s company went into bankruptcy. This was also bought at auction a few years ago. It came with an extra mirrored lower tablet and a “spare” dial. I am not sure if either the mirrored tablet or the JC Brown picture are original. The veneer, however, is in perfect condition.

George H. Clark

George H Clark 30 hour Ogee shelf clock

This is an ogee from around 1857. There is no makers mark on the works but it is a Waterbury type 2.411 movement. The case is well-preserved and in excellent condition, obviously well-cared for by a previous owner. The beehive tablet looks to be original.

Waterbury Clock Co.

This an ogee style clock from 1865. It was bought at an antique store in Halifax. There was no price on the clock. I asked the owner what he would sell it for. He said, name a price, I said $40 and he said, sold! Evidently it been in his shop for a while. It is the first clock on which I learned how to replace very worn trundles.

Cuckoo clock

Dave's cuckoo clock
Dave’s cuckoo clock

This is a 30-hour cuckoo clock with a Regula movement, made about 1976. A cheap German made mass-produced “tourist” clock that was given to me by a relation. It still works but it is on its 3rd movement.

And now for the spring driven clocks.

Ansonia Cottage clock

This cottage clock is from about 1895. This another clock that was given to me. These were probably dollar clocks at the time. They had cheap movements but were solid and reliable. Surprisingly, these command good prices on the auction sites since so few remain.

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Canada Clock Company

The Hamilton Cottage Extra is from about 1880. These are now very difficult to find since so few have survived. It is Canadian made and collectors will happily pay hundreds of dollars for one. It has a very cheap case made of softwood with no veneers. The acid etched lower tablet is quite unique. It was bought in a local junk store for $40. I could not believe my find.

Hamilton Cottage Extra

Elisha Manross

Elisha Manross gothic steeple

The Manross is a thirty hour time and strike and called a steeple clock. One interesting feature is that the Rosewood veneer is in a vertical orientation on the side columns unlike most that have a horizontal orientation. It is also the only clock in my collection that has brass mainsprings which were phased out in the early 1840s making the clock historically significant. Needless to say that in order to preserve the mainsprings I run this clock infrequently.

Hamilton Clock Company

The style is known as gothic steeple. The clock is from about 1876 and features a religious expression on the acid etched lower tablet, “Cling to the Cross”. There are some veneer losses but the clock is in decent shape. The steeple tips never seem to survive on these clocks.

Hamilton Clock Co. 30 hour time and strike
Hamilton Clock Co. 30 hour time and strike

New Haven

This is a spring driven time and strike ogee from around 1875. Unfortunately the veneer has been stripped from the case and the softwood re-stained but it is an attractive little clock nonetheless. The dial is a replacement and the lower tablet has some losses.

Ogee New Haven clock
Ogee New Haven clock

New Haven

This a called a Sharp Gothic according to the label. It is an American-made clock sold by a jeweler by the name of Thomas B. Spike in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) in the 1880s. The lower tablet features a seaside Parthenon scene which might suggest it was one of many produced for foreign markets. There are some veneer losses but the clock is in running order and keeps reasonably good time. It has replacement mainsprings because it will run for 3 days on a wind. Not bad for a 30-hour clock!

New haven Gothic Steeple clock
New haven Gothic Steeple clock

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of a part of my collection of 30-hour or one-day clocks and please leave a comment. As for expanding my collection of one-day clocks I am not sure that I would continue acquiring them unless I came across something quite unique or if one were given to me.

Sperry and Shaw 4 column clock back on the bench

The turned 4 columns of the New York style Sperry and Shaw clock drew my attention because it is so unlike many of the 30-hour shelf clocks of the time.

This clock was made between 1844 and 1851 when Henry Sperry and George Shaw were in the clock business together.

Sperry and Shaw label

The label, which is in superb condition, and affixed to the backboard says 10 Courtlandt Street, the company headquarters at the time. Sperry and Shaw were not clock-makers but business partners and were regarded as distributors and assemblers or as Carl Drepperd in “American Clocks and Clockmakers” put it, “apparently clock racketeers” as they sold clocks with fake labels. Who actually made the 4 column clocks? I ‘ll leave that to the horological history sleuths.

Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock
Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock

The company sourced cases and movements, affixed their own stamp on the movement and placed their labels sometimes overpasteing other makers, inside the case, clearly an unethical practice.

Weight channels on either side of movement

The movement is Jerome-like and stamped Sperry and Shaw, New Jersey. The plates are thinner than a Jerome, evidently a cost cutting measure. The hands are not original, nor is the dial though both appear to be period correct. The lower tablet contains an engraved copy of the Bay of Quinte (Ontario), there to replace the original reverse painted glass.

An interesting feature is the narrow brick-shaped wafer weights (4 3/4 inches X 1 inch) that fit neatly into channels on the left and right with little room to spare. The strike side weight is only slightly lighter than the time side.

Sperry and Shaw 30-hour movement
Sperry and Shaw 30-hour movement

Service history

In January, 2019 the movement was disassembled and cleaned. All the parts were in good order.

The movement had been serviced perhaps more than once since there were punch marks around almost every pivot hole. Curiously there is only one replacement bushing on the escape wheel bridge, a later repair. Three or four pivots holes were slightly enlarged but not so much that they had to be done immediately. So, no bushing work at that time. I did not make any notes at the time regarding bushing wear but I suspect most of it is on the strike side.

The movement was re-assembled. The dial and hands were re-attached along with new braided nylon weight cords. After several days of testing the clock was running well.

May 2021

I have not been running this clock much in the past several months but I decided to wind both sides to see if everything was in order. As much as I love 30-hour clocks they are a hassle to keep running as they must be wound every day. Many years ago owners took this in stride as 8 day clocks were costlier.

The time side is now stopping after 5 minutes. At first I thought it might be a wear issue until I discovered the weight cord had, for whatever reason, slipped off the pully on the top of the case. It must have slipped off when I moved the clock recently. I repositioned the cable and ran the time side for a few hours just to be sure.

The other problem is the strike side. Lately the strike side has been running erratically. It either strikes the hour or runs continuously until the weight hits the bottom of the case.

The strike side needs an adjustment but there may be other issues. I won’t know until I take the movement apart. Once I have it apart I will address the wear issues I noted in 2019.

Disassembly

The movement was taken out of its case. The four retaining pins were removed and top plate taken off. After 3 years the movement is clean but the clock oil in the pivot holes is black.

I inspected the movement for wear. The lantern pinions have some wear but no more than I saw in 2019 and I have seen far worse in other 30-hour movements. As mentioned there had been a lot of punches around the pivot holes and from my inspection some bushings are now required. The ratchets and clicks look good and the gear teeth are in fine shape.

Sperry and Shaw 30-hour movement tested in the case
Sperry and Shaw 30-hour movement tested in the case

Bushing work

Three bushings are required; the time side second wheel front plate and the strike-side mainwheel and second wheel back plate. There is certainly wear on other pivot holes but not enough to justify more bushing work at this time. However, if this was a customer clock I likely would have bushed every pivot hole.

I did not like how bent and twisted the movement plates are. I am not sure whether this is the result of poor quality brass or the rough manipulation of the plates by a past repairer as they went about punching most of the pivot holes. I straightened the worst section so that I could have sufficient end shake for one gear but left the remainder of the plates as-is.

Reassembly and testing

These movements are relatively easy to reassemble. While everything went smoothly the strike side is still giving me grief and is no better than when I began.

However this time it is a simple adjustment issue. There is no need to take the movement out of the case to make the changes. I could see that the count and drop levers were not synchronized. The drop lever should be deep in the cam slot at the same time the count lever is in one of the deep slots of the count wheel. I slid the count wheel over to one side and repositioned it. The paddle should also be radial to the count wheel. I had to bent the paddle slightly to ensure that it pointed directly at the wheel hub.

These were subtle changes but made the difference between a working and non-working strike side. After 4 days of testing the dial and hands were reinstalled and the clock placed back on its shelf.

Sperry and Shaw 30 hour clock

It bears repeating that if you are just beginning your journey into clock repair, the 30-hour ogee, because of the large gears, the overall simplicity and the absence of mainsprings make this a great place to start. I love working on them.

Canada Clock Co. Hamilton Cottage Extra – dial in-painting

Back label in good condition for the age of the clock

While waiting for movement parts I continued to work on the case of this antique Canadian cottage clock from the mid 1880s. The dial needs attention and in this article I will describe the procedures for in-painting the numerals and decorative elements.

Decorative hand-painted antique dials need attention from time to time. Through environment and use they become victims of wear and neglect. Stabilizing and restoring dials maintains the value of the clock. In-painting involves filling areas of loss, cleaning, colour matching, repairing graphics and decorative art work.

The Canada Clock Co.

The Canada Clock Company in its three iterations made clocks in Ontario, Canada between 1872 and 1884. The Canada Clock Co, the Hamilton Clock Co. and then Canada Clock Co. (redux) struggled over a 12 year period to put Canada on the clock-making map. Ultimately their efforts failed. Nonetheless, there are plenty of fine examples that have survived to this day.

I found this interesting example in an antique shop in downtown Truro, Nova Scotia. The model is called Hamilton Cottage Extra.

First look

This is the dial when I first saw it. It is unsightly and distracting. Severe flaking over a good portion of the dial surface plus an attempt to repaint the numbers by a past owner presented a challenge for restoration.

Continue reading “Canada Clock Co. Hamilton Cottage Extra – dial in-painting” →

30-hour clocks – four for your consideration

These three 30 hour clocks in the opening photo were serviced in the fall of 2018. The fourth (shown next) is a Waterbury Ogee from about 1870.

It was never my intention to collect 30-hour clocks but I am attracted to this style of clock. Thousands were made, they are surprisingly cheap and come up often on online for-sale sites. Many have the cases that have suffered the ravages of time though these are in very good condition. However, buyers and collectors tend to stay away from 1-day clocks because of the hassle of winding them every day.

I marvel at the engineering and innovative technology of clocks made over 150 years ago and how popular these clocks were in their day.

Waterbury OG clock
Waterbury 30-hour Ogee clock

On the left in the opening photo (and below) is a George H Clark, pre-1850. It features a Jerome-like movement and a wood dial.

George H. Clark 30 hour Ogee
George H. Clark 30 hour Ogee

30 hour movement servicing
All of the clocks on this page have similar movements to this Jerome

Touch-ups to nicks and scratches were all that were required to improve the look of the case but the movement required a good cleaning as well as a couple of bushings.

The middle clock (also seen below) is a Chauncey Jerome Ogee clock. The label dates the clock to about 1855-56 just prior to the company’s bankruptcy.

Chauncey Jerome 30 hoir Ogee clock
Chauncey Jerome 30 hour Ogee clock

Eight bushings were installed on this clock. Some of these clocks need a lot of work while others require a good cleaning.

On the far right (and blow) is a Sperry and Shaw 30 hour New York style 4 column shelf clock. The movement was disassembled and cleaned but did not require bushing work. The case was also freshened up.

Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock
Sperry & Shaw 4 column clock with a Canada Clock Co 30-hour steeple to the right

I am fascinated with 30 hour clocks. Yes, they require winding every day but I enjoy it and it has become one of my daily rituals. The sound of the gong is not particularly pretty but it is distinctive. You always know when an Ogee clock is striking in a house.

What other mechanical devices keep running after 150+ years?

Chauncey Jerome 30 hour Ogee – a 156 year old American clock that is a tribute to the man himself

Chauncey Jerome movement #1.314

I bought four wonderful clocks at an estate auction several weeks ago, this and three other Ogee clocks plus a parlour clock. This clock is no less interesting than the other three but I was lucky enough to research its maker and date the manufacture to within a year or two.

Noble Jerome’s invention showed that with the one-day brass movement, clocks could be mass produced economically and in great quantities

I wish I knew its provenance, how many hands it passed through, where it has been, what homes it has been in and even its last owner. All that is a mystery to me, nonetheless this clock is an excellent example of the classic Ogee weight driven shelf clock and a well-cared-for time-keeper.

Chauncey Jerome 30 hoir Ogee clock
Chauncey Jerome 30 hour Ogee clock with J.C. Brown house in lower tablet

Chauncey Jerome: The greatest and most far-reaching contributor to the clock industry

Chauncey Jerome 30 hour Ogee weight driven time and strike clocks are not a rarity. Thousands upon thousands were made. However, no-one can deny Chauncey Jerome’s historic contribution to the American clock industry in the 18th century when he substituted brass works for wooden works. He was “the greatest and most far-reaching contributor to the clock industry.” Although he made his fortune selling his clocks and his business grew quickly his company eventually failed in 1856.

Chauncey Jerome (1793–1868) was one of many pioneer American clock-makers. Jerome began his career in Waterbury, Connecticut (USA), making dials for long-case clocks. Jerome learned what he could about clocks, particularly clock cases, and went to New Jersey to make seven-foot cases for clocks. In 1816 he went to work for Eli Terry making “Patent Shelf Clocks,” and learned how to make previously handmade cases using machinery. His venture into business for himself eventually led to making cases and trading them to Terry for wooden movements.

In 1822 Jerome moved his business to Bristol, Connecticut opening a small shop with his brother Noble, producing 30-hour and eight-day wooden clocks. By 1837 Jerome’s company was selling more clocks than any of his competitors. A one-day wood-cased clock with wood movement sold for six dollars and had helped put the company on the map. A year later his company was selling that same clock for four dollars. As profits began falling combined with a general malaise in the manufacturing sector, it was not long before Noble Jerome’s patented clockwork innovation, the 30 hour brass weight driven movement introduced in 1839 changed clock making in America. The design was proposed by Chauncey in response to the 1837 nationwide depression that closed many clock factories. Noble’s invention showed that with the one-day brass movement, clocks could be mass produced economically and in great quantities.

Jerome also made clocks according to what he termed the “systematic approach” where selected workers made one part of a clock while other workers simultaneously constructed other parts in the same factory, a precursor to the assembly line method of manufacture.

Coil gong
Coil gong, polished, incorrect position in this photo

In 1842 Jerome moved his clock-case manufacturing operation to St. John Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Three years later, following a fire that destroyed the Bristol plant, Jerome relocated the entire operation to Elm City. Enlarging the plant, the company soon became the largest industrial employer in the city, producing 150,000 clocks annually. In 1850 Jerome formed the Jerome Manufacturing Co. as a joint-stock company with Benedict & Burnham, brass manufacturers of Waterbury. In 1853 the company became known as the New Haven Clock Co., producing 444,000 clocks and timepieces annually. Jerome’s future should have been secure but in 1855 he bought out a failed Bridgeport clock company controlled by P.T. Barnum, (a good read, it is a very tangled story) which wiped him out financially, leaving the Jerome Manufacturing Co. bankrupt in 1856. Jerome never recovered from the loss. By his own admission, he was a better innovator and inventor than a businessman.

In the years following he traveled from town to town and took jobs where he could, often working for clock companies that had learned the business of clock making using Jerome’s inventions. Returning to New Haven near the end of his life, he died, penniless, in 1868 at age 74.

The ticking of a clock is music to me, and although many of my experiences as a business man have been trying and bitter, I have satisfaction of knowing that I have lived the life of an honest man, and have been of some use to my fellow men
Chauncey Jerome 1860

This the number 11 Ogee was the last of the Jerome clocks made no later than the fall of 1855 when Jerome Manufacturing Co. failed. Mike Bailey, a Chauncey Jerome clock collector has an excellent blog in which he meticulously details and dates Jerome cases and movements. After researching his site I was able to determine that my clock is a number 11 Ogee made just before the Jerome bankruptcy in 1855. It is the Jerome patent 30 hour brass movement number 1.314. The movement appears to be original to the case.

Chauncey Jerome one-day movement type 1.314
Chauncey Jerome one-day movement type 1.314, yes, very dirty

The clock has a zinc dial and an image of JC Brown’s house in the lower tablet. Jerome was the first to introduce the zinc dial. It might have originally had a mirrored lower tablet. However it now features the JC Brown’s home. The J.C. Brown home in Forestville was featured on the tablet of many of his (Brown) Ogee clocks and it is unclear why it is on this clock. From 1847-1855 Brown conducted business without partners as the Forestville Manufacturing Company or the Forestville Clock Manufactory.

Rear of zinc dial
Rear of zinc dial

On the back of the zinc dial are inscriptions that I can barely make out. It says 1860 April 9???  on the top of the dial and 1866, Feb 2 and UPO 477 on the bottom. I tried to enhance it as best I could. Could this dial be a later replacement?

Overall the veneer is in excellent condition though it has been covered at some point with a clear coat of varnish. The weights appear original with the strike side having the slightly lighter weight as one would expect. The pendulum bob is consistent with the age of the clock and the label is largely intact. This was the last label Jerome used before his company went bankrupt.

Label showing Benham Printer, 56 Orange Street, New Haven
Label showing Benham Printer, 55 Orange Street, New Haven at bottom center

The movement is not running reliably. It is very dirty and long overdue for a cleaning, plus, the movement has had some poor repairs over the years.

Much of the information for this post is from Chauncey Jerome’s autobiography entitled History of the American Clock Business for the Past 60 Years, a free copy which you can find here.

Next up is servicing the movement which I will cover in a separate post.

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