THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK COMPANY, AND OTHER CLOCK MANUFACTURERS IN
CONNECTICUT.
I will here give a brief account of the firms carrying on this
important business in Connecticut. The New Haven Clock Company, which
succeeded the Jerome Manufacturing Company, are now making more clocks
than any three other makers in the state. As I speak of the different
manufactories, I will give the outlines and standing of the men
connected with them. As their goods go all over the world, it is natural
and pleasant for men who are dealing in their goods to know what kind of
men they are at home, and what the community think of them. The New
Haven company is a joint-stock company. The head man in this concern, is
the Hon. James English, who is second to no business man in the State--
high minded, clear sighted, and very popular with all who deal with him.
He was, when a boy, remarkable for industry, prudence and good behavior.
He was an apprentice at the house-joiner trade, but soon got into other
business which gave him a greater chance to develope and become more
useful to himself and the community. He began in life without a dollar,
but is now said to be worth three hundred thousand dollars. His age at
this time is about forty-eight. He is a Democrat in politics; has been
elected to many important offices, and has been the first select man of
New Haven for many years; he has been elected State Senator for three
years in succession, and all of these offices he has filled with
ability. In the spring of 1860, he was nominated as candidate for
Lieutenant Governor on a ticket with Col. Thomas H. Seymour of Hartford,
for Governor, which made the most popular Democratic ticket that has
ever been run in the State. Had it not been for the great anti-slavery
feeling there was at this canvass, Mr. English would have been
triumphantly elected. Many of the opposing party would been glad to have
seen him elected, and would have voted for him, had it not been for the
influence they thought it would have on the Presidential election. We
heard many Republicans say this in New Haven, and many did vote that
ticket.
H.M. Welch, who has for a long time been connected with Mr. English in
business, is largely interested in this clock company. He gives most of
his attention to other kinds of manufacturing, in which Messrs. English
and Welch, are very extensively engaged. Mr. Welch is one of the most
intelligent, upright, and kind hearted business men in the whole State,
and is admired as such by all who know him. He is also a Democrat in
politics, very popular in his party, and is well qualified for any
offices. He would make a good candidate for Governor or member of
Congress. He is about forty-six years old, worth perhaps, two hundred
thousand dollars; he has held many important offices, has been a
Representative to the State Legislature for many years, and State
Senator a number of times. He has recently been elected Mayor of the
city, and has filled all of these offices with much talent.
John Woodruff, a member of Congress, elected for the second time from
this district, is the next largest owner in this great brass clock
business. He commenced to work at clocks with me when a boy only fifteen
years old. He was a very uncommon boy, and is now an uncommon man, very
popular among his fellow workmen, popular with Democrats, popular with
Republicans, popular every where, and can be elected to Congress when
there is five hundred majority against his party in his district.
Hiram Camp who is the next largest stock-holder in this clock company,
is forty-nine years old. He commenced making clocks with me at the age
of seventeen, and is now President of the company. He is a Republican in
politics, and has been chosen Representative from New Haven to the
Legislature of the State. At this time he is Chief Engineer of the Fire
Department, is very popular with his workmen, and highly respected by
the whole community in which he lives. Many others who hold prominent
positions in this great business in New Haven, first came here with me
when I moved from Bristol. I should mention Philip Pond, an excellent
man who left the business two or three years since, on account of his
health, but who is now connected in the wholesale grocery business of
the firm of Pond, Greenwood & Lester, in this city. Also Charles L.
Griswold, now a bit and augur maker in the town of Chester, who began to
work for me twenty years ago, when a boy. He was once a poor boy, but
now is a talented and superior man. He has been a member of the
Legislature, and has held many offices of trust.
L.F. Root, now a leading man in New Haven, came to work with me when
quite young, nearly twenty years ago. He also has held many offices of
trust, and filled them with great ability. I could mention many others,
but cannot in this brief work speak of them as their merits deserve. It
gives me pleasure to know that the business of the Jerome Manufacturing
Company has fallen into such good hands.
The Benedict and Burnham Company, now making clocks in the city of
Waterbury, under the name of the Waterbury Clock Company, is composed of
a large number of the first citizens of that place. In politics nearly
all of them are Republicans. The oldest man of the company is Deacon
Aaron Benedict, now about seventy-five years old--a real "old Puritan,
Christian gentleman." He has been Representative and State Senator many
times--Mr. Burnham of New York, another member of this company, is well
known to almost every body as one of the richest men in [Transcriber's
note: probable missing word 'the' here] whole country. My brother, Noble
Jerome, who is an excellent mechanic and as good a brass clock maker as
can be found, is now making the movements for this company, and Edward
Church, a first rate man and an excellent workman, is making their
cases. He worked with me seventeen years at case making, and can do a
good job. I cannot pass without speaking about another man of this
company, Arad W. Welton Esq. He was one of my soldier companions in
Capt. John Buckingham's company, which went to fight the British in
1813, at New London, and in 1814 at New Haven. He stood very near me in
the ranks. I shall never forget what pluck and courage he showed one
night when the news was brought into camp that the enemy were landing
from their ships. Our whole regiment was mustered in fifteen minutes,
and on the way to pitch battle with the British and defend our shores.
This Mr. Welton, who is now an old man, as stout and large as Gen. Cass,
and looking something like him, was then a young man nineteen years old,
and without exception the funniest and drollest fellow that I ever saw.
He kept us all laughing while we were going down to fight that awful
battle, which, however, proved to be bloodless. This incident occurred
at New London, and I have often thought of it in latter days. Mr. Welton
Is said to be a great business man, and the company with which he is
connected is doing a good business.
The next clock company which I shall speak of, is that of Seth Thomas &
Co., of Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut. As I have mentioned before, the
senior Thomas is not living. The business is carried on by a company,
the members of which are all Republicans in politics and respectable
men. Fifty years ago this spring, Heman Clark built the factory which
Seth Thomas, two or three years afterwards, bought, and in which he
carried on business until his death, about two years since. It was never
Mr. Thomas' practice to get up any thing new. He never would change his
patterns or mode of manufacturing, until he was driven to it to keep his
customers. At the time when I invented the one-day brass clock in 1838,
he said much against it, that it was not half so good as a wood clock,
and that he never would take up any thing again that Jerome had adopted;
but he was compelled to, in a year or two, to keep his customers. He
sent his foreman over to Bristol, where I was then carrying on business,
to get patterns of movements and cases and take all the advantage he
could of my experience, labors, and improvements which I had been
studying upon so long. I allowed my foreman to spend more than two days
with his, giving him all the knowledge and insight he could of the
business, knowing what his object was. A friend asked me why I was doing
this, and said that if I should send my man to Thomas' factory he would
be kicked out immediately. I told him I knew that perfectly well, but
that if Mr. Thomas set out to get into the business, he certainly would
find out, and that the course I was taking was wisest and more friendly.
I have thought since how quickly such kind treatment as I showed towards
his man can be forgotten; yes; this company have all forgotten the
service that I rendered them twenty years ago, and as I have said
before, would probably have been making the old wood clock to this day,
had it not been for other parties. There always has been a great deal of
jealousy among the Yankee clock-makers, and they all seemed to hate the
one who took the lead. The next establishment of which I shall speak, is
that of William L. Gilbert, of Winsted, Connecticut. He is said to be
miserly in feeling, and is quite rich; not very enterprising, but has
made a great deal of money by availing himself of the improvements of
others.
The next one in the business to whom I shall allude is E.N. Welch, of
Bristol, Connecticut. He is about fifty years of age, and has been in
many kinds of business. He was deeply interested in the failure of J.C.
Brown a few years ago, and succeeded him in the clock business. He is a
leading man in the Baptist church, and has a great tact for making
money; but he says that all he wants of money is to do good with it. He
is a Democrat in politics, and never wants an office from his party.
These five companies which I have named, make nearly all of the clocks
manufactured in Connecticut; though movements are made by three other
companies. Beach and Hubbell of Bristol, are largely engaged in
manufacturing the movements of brass marine clocks. Also two brothers by
the name of Manross, in Bristol, are engaged in the same business. Noah
Pomeroy of Bristol, is also engaged in making pendulum movements for
other parties. I should, however, mention Ireneus Atkins, of Bristol,
who is making a first-rate thirty-day brass clock, and I am told there
is no better one for time in the country. The movement for this kind of
clock was invented by Joseph Ives, who has spent most of his time for
the last twenty-five years in improving on springs and escapements for
clocks, and who has done a great deal for the advancement of this
business. Mr. Atkins, who is making this thirty-day time-piece, is an
excellent man to deal with. The five large companies which I have named,
manufacture about a half a million clocks per annum; the New Haven
company about two hundred thousand; and the others about three hundred
thousand between them.