Tall Case Clock

Few objects retain evidence of their original makers, owners, prices, or even the dates they were made. A descendant of the original owner of this clock documented its history in 1896. He provided details of its origin as well as the subsequent owners and prices paid for the clock. The piece descended in the family until it was donated to Colonial Williamsburg in 2013. According to family history, clockmaker Nathaniel Edwards, Jr. of Acton, Massachusetts (just west of Boston), sold the clock to Paul Hayward in 1793 for $65. Whether Edwards fabricated the clock movement himself or simply oversaw production of the clock and case by other artisans is unknown. He procured the dial from John Minott, a Boston area dial painter who signed and numbered the back. Learn more at the link below.