Description:
Tall case clock made by Isaac Gere (1771-1812) with an eight-day clock movement and a painted dial of moon phases in a case attributed to Julius Barnard (1769-after 1820), which was owned by the Williams and Billings families of Hatfield and Deerfield. This clock was acquired from the home of Miss Louisa Billings (1862-1949) on Deerfield’s Old Main Street in the mid-twentieth century. Louisa’s father, Hatfield farmer Israel Williams Billings (1817-1891), purchased the Deerfield house in 1860. It is possible that the clock descended from the Hatfield forebears of Israel Billings. Tall clocks were expensive status symbols that required ongoing maintenance. Few families could afford them—one study of 1798 federal tax records from 12 towns in the lower Connecticut River Valley found that fewer than 4 percent of households owned clocks with brass works. Born in Preston, Connecticut, Gere probably learned the clockmaking trade from Preston clock-maker and silversmith John Avery, Sr. (1732-1794). Gere moved to Northampton in 1793 where worked until his death in 1812. The "Hampshire Gazette" carried many ads (June 1802-June 1803) stating that he was a clockmaker and watchmaker, and also manufactured silver spoons, gold beads, etc. His later ads (1809-1810) stated that he is "at his brick store opposite the meetinghouse and continues to make every article in the gold and silversmith business." Julius Barnard established a cabinetmaking shop in Northampton after finishing his apprenticeship with East Windsor, Connecticut, cabinetmaker, Eliphalet Chapin (1741-1807). As master of his own shop, he continued to make furniture based Chapin’s designs, such as this clock case, which strongly resembles examples made by Chapin.
Label Text:
Tall clocks were expensive status symbols that required ongoing maintenance. Few families could afford them—one study of 1798 federal tax records from 12 towns in the lower Connecticut River Valley found that fewer than 4 percent of households owned clocks with brass works.Northampton silversmith Isaac Gere assembled the works for this clock from parts imported from England. Born in Preston, Connecticut, Gere probably learned the clockmaking trade from Preston clock-maker and silversmith John Avery, Sr. (1732-1794). In 1793, after finishing his apprenticeship, Gere moved to Northampton where he worked until his death at age 41 in 1812. Julius Barnard established a cabinetmaking shop in Northampton after finishing his apprenticeship with East Windsor, Connecticut cabinetmaker, Eliphalet Chapin (1741-1807). As master of his own shop, he continued to make furniture based Chapin’s designs, such as this clock case, which strongly resembles examples made by Chapin. This clock was acquired from Miss Louisa Billings’s home on Deerfield’s Old Main Street in the mid 20th century. Louisa’s father, Hatfield farmer Israel Williams Billings, purchased the Deerfield house in 1860. It is possible that the clock descended from the Hatfield forebears of Israel Billings.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1252 |
