Luman Watson
Encyclopedia
Luman Watson was an early Cincinnati clockmaker
. He worked in Cincinnati, Ohio
from 1819 to 1834. His clock
s had wood
en works. He made both tall clocks and shelf clocks.http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/11/06/biz_bizarchive06.html
Luman Watson, son and grandson of prosperous farmers, was born at Harwinton, Connecticut
, on October 10, 1790. He spent his boyhood in the center of Connecticut
's clock making country, and between chores on the farm probably slipped away to follow his natural bent for mechanics. By the time he was nineteen years old, Watson had moved to Cincinnati and established the clock making partnership of Read and Watson with the Read brothers, Abner, Ezra, and Amassa. The sale of a Read and Watson clock is recorded as early as 1809 in Clark County, Ohio
.
At that time there was a severe shortage of brass
, American manufacturers used hardwood
for making clock movements. This proved to be an adequate substitute for short duration clocks. Wheels had to have large teeth for strength so a running time of more than 30 hours was not possible.http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/visit/americanclock.cfm
By the 1820s eighteen workmen were employed producing first wooden and, after 1830, brass shelf clocks. The opening of the Erie Canal
in 1825 however also opened the door to great numbers of cheaper Connecticut made clocks which by the time of Watson’s death had put an end to Ohio clockmaking.http://home.alltel.net/freeburg/cupboard.htm
The Watson firm was prolific. It is estimated that between 1815 and 1834, more than 30,000 tall case clocks were manufactured. This figure is staggering considering that after about 1820 tall case clocks began to fall out of favor. By about 1830, the firm had begun making many clocks designed to sit on a mantel or special shelf.
Hiram Powers
was an assistant to Luman Watson, Powers was “skilled in modelling figures... he went on to become one of America’s first great sculptors.” http://www.nawcc.org/pub/articles/jun04/jun04.htm
Luman Watson and J. Bonsall were founders of the Ohio Mechanics Institute in 1828.http://www.swedenborg.org/messenger/2005_12/story5.html
Watson died in Cincinnati November 28, 1834.http://www.delaneyantiqueclocks.com/woodenworks/woodenworks.html
A Luman Watson tall case clock is on display in the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Wing and in the Old State Capitol in Iowa.
Clockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to repairing clocks and watches...
. He worked in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
from 1819 to 1834. His clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
s had wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en works. He made both tall clocks and shelf clocks.http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/11/06/biz_bizarchive06.html
Luman Watson, son and grandson of prosperous farmers, was born at Harwinton, Connecticut
Harwinton, Connecticut
Harwinton is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,283 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a portmanteau of Hartford and Windsor, which is where its settlers came from.-Geography:...
, on October 10, 1790. He spent his boyhood in the center of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
's clock making country, and between chores on the farm probably slipped away to follow his natural bent for mechanics. By the time he was nineteen years old, Watson had moved to Cincinnati and established the clock making partnership of Read and Watson with the Read brothers, Abner, Ezra, and Amassa. The sale of a Read and Watson clock is recorded as early as 1809 in Clark County, Ohio
Clark County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 144,742 people, 56,648 households, and 39,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 362 people per square mile . There were 61,056 housing units at an average density of 153 per square mile...
.
At that time there was a severe shortage of brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, American manufacturers used hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
for making clock movements. This proved to be an adequate substitute for short duration clocks. Wheels had to have large teeth for strength so a running time of more than 30 hours was not possible.http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/visit/americanclock.cfm
By the 1820s eighteen workmen were employed producing first wooden and, after 1830, brass shelf clocks. The opening of the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
in 1825 however also opened the door to great numbers of cheaper Connecticut made clocks which by the time of Watson’s death had put an end to Ohio clockmaking.http://home.alltel.net/freeburg/cupboard.htm
The Watson firm was prolific. It is estimated that between 1815 and 1834, more than 30,000 tall case clocks were manufactured. This figure is staggering considering that after about 1820 tall case clocks began to fall out of favor. By about 1830, the firm had begun making many clocks designed to sit on a mantel or special shelf.
Hiram Powers
Hiram Powers
Hiram Powers was an American neoclassical sculptor.-Biography:The son of a farmer, Powers was born in Woodstock, Vermont, on the July 29, 1805. In 1818 his father moved to Ohio, about six miles from Cincinnati, where the son attended school for about a year, staying meanwhile with his brother, a...
was an assistant to Luman Watson, Powers was “skilled in modelling figures... he went on to become one of America’s first great sculptors.” http://www.nawcc.org/pub/articles/jun04/jun04.htm
Luman Watson and J. Bonsall were founders of the Ohio Mechanics Institute in 1828.http://www.swedenborg.org/messenger/2005_12/story5.html
Watson died in Cincinnati November 28, 1834.http://www.delaneyantiqueclocks.com/woodenworks/woodenworks.html
A Luman Watson tall case clock is on display in the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
Cincinnati Wing and in the Old State Capitol in Iowa.