Eli Terry
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Eli Terry Sr (April 13, 1772 – February 24, 1852) was an influential clockmaker in Connecticut, and the first inventor to receive a United States patent for a clock mechanism. He introduced mass production to the art of clockmaking, and made clocks affordable for the average American citizen. Terry occupies an important place in the beginnings of the development of interchangeable manufacturing. Terry became one of the most accomplished mechanics in New England during the early part of the nineteenth century. The town of Terryville, Connecticut is named for his son, Eli Terry Jr.
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[edit] Background
Terry was the son of Samuel and Huldah Terry, born in East Windsor, Connecticut and began his career as an apprentice under Daniel Burnap ("the forerunner of manufacturing"). It is also likely that he received limited instruction from Timothy Cheney, a clockmaker in East Hartford. Cheney specialized in the making of wooden clocks, which was fairly unusual at the time. The use of wooden components would show great influence in Terry's later career.
Terry's apprenticeship to Burnap ended in 1792, and he quickly established himself as both a clockmaker and a repairer of watches in East Windsor. His earliest clocks were fitted with silvered brass dials, which were engraved for him by Burnap. The movements of the clock were made of brass or wood, depending on the requests of his customers. Brass was more commonly used for movements, but it was also considerably more expensive and difficult to work with. Terry moved to Northbury, Connecticut in 1794, where he continued his business on a smaller scale for several years. In 1795 Northbury was incorporated as Plymouth. In 1801, Terry was granted a patent on an equation clock. This was the first patent for a clock mechanism that was ever granted by the United States Patent Office.
[edit] Career
Soon after 1800, Terry's production of wooden clocks grew considerably. He purchased a grain mill and used the water wheel and main shaft to run saws and lathes, which helped speed the production of parts. He was later able to use jigs and fixtures to produce a large number of interchangeable clock parts. This allowed for the rapid assembly of clocks, freeing Terry from the task of fitting and modifying each individual piece of each clock. Using his own ingenuity and inventiveness, Terry was able to speedily cut wheels, pinions, and other important clock parts accurately.
In the year 1808, he received and accepted an order for 4,000 wooden clock movements, a number previously unheard of by most clock manufacturers. He spent the better part of the first of four years setting up the equipment and gathering the raw materials and then knocked out the bulk of the work the last year of the four year contract. For many years after this commission he was occupied with the large scale manufacture of affordable clocks.
Around the year 1815, Terry designed the 30-hour wooden shelf clock, which made clocks available and affordable to a much larger market than ever before. Terry is credited with the design of the pillar and scroll case, which was remarkably functional for the time period (although former employee Seth Thomas may have been using the case style before Terry). It provided a large, clear dial, in a shallow case, which fit easily on a mantle. Despite the small scale of the clocks, he was able to provide a sufficient amount of weight for the clock to run a full thirty hours before it needed to be turned.
Hundreds of thousands of Terry's wooden shelf clock were produced, signaling a tremendous departure from contemporary clockmaking practices, where each clock was made entirely by hand by a trained specialist. It had often taken weeks or even months to produce a single clock, and cost was extremely limiting to the general public. Terry was granted many patents for his advances in clockmaking, most of which were immediately infringed upon by local competitors eager to participate in satisfying the demand for an affordable clock.
Terry also produced wooden-movement tower clocks, such as those found in the steeples of churches and meetinghouses, one of which is still operational today in the town of Plymouth.
[edit] Heritage
Between 1808 and 1833, Terry focused the majority of his time and effort on the production of standardized wooden clocks, which helped him accumulate a modest fortune. By 1833, he was sufficiently satisfied his material success. At this point, he abandoned involvement in quantity production, and returned to clockmaking as the world had known it before his innovations, focusing on the production on a few high-end special clocks and the development of original clock mechanism. He also spent considerable time helping along the businesses of his sons. He continued with this small-scale clock production until his death on the last day of February in 1852.
His achievements place him in an unusual position in the history of clockmaking, leaving him as one of the last of the clock craftsmen, but also as the first of the true manufacturers. His shop represents one of the last Connecticut clock shops (of which there were many) in which there was both pride in workmanship and a high level of personal skill and aptitude.
Terry's brother Samuel (1774-1853) was also involved in the production of wooden-movement clocks, and for several years he worked as Eli's partner, manufacturing improved pillar and scroll clocks after his brother's design.
Most of Terry's sons also became clock makers. His son Eli Terry Jr. was the most famous, as Terryville was named after him; he purchased the lock making equipment that would eventually be used to form Eagle Lock Company, which for a long period of time was Terryville's biggest employeer.
His son Andrew Terry began a very successful malleable iron foundry that later became OZ/Gedney, which has since moved to Mexico. That business was in operation for more then 150 years just down the stream from Andrew's brother Silas's clock shop.
Silas had many finacal diffuclties in his time, but was eventually a founding member of the Terry Clock Company.
[edit] References
- Hoopes, Penrose R. Connecticut Clockmakers of the Eighteenth Century. Hartford, C.T.: Edwin Valentine Mitchell, Inc., 1930, ISBN 0-8048-1152-0.
- Smith, Alan, ed. The Country Life International Dictionary of Clocks. Middlesex, England: Country Life Books, 1979.
- Find A Grave: Eli Terry
