Seth Thomas (clockmaker)

Seth Thomas (1785 — 1859) was an American clockmaker and a pioneer of mass production at his Seth Thomas Clock Company.

Seth Thomas
Seth Thomas.
Born(1785-08-19)August 19, 1785
Wolcott, Connecticut, United States
DiedJanuary 29, 1859(1859-01-29) (aged 73)
Thomaston, Connecticut, United States
Resting placeHillside Cemetery, Thomaston
ChildrenSeth, Amanda, and Aaron Thomas
Parent(s)James Thomas (father)
Martha Barnes (mother)
Engineering career
ProjectsClock at Grand Central Terminal
Significant advanceClockmaker and a pioneer of mass production
The Seth Thomas Clock Company-manufactured clock at Grand Central Terminal

Biography

Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut in 1785. He was apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner, and worked building houses and barns. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry.[1] Thomas formed a clock-making partnership in Plymouth, Connecticut with Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley as Terry, Thomas & Hoadley.[1][2]

In 1810, he bought Terry's clock business, making tall clocks with wooden movements, though he chose to sell his partnership in 1812, moving in 1813 to Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, where he set up a factory to make metal-movement clocks. In 1817, he added shelf and mantel clocks. By the mid-1840s, he changed over to brass from wooden movements. He made the clock that is used in Fireman's Hall. He died in 1859, whereupon the company was taken over by his son, Aaron, who added many styles and improvements after his father's death. The company went out of business in the 1980s.

Death and legacy

Thomas died on January 29, 1859, in Plymouth, Connecticut, and was interred at the Hillside Cemetery.[3] In 1875, the town was renamed Thomaston in Thomas' memory.[4]

References
  1. "Seth Thomas". Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  2. "Sarah N. Painter Hoadley". Find A Grave. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  3. "Seth Thomas". Find A Grave. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  4. "History". Town of Thomaston. Archived from the original on 2010-03-31. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
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