Some Jerome clocks for viewing

[Al Dodson]

Mike. I assume there is some a document or something pointing to Nobel’s connection to Ives and his workshop. I haven’t asked Mary Jane for specifics but I don’t believe she would assert it if she didn’t. I am quite curious would you please inquire when you contact her? I assume you have seen the webinar I did on the Solid Wheel movement. If you have, o hope it’s clear what an admirer of the Jeromes.

 

[Jim DuBois]

Here is what Mary Jane shared with me in this regard a couple of years ago.

"Yes, in my talk I showed proof in the form of a document from Ives' CT insolvency in 1820, in which he stated that Joseph Ives & Co. employed 10 workmen exclusive of himself, Elias and Titus M. Roberts, and Noble Jerome, not counting unidentified numbers of persons making the pinions and faces (all very interesting). I have all the footnotes for the sources in the book - or if need be at this point you can reference pers. comm. with me. So on the basis of the evidence, it is reasonable to say that Noble Jerome was working for and with Joseph Ives & Co. as early as 1818, when JI & Co.was formed. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly when they started working together"

 

[Jerome collector]

Al,
Sad to say, I missed out on your webinar. I believe I was having computer browser incompatibility issues at the time. I've heard your name come up in conversation more than a few times in the context of Chauncey Jerome, so I'm well aware that you're another admirer of the Jeromes.

Jim,
Thanks for clarifying that the source of the information about the connection between Ives and Noble Jerome was from a document from Ives' insolvency. Did you cover that in your Ives treatise? If so, yet another fascinating piece of information that my brain has managed not to hang on to.

Mike

 

[Jim DuBois]

Mike, I did cover the Nobel Jerome bit in my Ives book. And noted it came from MJ IIRC. She is a wealth of knowledge, a researcher par excellence, always willing to share and assist us research limited folks, and just a good person to talk clocks and history. How she does it all is a mystery to me.

 

[Rockin Ronnie]

Found this in the last day or so. I am not sure what is original and what is not. Has a Bentham label that dates the clock case to around 1845. I think the movement is consistent with the age of the case. The movement is unsigned but looks like a Jerome from the same (1845) period. The top mounting block for the movement is missing. Has wood dial with Roman Numerals and Gesso spandrels. The dial is signed C Jerome and although faded is readable. The moon hands look original.

The veneer is very dirty and lacks luster but is in excellent condition with zero losses. Came with a bell but a coiled gong would have been right for the clock I would think. The tablet might have been painted at one time, but maybe not. Not sure about that. I thought the tablet was a replacement but I am now thinking that it is probably original. Yes?

The pendulum bob has a flower in the center with a pattern around the perimeter and looks old. Still has pins from the rails into the seat board. None of my other 4 ogees have pins. Came with the correct weights for time and strike. Thoughts?

 

[Steven Thornberry]

Found this in the last day or so. I am not sure what is original and what is not. Has a Bentham label that dates the clock case to around 1845. I think the movement is consistent with the age of the case. The movement is unsigned but looks like a Jerome from the same (1845) period. The top mounting block for the movement is missing. Has wood dial with Roman Numerals and Gesso spandrels. The dial is signed C Jerome and although faded is readable. The moon hands look original.

The veneer is very dirty and lacks luster but is in excellent condition with zero losses. Came with a bell but a coiled gong would have been right for the clock I would think. The tablet might have been painted at one time, but maybe not. Not sure about that. I thought the tablet was a replacement but I am now thinking that it is probably original. Yes?

The pendulum bob has a flower in the center with a pattern around the perimeter and looks old. Still has pins from the rails into the seat board. None of my other 4 ogees have pins. Came with the correct weights for time and strike. Thoughts?
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You mentioned the printer as Bentham. Do you mean Benham (which would be John Benham)?

 

[Rockin Ronnie]

AS I straighten my glasses and look more closely it is indeed, Benham.
Ron

 

[rmarkowitz1_cee4a1]

AS I straighten my glasses and look more closely it is indeed, Benham.
Ron

Maybe Jeremy Bentham??



Seriously.

Nice signed raised gilt gesso decorated wood dial.

Believe a Fenn monochromatic tablet. The red touches I am sure are a later addition.

RM



RM

 

[Swanicyouth]

Any idea of year would be much appreciated. Clock is as received & haven't done any work to it yet

 

[Jerome collector]

Jan 1844-1845. It has a Bristol movement and a New Haven label. Jerome started casing clocks in New Haven around January 1844 and continued until his Bristol movement-making factory buildings were destroyed in a fire in April 1845. Thousands of movements were saved, so he continued using them in New Haven cases after the fire until he ran out.
Mike

 

[Swanicyouth]

Jan 1844-1845. It has a Bristol movement and a New Haven label. Jerome started casing clocks in New Haven around January 1844 and continued until his Bristol movement-making factory buildings were destroyed in a fire in April 1845. Thousands of movements were saved, so he continued using them in New Haven cases after the fire until he ran out.
Mike

Thank you. This will be the first weight driven OG I have worked on. I haven’t removed the face - but I can tell the strings for the weights are broken & the weights themselves are missing.

I’m going to guess the correct weights are about 3-4lbs? And I have no idea what “string” is correct to attach them. Merrits has catgut in multiple sizes(diameters). Is there a certain diameter? Fishing line? I literally have no idea. Thanks.

 

[Jim DuBois]

Catgut is not perhaps the best choice for an ogee these days. Timesavers and Merrits, as well as others, sell nylon cord that is better suited in my thinking. Cheaper too, and it doesn't snarl-up like catgut does when the weights are removed. For a brass works ogee usually the weights are 2.75 - 3.0 pounds. Wood works movements tend to use the slightly heavier weights, those 3.25-3.75 pounds

 

[Swanicyouth]

Catgut is not perhaps the best choice for an ogee these days. Timesavers and Merrits, as well as others, sell nylon cord that is better suited in my thinking. Cheaper too, and it doesn't snarl-up like catgut does when the weights are removed. For a brass works ogee usually the weights are 2.75 - 3.0 pounds. Wood works movements tend to use the slightly heavier weights, those 3.25-3.75 pounds

Thanks. Merrits sells 1mm nylon cord - so I’ll get that. I live near Merrits & they have tons of used weights & movements everywhere - so I can hopefully find some original style weights. Their prices for used stuff is really good.

 

[Pat L.]

Here's an interesting clock that was obtained on Jan. 3 at a local online auction. It's a 31-1/4" high Chauncey Jerome patent case (US Design Patent 883) with a type 2.162 eight day movement made by Ansonia Brass Co., as identified by Snowden Taylor on page 13 of his article "Eight-Day Brass Weight Movements of the Noble Jerome Patent Era".
The article can be found in the Feb. 1991 NAWCC Bulletin.

On page 23 of the same article, the author states: "Chauncey Jerome came to Ansonia to work for Gilbert in 1857. The Ansonia Brass Co. supplied many movements for the Gilbert cases. Hence clocks are seen with Ansonia Brass Co. movements and labels of William L. Gilbert & Co. or Chauncey Jerome, not infrequently using Chauncey Jerome's patent case. Most patent cases from Ansonia have a strip of paper on the inside of the door stating, "Patented April 14, 1857, by Chauncey Jerome." (See Waterbury Clock Co. below.) Such clocks using the 2.162 movement have been reported, but not, to date, with a Chauncey Jerome label."

So, maybe this patent case is one that was made at the Gilbert factory while Chauncey Jerome was there. It does not have a patent label on the inside of the door, and I haven't noticed any evidence that one had been there. And the back board label is almost completely gone. The case is missing a few trim parts at the top, but still has its pulley covers. The upper glass is wavy and looks old. The mirror is old and could be original to the case. The movement still runs and strikes properly and came with rectangular cast iron weights. A previous owner repainted most of the dial, but left the chapter ring unmolested.

 

[Jerome collector]

This may be a bit of a long shot, but if you take the gong and gong base off, enough of the label may be preserved to figure out what it originally looked like.
Mike

 

[Pat L.]

This may be a bit of a long shot, but if you take the gong and gong base off, enough of the label may be preserved to figure out what it originally looked like.
Mike

Mike,
A couple of pictures are attached with the gong base removed. There's a vertical dark stripe on that part of the label. If I can find a few other examples of this type of clock, I'll look for that stripe at the top of the label. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Jerome collector]

Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough to go on with that label remnant. If there's a design to that vertical stripe, I sure can't see it. It was worth a shot, though.
Mike

 

[Ralph]

I picked this up last week, with a couple of other clocks.. I haven't seen this model before and couldn't find anything on it. The label says Jerome & Co., with a model name of Warwick.

 

[Steven Thornberry]

I picked this up last week, with a couple of other clocks.. I haven't seen this model before and couldn't find anything on it. The label says Jerome & Co., with a model name of Warwick.

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The Warwick is a New Haven model and is shown in Tran Duy Ly's book on New Haven clocks from the 1881 catalogue. It might have been offered a few years either side of that year. New Haven used Jerome & Co. as a trade name for many years.