| Eli Terry |
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Information AboutEli Terry |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ELI TERRY | |
| horology | |
| 1772 births | |
| 1852 deaths | |
| clockmakers | |
| national inventors hall of fame | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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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 Plymouth, Connecticut in 1794 , where he continued his business on a smaller scale for several years. In 1797 , 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 . Soon after 1800, Terry's production of wooden clocks grew considerably. At his workshop, he installed a small mill as a source of water power to run a saw, 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. For many years after this commission he was occuppied 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. Hundreds of thousands of his 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 is attributed with the pillar and scroll case, a design that was remarkably functional for the time period. 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 30 hours before it needed to be turned. He 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. 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. 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 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. REFERENCES
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