| Object ID |
A1763 |
| Object Name |
Clock, Tall Case |
| Early Date |
1788 |
| Late Date |
1798 |
| Made By |
Daniel Burnap |
| Description |
Daniel Burnap served his apprenticeship with Thomas Harland (1735-1807), a prominent English clockmaker who arrived in America in 1773, and settled in Norwich, Connecticut, where he established his shop. Although small, Harland's shop became America's first watch and clock factory, producing about 200 watches and 40 clocks a year. As a result of training craftsmen such as Burnap, Harland's shop had a profound influence on the American manufacture of clocks.
In 1780, Burnap established his own shop in East Windsor, Connecticut, which soon became a small factory producing a substantial number of clocks as well as numerous hardware items, surveying instruments and related accessories. As was customary, Burnap also trained many apprentices who made up a large part of his work force, nearly all of whom became successful clockmakers. Burnap's most outstanding apprentice was Eli Terry who, by 1830, became the world's largest manufacturer of machine-made clocks, in East Windsor, establishing Connecticut as the clockmaking center of the world. As Harland's shop before him, Burnap's small factory also produced engraved brass, and plain or silvered clock dials which were the first to be made in America and sold to the trade on a regular basis.
Although most of Burnap's cases were obtained from other cabinetmakers in the area, his shop records indicate that in 1795 he had a casemaker at his shop for a short time who produced 22 cases in 18 weeks; yet only a third of Burnap's clocks we sold with cases. His records also note that the clock illustrated here was sold without a case to General Paul Brigham of Norwich, Vermont in June of 1793. In October of that same year, Burnap traded two eight-day brass clocks to cabinetmaker Hezekiah Kelly of Norwich, Vermont for seven clock cases. It is therefore quite possible that Kelly also made the case for this clock.
The clocks of Daniel Burnap exhibit not only fine craftsmanship but also timekeeping accuracy, as Burnap frequently used the expensive, but superior, "dead beat" escapement invented by the English clockmaker George Graham in 1715. In 1796, Burnap moved to Conventry, Connecticut, and, according to his records, by 1805, had virtually retired from clockmaking. From that time until his death in 1838 at the age of 78, Burnap's activities centered around his sawmill and various township positions. |
| Credit |
Gift of Paul Andrew Brigham and Mrs. A.L. Douglass |
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