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Figures 3 and 4. Two views of the movement of the
tall case clock. |
When Joseph died he left a substantial estate to his widow
Sarah, then 49, and the children. His will was probated
September 6, 1797. Until the estate cleared probate, his wife
collected unpaid debts and borrowed from creditors, dating back
to 1794, in order to survive. The estate was probated in Lenox.
Her expenses included travel and living in Lenox until the
estate was settled. The value of the estate was $766.70. After
settling the estate, Sarah received one-third and the children
two-thirds of the $577.32 remaining.
At the age of 53, Joseph was a relatively young man when he
died. Evidently, Joseph had been sick since 1794. His doctor,
Timothy Childs, recovered a fee of $40.50 in the 1797 estate
settlement.
Joseph’s father died a year later at the age of 79.
Joseph Farr Jnr.
Instrument Maker of Cummington
Joseph Jnr., b. February 4, 1775 in Cummington, became a
silversmith by trade and a manufacturer of mathematical
instruments including surveyor’s instruments. He likely learned
his craft from his father, a skilled but not very active
clockmaker. Joseph Jr.’s prominence in the making of surveying
instruments is recorded in the book, The Making of Surveying
Instruments in America Since 1700. The book lists Joseph Jr.
as a surveying instrument maker in Cummington; however, it makes
no mention of his father as a maker.
It is likely that after his father’s death, he and his family
moved back to Cummington to live with his grandparents. His
prominence as an instrument maker evolved at that time. He died
in Manlius Village, NY, on December 2, 1845. Joseph’s
instruments can be found in historical societies in Buffalo, NY;
Madison, Wisconsin; and in the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn,
Michigan.
It is hoped that someday clocks and surveying instruments
attributed to both father and son will begin to be recognized. |
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Figure 4 |
The Estate of Joseph Farr,
Pittsfield Clockmaker
An evaluation of the estate inventory provides in- sight
into his wealth and livelihood. The following shop tools were
in the estate:
“One bellowsises 2D/One grindstone 2D/ Three surveyors (comsrupes)
& chains 66 D/One turning lathe 3D33c/ Thirty pounds of ould
iron 50C/One (canthses) 50C/One loopers jointer 33C/Job stock
on hand 11D95C/Mechanical tools in shop 39D14C.” The value of
these items was $125.75, a considerable value for tools of
that day. We assume that “Job Stock on Hand” and “Mechanical
Tools” were surveying instruments and clockmaker’s materials.
Notes
- J.E.A. Smith, History of Pittsfield 1734-1800, p.
408.
- Helen H. Foster & William W. Streeter, Only One
Cummington, p. 367.
- Family Search (TM) Ancestral File, AFN: BPRJ-B7.
- Family Search (TM) Ancestral File, AFN: GPRJ-FQ.
- Rollin H. Cooke Collection. Vol. 26: p. 322.
- History of Pittsfield 1734-1800, p. 417.
- Ibid., p. 378.
- Probate Court Records, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Docket
#1693.
- Administration & Accounts, Sept. 6, 1797, Records Lib G
p. 263.
- Probate Court Records, Pittsfield, Massachusetts,
Settlement of Personal Estate, Sept. 6, 1797.
- Charles E. Smart, The Making of Surveying Instruments
in America Since 1700, Troy, New York.
- Probate Court Records, Docket #1693.
Ray Fischer enjoys the historical research of unusual or
undocumented clocks. He has compiled a listing of Berkshire
County clockmakers and has most recently compiled historical
material on Joseph Farr, Jordan Post, and L. J. & L.
Strickland. He is accumulating material on the existing tall
case clocks of Stephen Sibley. Fischer also continues to
search for evidence of Joseph Farr tall case clocks, E.
Taber’s bell-banjos, and Gideon Robert’s pre-1790 clockmaking
activity. Readers who have information on these makers are
encouraged to contact him. Mr. Fischer’s email address is:
RWFISCH@aol.com |
