Clocks have stories to tell. What they reveal about Broome, Tioga history

It is not a secret – I like clocks.

For those who have been to my home or my home office, you would have been confronted with numerous clocks of all sizes and types. For readers of this column, you may remember that I wrote a column about the four pocket watches that have a personal connection to my family.

The same thing could be said for many of the clocks that I have in my possession. Each one has a story to tell, and many can take us back to earlier times and generations. They are a connection to the past that continues to today’s world. They are, to steal from the name of the column, a way of spanning time.

I believe that this fascination with clocks began with my maternal grandfather, William Webb. When I was 13, he gave me a gift that has a strong connection to his life. It was the Elias Ingraham regulator clock that has been used at the Misses and Childrens Endicott Johnson factory in Johnson City. He worked at that factory for 50 years and the clock had been used to clock the employee’s time for many years.

When he retired, the clock was refurbished and given to him as his retirement gift. He placed the clock at his and my grandmother’s cottage at Page Lake outside of New Milford, Pennsylvania. My grandfather knew I liked antiques and told me he thought I would take care of the clock that had already been a part of his life since 1912.

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He was right as that clock has made its way from my parents home to my home and now is back in my parents home that we now occupy. That clock has now spanned the end of the 19th century to the early decades of the 21st century. I ponder sometimes about the lives of the thousands of workers who came to work each day to make the millions of pairs of shoes.

Workers who came from many countries and spoke many languages — but found an existence and every day looked at that clock on the wall. Not every clock that I have is considered an antique timepiece. On my desk in my home office is a quartz mantel clock made by Seiko.

How, you may ask, could a modern clock connect with previous generations. In this instance, it is a clock given to me by the leadership of the Association of Public Historians of New York State. I was one of the founders of that group and stepped down in 2016 as its president. It reminds me of the many connections to historians from across the Empire State who represent every municipality. Its chime heartens me each time I hear it.

Which reminds me, that I have several clocks that chime — usually close to each other. It can be a bit much until you get used to it. I hear the bells of the Waltham clock my parents bought when I moved out and took my grandfather’s clock with me. The Seiko clock chimes, and my recent acquisition of a beautiful Ansonia mantel clock from the 1880s which again spans over three centuries.

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Now, an old Ingraham mantel clock I have that does not run, is on loan to the Tioga County Historical Society for a few months to be part of our new exhibit called From Dollhouse to Our House which will be opening shortly. It will be part of our recreated 1880s period parlor. The exhibit will also feature a wonderful scroll and pillars clock made by an Owego clockmaker. That timepiece connects the people of Owego 140 years ago to the residents of that village today.

For me, that is what clocks do. They not only tell the time (sometimes accurately), they tell a story of our past and how it connects to today. Some of you have a grandfather’s clock— an elegant piece (mine is a miniature), while others may have tiny versions that adorn your desk — thanks to my wife.

So big ones, little ones, clocks of all sizes and ages. Enjoy them all, as we watch the turning of the hands of time.

Gerald Smith is executive director of the Tioga County Historical Society and a former Broome County historian. Email him at historysmiths@stny.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: What stories clocks reveal about Broome, Tioga history