Bristol CT & New York City
George Alfred Jones (dates) was born in June of 1825, son of wealthy New York businessman, George Jones (who died in 1886 in NYC and bequeathed to his son the property in Bristol CT on which the primary clock factory had been built some years earlier). G.A. Jones first appeared in the 1855 NYC directories as a lawyer, an occupation he continued even a few years after getting into the clock business.
George Jones Clockmaking Factory, Bristol CT, c.1871
In the 1863 city directory, G.A. Jones was involved in a lamp business at 589 Greenwich Street, NY. The following year he is still listed as a lawyer, but also involved in the lamp business at 589 Greenwich, and the clock business at 2 Cortland St. The GA Jones Clock Company, at 2 Cortland had apparently been formed in 1863. This firm manufactured walnut parlor clocks and a few large floor standing and wall regulators with fine quality movements. The George A Jones Clock Company was shown in NYC directories at 3 addresses-No.2, No. 5 and No. 6 Cortland St. (sales office) from 1864 until 1872.
During 1870, G.A. Jones built a factory building of brick at Bristol, CT for the manufacture of shelf clocks. No regulators or floor-standing clocks are known to have been made at the new facility, which opened in 1871. The NYC office was subsequently closed.
By November of 1870, Henry J. Davies of Brooklyn, NY was the plant manager for G.A. Jones. In 1873 he had seemingly gained control of the Jones operation in New York and probably sold old stock of Jones clocks. He also manufactured and sold many walnut parlor clocks, which he had originally designed for Jones, through the American Clock Company. The Ansonia Brass & Copper Company also offered some of his models. In subsequent years, Davies was one of the initial incorporators, and the later the GM of the Ansonia Clock Co.
But the story gets a little more complex: Davies and James Wood of NY fought over control of Jones' NY operation. Wood finally won out and, by sometime later 1873, the firm of James Wood And Company was advertising as "successors to G. A. Jones & Company."
The Jones factory in Bristol, CT made clocks for less than 3 years and was closed down in 1874. Jones died Nov 28, 1881, and is buried at Hartford, CT.
His factory building was used for various other machine and manufacturing work by his son, Lewis Quinton Jones and others. It eventually became part of the industrial complex of the New Departure Manufacturing Company which made bicycle bells and coaster brakes and later ball bearings for automobiles. Jones' factory survived, somewhat altered, until it was demolished during Bristol's redevelopment, about
1962.
The following two photos are from a Regulator No. 8 (see sixth photo with deer head in the right-hand column). But this very rare pendulum is signed "Jas Wood & Co., 587 Broadway NY":
We are actively looking for George A. Jones (or Jas Wood & Co.)
clocks to list for sale.
We are also looking for quality photos of both,
so if you have one/some that you are willing to share, we'd
be pleased to consider them for this page.
Our goal is to provide an educational resource for collectors.
(neutral-colored background important - high-res best)
(Sources: NAWCC Bulletin 28/6 No. 245; Ly, Tallcase..., p.301 –
we suggest reading the NAWCC article, available in its archives)
Regulator No. 6
Black-walnut case, 67"h, 8" porcelain dial, sweep second-hand, vertical crown style pinwheel movement, maintaining power
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Regulator No. 1
Black-walnut case, 58"h, 8" porcelain dial, sweep second-hand, vertical crown style pinwheel movement, maintaining power
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