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The Solliday Family of Clockmakers

One of the significant artifacts on display at the Erwin Stover House is a Tall Case Clock made by the local artisan, Samuel Solliday of Doylestown.

In researching Samuel, we discovered 5 generations of Sallade/Solliday family Clockmakers working in Pennsylvania (in or near Bucks County) from 1750-1860.

The Pennsylvania Tall Clock

Many of the tall clocks produced in Pennsylvania before 1750 were made by English-trained clockmakers. After 1750, and especially in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, the influx of immigrants from Germany and Switzerland greatly influenced the style and mechanics of the tall clocks of the region.

From Pennsylvania Clocks 1750-1850 A Special Exhibit of the National Watch and Clock Museum, J. Carter Harris

The English style movements have a rack striking system with a long-tailed gathering pallet used for locking the strike train. On the other hand, the German/ Swiss movement has a rack-striking system with a tailless gathering pallet with rack hook locking. Both rack hook and lifting piece pivot from the same side.

The Anatomy of a Tall Case Clock

A clockmaker of this period had to master many skills. They needed cabinetry and joinery skills to make the wooden cases of tall clocks, but mechanical skills and knowledge of metal casting were also necessary to create the metal mechanical works within the case.

Tall Case Clock Anatomy

1. Hood or Bonnet. 2. Finial. 3. Fretwork. 4. Plinth or Chimney. 5. Moon Phase – a revolving disk showing moon cycle. 6. Lunette - the arched portion of the dial. 7. Hemisphere - with decorative terrestrial maps. 8. the Dial Door Lock. 9. Spandrels - decorative corner frame elements. 10. Hood Columns. 11. Seconds Hand. 12. Dial Door – to protects the dial and movement. 13. Winding Hole and Arbor - to raise the weights that drive the clock movement. 14. Column Capital. 15. Calendar Aperture – cutout in dial face to reveal a revolving calendar wheel. 16. Line Inlay. 17. Quarter Columns – quarter-round corner treatment. 18. Lock Escutcheon. 19. Case or Pendulum Door. 20. Column Base. 21. Waist Section or Trunk. 22. Waist Molding. 23. Brass Stop-Fluting. 24. Base Section. 25. Base Panel. 26. Inlaid Oval. 27. Base Molding. 28. Clock Foot.

The Life of the Colonial Clockmaker

Most clockmakers including the Sollidays were also farmers. They practiced their trade during the winter in small shops, usually located on their farms. A typical Pennsylvania clockmaker in the latter half of the 18th century would build four or five clocks a year. Clocks and their cases were expensive, selling for prices of up to $50.

First Generation

Frederick Sallade (1716-1804)

Frederick Sallade Homestead, Bedminster Township

Frederick Sallade was a noted clockmaker and armorer from Basel, Switzerland. He arrived in Philadelphia on board "The Queen of Denmark," on October 4, 1751. He purchased 142 acres of land from William Allen along the Tohickon Creek in Bedminster Township, Bucks County in May of 1762. He served during the Revolutionary war by making and repairing firearms for the Continental Army.

He and his wife Barbara had 5 children. They were members of the Tohickon Reformed Church. Those of his children born in this country were baptized there. Five of his sons (Frederick, Jr, Jacob, Sr., John, Henry and Benjamin) followed in their father's trade as clockmakers, and seven of his grandsons (John, Jacob, Jr., Peter, Daniel H., George, Samuel and John N.), as well as several great grandsons (Samuel, Lafayette and Wilson), did as well.

The Sallade/Solliday Family Tree of Clockmakers
From the article: The Sallades: Five Generations of Clockmakers, by Elizabeth Sallade
Second Generation

Frederick Sallade, Jr. (1745-1782)

Frederick, Jr. was born in Switzerland, and came to this country with his parents. There is no record of him owning property, so he likely lived at the family homestead in Bedminster. He and his wife Elizabeth Gehres had 4 children. Perhaps because he died in his 30s, there are no extant examples of his work.

Jacob Saleda, Sr. (1748-1815)

Jacob was the most well known of the family clockmakers in this generation.

Like his brother Frederick, Jacob was born in Switzerland, but was raised, worked, and lived his life in Bedminster Township, Bucks County. In 1773, he married the girl next door, Barbara Loux, and together they had 10 children.

Tall case clock with single weight, chain driven, 30 hour, brass, time & strike movement

In the tax records of 1779, Jacob is listed as a clockmaker owning 139 acres, 2 horses and 4 cattle.

1779 tax records

Jacob is found again in the 1798 Tax rolls as the owner of a 2 story stone dwelling house, with outbuildings consisting of a one story log kitchen, and an adjoining one-story clock making shop.

Jacob's clockworks, with their rack hook, and rack lifting piece, are in the "German" style. English clockmakers would have made these parts with "teardrop" shaped ends.

front and back sides of Jacob's clockworks

John Solliday (1755-1842)

John, the third son of Jacob, Sr., was the first son to be born in Bucks County. He was raised in Bedminster and rallied to the cause during the Revolution, serving as a member of the Militia as a part of the Bedminster Associators.

In 1782 after the war, He married Elisabeth Hinkle and moved to Somneytown in Marlborough Township in Montgomery County. There he purchased 40 acres of land and set up a clockmaking shop. The family attended the Indian Creek Reformed Church.

Cherry case with old refinish. Moon phase calendar dial. 8 day time and strike weight driven calendar brass movement with second bit hand. Ht. 7' 11" Est.
John's Obituary

Henry Sallade (1765-1814)

Henry married in 1789 and moved to Towamensin Township in Montgomery County. He had five daughters and two of his sons, Jacob and Samuel, became clockmakers. Though he is noted as a clockmaker in the tax rolls, I was unable to find an example of his work.

Benjamin Solliday (1766-1843)

Benjamin was born in Bedminster on July 15, 1766. By 1782, he is listed in the Tax Records for Rockhill Township near Sellersville in Bucks County.

Benjamin married Margaret Kramer in 1793. Together they had 7 children. Benjamin had two sons, George and Samuel, who became clockmakers.

Two of Benjamin's Clock Faces

Every clockmaker has a signature style which help to identify their work. These two examples of Benjamin Solliday clock faces show common themes, designs and color schemes.

Chippendale walnut tall case clock, circa 1825. Scrolled pediment with floral rosettes over slender columnettes and arched door opening to metal white painted face, shaped-panel base and tapering bracket feet. H: 96 in.
Third Generation

John, son of Jacob Sr. (1775-1856)

John inherited his maternal Grandfather, Peter Loux's, farm and lived and worked in Bedminster his whole life. He and his wife Catherine had 8 children.

Walnut tall case clock by John Solliday, Tinicum, Bucks Co, PA, c 1810, 30 hr movement, painted dial, 94" tall

Peter, son of Jacob Sr. (1783-1859)

Peter Solliday was born September 24, 1783. He married Magdalena Godshalk, who lived on the neighboring farm, in 1805. Peter and his wife lived with Peter’s parents in Bedminster until the property was legally transferred to Peter in 1813. Peter continued his father and grandfather’s clockmaking craft while also tending to the farm. Peter and Magdalena had five children.

Note that his unique clock face decoration had corners finished with a solid background
Cherry case with a broken arch pediment, 30 hour movement, white face paint decorated dial, French feet. 95"h

Jacob Jr., son of Jacob Sr. (1779-1827)

Jacob, Jr. lived in Northampton County, just across the Bucks County line. He made and sold 16 clocks between 1822 and 1827. They were signed Jacob Solliday-North Hampton. His son Samuel lived with him and made clocks from 1828-1834.

Daniel H., son of John Sr. (1797-1873)

Daniel Hinkle lived with his father, John, in Somneytown, until 1824.

His clocks are marked: D.H. Solliday, Philad'a

He married Mary Magdalene Willauer and moved to Evansburg, Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County. Together they had 8 children. In 1828, they moved to Philadelphia and Daniel set up a clockmaking shop, first at 193 North 3rd Street, and later at 186 Callowhill Street.

This clock face features a lunette which showcases the phases of the moon
Mahogany and mahogany veneer case with broken arch top and three carved wooden flame finials. Ebonized columns with crotch mahogany highlights on trunk and base. Ball and claw feet, painted metal dial with moon phase, subsidiary seconds, 8 day, time and strike, weight driven movement.

John N., son of Daniel (1795-1881)

John Nicholas Solliday was raised in Tinicum Township and was a clockmaker and a prominent citizen of the community.

He specialized crafting fine musical clocks which could play up to three tunes.

Correspondent & Farmers Advertiser, Doylestown, PA, Aug 18, 1818

He married Catherine Worman in 1822, and they built this Tinicum Township house on Cafferty Road in 1826.

1880 Photo taken from Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County - Schaddinger family (later residents of the home)

John N. was a pillar of the community, serving as County Auditor, a Director of The Delaware Bridge Company at Point Pleasant, and later as a Justice of the Peace.

George, son of Benjamin (1796-1871)

By the time George became a clockmaker, tall clocks were falling out of fashion. Though he continued to manufacture tall clocks, George added shelf clocks to his offerings.

Connecticut "Yankee," or shelf clocks, were introduced around 1825 and were sold door to door in Pennsylvania out of wagons for under $20. The availability of cheaper, “ready made” shelf clocks lead to the demise of the tall clock craft in Pennsylvania by 1850. In order to compete with these mass-produced factory- made clocks, clockmakers, like George, began producing shelf clocks of their own, using their handcrafting methods.

George Solliday Shelf Clock

This example by George has an extensively modified version of a 30-hour tall clock movement. The major change was the conversion to key winding. The 30-hour tall clock is normally wound by pulling the weight up on a chain. Winding drums replaced the sprocket pulley, and the weight cables ran up over pulleys at the top of the case and down the full length.

Samuel Solliday, son of Benjamin, (1813-1885)

Samuel Solliday has been called "the last of our early clockmakers." He married Catharine Fretz, and the two had a dozen children together. In the spring of 1834 Samuel opened a clock and watchmaking shop in Doylestown on the west side of North Main Street. He later moved to the south side of East State Street.

1930's photo of State Street in Doylestown. Ely's Sport Shop is the building in which Samuel Solliday's shop was located.

In an 1849 advertisement in the Bucks County Intelligencer, Samuel declares that he has at "his Clock and Watch making establishment, in Doylestown...the most extensive and valuable assortment of articles in his line ever before offered for sale in his place." He ends the ad by noting that, "Clocks and Watches can be cleaned and repaired at the shortest notice, at prices to suit the times."

Many of Samuel's clock faces featured conch shells

In 1852, he moved his business to New Hope and engaged in the lumber and coal business as well. His watch papers (example below) note that he not only repairs Clocks and Watches, but jewelry and music boxes as well.

Sam Solliday Watch Paper

Below is the Tall Clock in the Erwin Stover House Collection. It features a tiger maple case with the original works made by Sam Solliday, Doylestown. The clock face is reminiscent of those his father Benjamin once made, with a basket of flowers on top, and shells in the corners.

This Samuel Solliday Clock sits in the Entry Hall of The Erwin Stover House in Tinicum Park, Upper Black Eddy

This clock is especially significant to our collection because it not only showcases the work of a local artisan, but because it offers a direct connection to the Stover family who built the 1850 and 1880 additions of the house as well as the outbuildings on the site. It was made as a wedding gift for Isaac Stover (1809-1876), who married Elizabeth Knecht (1815-1892) in 1836. It was donated to the museum in 1989 by a Stover descendant, K. Elizabeth Stover.

This presentation was created by Amy Hollander, Historic Properties Manager, Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation
Created By
Amy Hollander
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