THOMAS, SETH

born Aug. 19, 1785, Wolcott, Conn., U.S. died Jan. 29, 1859, Plymouth Hollow, Conn. American clock manufacturer who was one of the pioneers in the mass production of clocks. Apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner, Thomas worked building houses and barns until 1807, when, because of his woodworking skills, the clockmakers Eli Terry and Silas Hoadley invited him to join them in a wholesale clockmaking enterprise. The firm of Terry, Thomas, and Hoadley, after about a year of setting up the required machinery, produced some 4,000 clocks in the following two years, with Thomas responsible for fitting the components together. The clocks were designed to hang on a wall, although purchasers sometimes had standing cabinets made to contain them. Thomas and Hoadley bought Terry's interest in 1810, and in 1812 Thomas sold his interest to Hoadley, opening his own factory in Plymouth Hollow. As the operation prospered, Thomas purchased the rights to manufacture the shelf clock originated by Terry, and he built his own mill to roll brass and make wire. Thomas organized the Seth Thomas Clock Company at Plymouth Hollow in 1853, and soon after his death the western portion of Plymouth Hollow was made into a separate town named Thomaston in his honour. His son, also named Seth (181688), continued and enlarged the business.