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Beals Clock History

The Joseph J. Beals firm sold brass alarm clocks and spring clocks, as well as timepieces that worked with accelerating lever springs from the retail and wholesale store in Boston. Mantel clocks were a store specialty during the mid-1800s.

History
- J.J. Beals worked as a clock cabinetmaker from 1838 until 1874. Magazine advertising for the firm in 1848 stated that the shop also imported a variety of clocks and clock faces from France, England and Germany during this period.
Considerations
- Early American businesses are difficult to trace concerning partnerships, but Joseph Beals is known to have operated firms with William Beals in 1848. He also owned a store on Haymarket Square in Boston in the 1860s in partnership with his son Elijah J. Beals.
Identification
- Beals made cases and housing for clocks that used works by other clock manufacturers, including E. Ingraham and Co. A common Beals clock incorporated an architectural steeple design on either side of a glass front door. The Beals store attached paper sales labels with the company logo to commercially manufactured clocks made by other firms.

Antiques