Elias Ingraham (1805-1885) founded the E. Ingraham Company. He served a five year apprenticeship with Daniel Dewey as a cabinetmaker. In 1828 he went to work for George Mitchell, a wise businessman in Bristol, Connecticut. Mitchell wanted a worker who was creative and could produce new cas styles. By succeeding in this task, Ingraham earned the reputation of being an innovative man in the clock industry. The exotic case he designed has mahogany columns, paw feet, turned rosettes, and carved baskets of fruit.
In 1830 Ingraham went to work for Chauncey and Lawson C. Ives to design cases for their clocks. One of his cases, whick could accommodate a long drop of weights, was a tripledecker. In the three years that followed, he made almost 6,000 cases for the firm of Chauncey and Lawson C. Ives.
During the next ten years, Ingraham was involved in making clock cases, chairs and mirrors. He helped design a Gothic case, named a steeple clock, which became extremely popular. These smaller clocks rapidly replaced the large Empire style cases.
In the mid 1840s, he formed a partnership with Brewster called Brewster and Ingraham. Members of the clock making company were the Ingraham brothers, Elias and Andrew, and Elisha Brewster.
The Ingraham Company, with its various name changes and partners, was one of the world''s largest clock makers. In 1855, the Ingraham factory in Bristol burned. The loss accounted to about $30,000. A new firm was formed when Elias Ingraham made his son Edward a partner in 1857. The business name, E. Ingraham & Company, was used from 1861 to 1880. In 1881, the name was changed to The E. Ingraham & Company. This name stayed as such until 1884 whwn it became The E. Ingraham Company. During this period, the company manufactured clocks with black painted or japanned cases. Over 200 different models were built.
Some of its later products, from 1914-1942, were nonjeweled pocket watches, wrist watches, eight day lever movement clocks, electric clocks, pendulum clocks.
Clock making activities stopped at Bristol in 1967 when the company was sold to McGraw-Edison.
