Seth Thomas (1786-1859) became an apprentice in the cabinetmaker-joiner trade in the early 1800s. He worked with Silas Hoadly around 1808-1810, under the supervision of Eli Terry in the area near Waterbury, Connecticut. Eli Terry needed help to fulfill a contract for 4,000 hang-up wooden clocks, their movements, pendulums, dials, and hands. Thomas, as a joiner, assembled the clocks using his woodworking techniques. All clocks were in running order when he finished.
In 1810 Seth Thomas and Silas Hoadley bought Eli Terry''s plant. They made tall-case clocks and 30-hour clocks with wooden movements. In 1813 Seth Thomas sold his share of the business to Silas Hoadley and bought a shop in Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut, where he made tall-case clocks with wooden movements. Thsi shop would remain his work place until 1853.
In 1839, Seth Thomas changed from using wooden to 30 hour brass clock movements. Around 1850 he began to use springs instead of weights for clock power.
Thomas, who primarily known for his clock affiliation, was also a good businessman. He diversified his financial interests and acquired a considerable amount of farmland. In the early 1800s at the age of 48, he bought a cotton factory which he operated profitably until the Civil War began in 1861. By 1844, he had discontinued making wooden clocks. As a traditionalist he was reluctant to change his clock making methods, but the change to brass clock production was more profitable. Thomas'' company was soon producing 20,000 brass clocks annually. At the height of his brass clock production he built a brass rolling mill called the Thomas Manufacturing Company.
From 1853 to 1865 the Seth Yhomas Clock Company operated in Plymouth Hollow. After Thomas'' death in 1859, his three sons Aaron, Edward, and Seth junior carried on the business. Many new models of spring driven clocks were produced. Calendar clocks became an important part of their clock line.
The residents of Plymouth Hollow respected Seth Thomas for the industries he established in the town. To show their appreciation, the town was renamed Thomaston in his honor six years after his death.
In the 1880s, the Seth Thomas Clock Company employed about 825 people. Over 70 of these employees were children. The workers put in ten hour workdays and were paid from $1.50 to $3.00 a day. Skilled mechanics were at the top of the pay scale while laborers were at the bottom. With this staff the company produced approximately $729,000 woth of clocks annually.
The Seth Thomas Company, in the hands of the family members, was a success. It holds the distinction of being the longest established American clock making company. Seth Thomas profited by his leadership ability. He was one of the wealthiest men in Connecticut at the time of his death in 1859.
In 1879, Seth Thomas Sons & Company were consolidated. In 1931 the Seth Thomas Clock Company, established in 1853, became a division of General Time Corporation. Set Thomas'' great grandson, Seth E. Thomas Jr., was chairman of the board until his death in 1932. The company''s leadership passed out of the Thomas family and in 1970 became a division of Tally Industries.
