The inventor creating Ingraham Clocks was Elias Ingraham (1805-1885). Elias, who lived to the advanced age of 80, was born in Marlborough, Connecticut.
He came to Bristol in 1828 to work for George Mitchell putting together clock cases. In 1830, Elias Ingraham, now a talked-about clock casemaker, set about slaving for Chauncey and Lawson C. Ives.
He produced over five thousand clock cases for them over the next three years. As a group, Ingraham clocks, and especially the clocks made under a label bearing the Ingraham name up until 1885, refer to clocks made by several different Corporations.
The business of Brewster and Ingrahams clock company was formed in 1844 and operated until July 24, 1852. During this time Elias built the Gothic clock case, with four columns.
The E. and A. Ingrahams Company was then launchedand ran from 1852 to 1856; and then Elias Ingraham and Company from 1857 to 1860.
Then from 1861 to 1880 the name E. Ingraham & Company was used. From 1881 to 1884, the company was know as The E. Ingraham & Company.
Finally in 1885 it was incorporated as The E. Ingraham Company.
This well-documented history and short time periods for each company make it easy to date the early Ingraham clocks based upon the labels on the inside of the antique clocks.
While we tend to imagine of patents in clock crafting as applying to the mechanical aspects of clock Parts, Elias Ingraham contributed to the industry by focusing on clock cases.
He received a total of 17 patents from 1857 and 1873 relevant to clock cases. Ingraham patented the tasteful and aesthetically appealing figure 8 door model that was a distinctive feature of Ingraham clocks.
Elias Ingraham remained as the chief
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