A Fine Queen Anne Figured Walnut Tall Case Clock, Works by Thomas Stretch, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, dated 1754

top of bonnet inscribed J. R. Elfreth 1861, feet and upper portion of bonnet restored.  Dark brown color.  Sarcophagus top and feet authentically restored in November 2000, by Christopher R. Storb, Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania.  The inside of the waist door bears a letter which details the line of descent of ownership of the clock.

By tradition, this clock was given to Jeremiah Elfreth, Jr. and his wife, Hannah (Trotter), on the occasion of the birth of their son, Jeremiah Elfreth III, in  1754.  Jeremiah Jr. was the son of Jeremiah and Sarah (Oldman) Elfreth and the grandson of Josiah Elfreth, who came to America from England in 1682, and his wife Esther;
To Jeremiah Elfreth III (born 1754);
Thence by descent through the Elfreth family to Jacob R. Elfreth, a founder of Darby and the oldest member of the Frie Meeting in Landsowne, in 1923;
To his great niece, Helen Starling Burke (Mrs. Frederick H.), the previous owner, daughter of Anna Margaret Elfreth Starling and great-great-great granddaughter of Jeremiah and Hannah Elfreth;
Purchased by a distinguished family in April of 2000.
Sotheby's New York, January 19, 2003, lot 565

yellow pine is the secondary wood; restoration of bonnet and feet and bottom board by Christopher R. Storb; clock surface repatinated; proper left side pane of glass in bonnet cracked Label on inside of clock reads: Frederick H. Starling III/ Locust 7-2252 Law Offices of Frederick H. Starling 1408 Girard Trust Building Broad and South Penn Square Philadelphia, PA 19102 Date on this clock is the same date as that of the date of birth of Jeremiah Elfreth, III, who was the son of Jeremiah Elfreth, Jr. and Hannah Trotter. Jeremiah Elfreth, Jr. was the son of Jeremiah and Sarah Oldman. Jeremiah Elfreth was a son of Josiah Elfreth and Esther. Josiah came to this country from England in 1682. Jeremiah Elfreth, III, on whose birthdate this clock, we believe, was given to his parents, Jeremiah Elfreth and Hannah Trotter Elfreth, Jr., was the father of Jacob R. Elfreth and Abigail Peirce who were the parents of Caleb P. Elfreth who married Anna M. Shepherd. These two persons were the parents of my mothers, Anna Margaret Elfreth Starling. This clock belonged to my great-uncle, Jacob R. Elfreth, who was one of the founders of Darby and died the oldest member of the Friends' Meeting in Lansdowne in 1924. The family name "Elfreth" is cut in the top of the clock and it is believed same was handed down to him through generations from Jeremiah Elfreth, Jr. who died in 1720, a goldsmith in Philadelphia.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This important tall-case clock was made by Thomas Stretch by tradition for Jeremiah Elfreth, Jr. and his wife, Hannah (Trotter), on the occasion of the birth of their son, Jeremiah Elfreth III, in 1754.  It has descended through their family to the previous owner, from whom the present owner purchased the clock in April of 2000.

Thomas Stretch (1695-1765), son of the famous colonial clockmaker Peter Stretch, was born in England in 1695, emigrated with his family to America in 1702, and died in Philadelphia in 1765.  A founder of the Pennsylvania Hospital and the State Schuylkill Fishing Club, of which he was governor until his death, Stretch worked circa 1746 with his father at 2nd and Chestnut Streets (Brooks Palmer, The Book of American Clocks, 1950, p. 286).  In 1753, he made a clock for the State House.  On September 30, 1759, he was paid 494.5.5 pounds "for making the State-house clock and for his Care in cleaning and repairing the same for six years" (William M. Horner, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture,  1977, p. 305).   Other known tall case clocks with works by Thomas Stretch include one exhibited in the Governor's Palace at Colonial Williamsburg; one with a walnut case at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (see Ruth Davidson, "Museum accessions," The Magazine Antiques (July 1970):60); and one illustrated in William Distin and Robert Bishop, The American Clock, 1976, no.37.

The inscriptions "J. Smith" on the pendulum bob and "J.S." on the back of the dial may refer to James Smith, who operated a Philadelphia brass foundry "at the sign of the Founders Arms" where he made "all sorts of brass work, viz Brass dogs, shovels and tongs, heads for dogs...clock bells...gun furniture, chest and drawer furniture" (Horner, p. 98).

Christopher Storb examined this tall case clock and suggested that its magnificently proportioned and highly figured mahogany case may have been made by a craftsman from the shop of John Head (1688-1754), the Philadelphia cabinetmaker who emigrated from Mildenhall, Suffolk, England in 1717.  Storb has identified seventeen or so other tall case clocks with cases by Head housing works by Peter Stretch, William Stretch and John Wood.  According to Head's account book, dated 1718-1753, which is extant in the collection of the American Philosophical Society, head recorded approximately 91 clock cases made of walnut, cedar cherry, and mahogany and ranging in price from 2 to 5 pounds.  Approximately forty-one of these cases were debited to the account of Peter Stretch while four were purchased by his son, William Stretch.