Bickerstaff inherited some antiques a while ago, among them a New England tall clock (above) made by an anonymous maker in the 1850s or possibly much earlier. After some pricey repairs and cleaning of the works by a superb clockmaker in Los Alamos, it now keeps extraordinarily good time, requiring at most a miniscule adjustment every couple of months or so.
Inscribed in pencil on the inside of the door giving access to the pendulum and weights, there are several names with dates, presumably those of the clock’s former owners. One of them, more clearly written than the others, is “John C. Carleton Vershire Vt Feb 14 1857.” Naturally, an Internet search had to made of the fellow, which didn’t revealed that he was a farmer, fought in the Civil War and likely was taken prisoner at Harpers Ferry.
There was however one wonderful find concerning Mr Carleton, located on the University of Vermont website (unable to copy link). Bickerstaff decided it had to be shared, which he does below.
The Taos Tatler 