This clock, with the name Olmsted stamped on the face, in certainly an important piece of memorabilia. While it is not a old as the Olmsted Christening Blanket or the Olmsted Tankard mentioned in GOFA, it has particular significance for our readers, as it was made for Charles Albert Olmsted, a Jabez descendant, who was a watchmaker and jeweler in Ottawa, ON from about 1890 until his death in 1943. While in business he sold clocks that bear his name.
This style of clock was
probably sold to schools and business places in the Ottawa area and in the
Quebec side of the Ottawa Valley. This particular clock was made by the Arthur
Pequegnat Clock Company, which had a factory in Kitchener, ON. This company
reportedly didn't customize individual dials and therefore it is believed that
Charles Olmsted must have ordered quite a number of clocks to have Olmsted
stamped on the face. To get an idea of the clock's size, the dial is twelve
inches across.
Early Canadian Timekeepers
(a book on early clocks) has illustrations of two other timepieces, which bore
the Olmsted name, one being a marble mantel clock from France, which had
"C. A Olmsted, Ottawa, ON" on the dial and the other was a 21 jewel
pocket watch with "Olmsted and Hurdman, Ottawa "on the dial.
Charles Olmsted was born
Sept. 5, 1867 in the vicinity of Hull, Quebec. He apprenticed at the shop of
Addison’s jewelers on Sparks Street, Ottawa, where he worked until he
established his own watch repair and jewelry store at 97 Sparks Street in 1888.
About 1895 Olmsted and
William G. Hurdman became partners, locating their business at 67 Sparks
Street. As silversmiths, they had a silver mark and during this period watches
marked with their names were sold.
Charles pedigree from Capt.
Jabez is as follows ‑ Capt. Jabez ‑ Jeremiah ‑ Jabez ‑
Gideon ‑ Zenas - Richard ‑ Charles.
Little is known of his early
life other than he left home at age 13 as he couldn't get along with his
father’s second wife. He loved riding. For years he rode a horse daily between
South Hull where he initially lived and Ottawa where he worked as a jeweler and
watchmaker.
In 1889 Charles married
Agnes A Buchanan and they raised 6 children: Richard, Janet, Howard, Eric,
William and Alice.
Charles, his wife, some
family members and several other Olmsted/Olmsteads of the Ottawa/Hull area are
buried in Bellevue cemetery, just outside Hull, Quebec. This cemetery was
originally known as the Olmsted burial ground as it was established on land
donated by Gideon Olmsted, great-grandfather of Charles.
It is interesting to note the variations in surname
spelling. The family of Charles consistently used the "ed" spelling
while his uncle Foster (my great-grandfather) and his descendants used the
"ead" spelling.
Joe Barber