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Up from Slavery
A former slave from South Jersey became the first African-American clockmaker
Peter Hill was one of 11,423 African-American slaves residing in New Jersey in 1790. At a young age, Hill learned the craft of making clocks from his master, Joseph Hollinshead, Jr,. The father and teacher of Joseph Hollinshead, Jr. – Joseph Hollinshead, Sr. – had learned the trade from his father-in-law, Isaac Pearson. Requiring metalworking skills, a mechanical mind, and precision handiwork, clock making was a highly-prized skill in early New Jersey and Hill soon demonstrated an ability that equaled that of his mentors. Benefitting from the anti-slavery mentality of local Quakers, Hill obtained his freedom at the age of twenty-seven and entered into business for himself. Able to read and write, Hill balanced his time between crafting clocks and managing the successful business accounts that soon allowed him to purchase a house of his own.
Tall clocks were the biggest, most expensive items in colonial American homes. The comparatively high price of forty dollars made them a commodity only for the wealthy. These examples representing three generations of New Jersey clockmakers are of the eight-day type – using a key inserted into the face of the clock, the owner only needed to wind it once each week. |