Lemuel Curtis

"Born in Roxbury, MA on July 3, 1790, died in New York on June 17, 1857. . . . Lemuel may have been apprenticed to his uncle Aaron Willard Sr. in Boston, but more likely to Simon Willard . . . Lemuel is noted for the fine quality and exceptional finish of his clock movements. His unique hands with a delicate loop pattern are often found on his patent timepiece, girandole, and lyre wall clocks. . . . Curtis' early patent timepieces closely follow those of the Willard's but he soon adopted his own innovations. Lemuel is noted for discarding the Willard practice of mounting patent timepiece movements with two diagonal through-bolts as he was taught as an apprentice and replacing them with one screw through the backboard threaded into the rear movement plate. . . . Although many Roxbury and Boston makers did not adopt Curtis' idea, it became standard practice for Concord makers and later, by many others." - see full biographical information in 'Willard's Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock, 1800-1900" by Paul J. Foley