Raleigh, NC, clockmaker and jeweler Thomas Emond made this clock as a commission for his neighbor, printer William Boylan. Emond’s shop was located adjacent to Boylan’s printing press on Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street. The mahogany case was made by an unknown maker and the works are inscribed on the face: “Made by T. Edmond for William Boylan.”

Emond was active in Petersburg, VA, from 1802–06, and then relocated to Raleigh, NC. As he noted in a September 15, 1806, newspaper advertisement in the Raleigh Register, “Thomas Emond, Watch & Clockmaker, Respectfully informs the Public that he has rented a house opposite to Mr. Boylan’s Printing Office, and second door below the Post-Office; where he carried on the Watch and Clock-Making Business, in all its various branches.” Raleigh became the state capital in 1792 and offered enterprising artisans a growing community of customers. Emond remained active there until 1821, when he and his family moved to Alabama.