Henry Heilig's Musical Clock Mechanism (ca 1750)
After 40 years of hunting I have found and purchased the only known surviving clock works of Johann Henrich Heilig (1700-1775). It is a handmade, as they all of this time were, brass musical clock mechanism for a tall case. It has 19 bells and appears to play 8 seperate tunes. It evidently is an 8 day clock. It is made in the German method from hammered brass and wrought iron with a wood tune wheel with small steel pins to activate the hammers which strike the bells to play the tunes. It has been evaluated as authentic by the American expert Thomas J. Spittler, even though prior to his obtaining this clock mechanism, he thought Henry did not make clocks. Anyone with any information to share on this please contact me. It might be interesting to note that Henrich was the uncle of David Rittenhouse and lived near Young David (Henrich's wife was Susannsh Rittenhouse the sister of David Rittenhouse's father) It is my contention that the greatest clockmaker in America owes his early training to his uncle Henrich Heilig. Their method of working different parts is similiar. Reid Heilig
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Re: Henry Heilig's Musical Clock Mechanism (ca 1750)
Herbert Heilig 5/30/11