SILVER POCKET WATCH THAT BELONGED TO PAINE WINGATE, DELEGATE TO THE CONFEDERATION CONGRESS AND LAST SURVIVOR OF THE FIRST UNITED STATES CONGRESS

Provenance: Acquired by the consignor directly from Wingate family descendants. The watch is accompanied by several period notes (detailed below) attesting to its ownership and chain of custody. 

Sterling silver pair-cased verge fusee pocket watch housed in a leather box. Cases manufactured London, England: John Taylor, 1793; movement manufactured London: A. Collins, n.d. Watch approx. 2 1/8 x 2 x 1/2 in., leather box approx. 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 1 7/16 in.

Hon. Rev. Paine Wingate (1739-1838) began his political career as a New Hampshire delegate to the Congress of the Confederation in 1788. A staunch Federalist, Wingate fiercely advocated for the ratification of the United States Constitution and was appointed to the first United States Senate outlined therein upon its adoption. He served as a senator from 1789 to 1793, at which point he was elected to the House of Representatives where he served from 1793 to 1795. From 1798 to 1808, Wingate was an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He died at the age of 98, outliving every other member of the first United States Congress and every other member of the Continental Congress besides John Armstrong, Jr. (1758-1843).

Accompanying the watch is an early slip of paper that reads: "Paine Wingate's Watch / member of 1st U.S. congress. / Friend of Geo. / Washington / grt. grt. grandfather". With 44 great-great-grandchildren of Paine Wingate known, at least 35 of whom survived to adulthood, the writer of the note could not be determined. 

To the interior of the outer case is a watch paper printed with the following: "Clocks & Watches / repaired / and / warranted by / Geo. F. [Fibbets?] / New Market / Lamprey River / N.H. / Watches Jewelry Silver Spoons". The verso bears a period ink inscription reading: "Geo. Wingate Jr. / Cld. + Rep. / 6/- / 17360".

The "George Wingate Jr." referred to in the note almost certainly refers to Paine Wingate's grandson, George Wingate Jr. (1820-1903), who likely took the watch in for cleaning and repair. 

The provenance notwithstanding, the watch is a remarkable historic timepiece in its own right. Both of its cases are silver hallmarked with the pre-1820 London crowned lion's head, the sterling silver lion passant guardant, maker's mark "I.T," the lowercase "r" 1793 date letter, and the 1787-1795 duty mark. The movement is marked "A. Collins / 587."

The underside of the leather box accompanying the watch is inscribed: “Mary Shannon / Centre St. Cor. Cabot St. / Newton / Mass / Box R. R. 1870.” Both philanthropist Mary Clarke Shannon (ca. 1814–ca. 1887), a founder of the Newton Home for Orphan and Destitute Girls, and her niece Mary Shannon, Jr. (1836–1901), an abolitionist, education reformer, and suffragist, resided in a house on Centre Street in Newton, Massachusetts. It remains unclear which Mary Shannon penned the inscription. Additional research may further clarify the connection between Mary Shannon and the Wingate family. It is also possible that the case was acquired separately and later used to house the watch.

[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [Clocks, Watches, Timepieces, Time-Pieces, Horology]