Cuthbert Warner (1753-1838)
Harford County, Maryland
Circa 1798
Mahogany and poplar
H: 101”; W: 23”; D: 11.5”
Descended through the John Stump family of Deer Creek, Rock Run area of Harford County MD to Mrs. John Pons, granddaughter of John Stump.
This clock descended in the family of John Stump (1753-1816) of Deer Creek. Stump was a prominent landowner and entrepreneur in an area of Harford County, Maryland adjacent to the Susquehanna River and oversaw his many enterprises in the area of Darlington. He was the operator of several flour and lumber mills and owner of a wharf and warehouse at Lapidum on the Susquehanna River. He built several ships at Rock Run and Havre de Grace and began shipping flour and other goods directly to England. He also operated an iron furnace and blacksmith shop in Stafford, the location where Stump built a stone and frame home in 1779 and where this clock was housed. A note included with the clock reads: “This clock belonged to my grandfather, John Stump of “Stafford”, … at mouth of Deer Creek on Susquahannah [sic], in the year 1779.″ At the time of his death, it has been estimated that his estate was the largest in Maryland.
The maker of these clockworks, Cuthbert Warner, was a Quaker born in Bucks County, PA. He moved to Darlington in 1770 and joined the Deer Creek Monthly Meeting. There he set up shop as a clockmaker and married Rachel Hill in 1773. Two years later, in preparation for the Revolutionary War, Cuthbert Warner agreed to commence making guns and inspect and repair guns collected from “non-enrollers” purchased to outfit the local militia. Because of this activity, he was separated from the Deer Creek Monthly Meeting in 1776.
The case retains its MESDA Field Research tag. S-10,983 / 1981 as well as labels recording the family history.
