The grandfather clock has an engraved brass dial, typical of 18th
century Connecticut tall case clocks, inscribed “Joseph Bulkley, Fairfield
1784” and a case made of native cherry.
Joseph Bulkley was born May 1, 1755 in Weston, the son of David and Sarah
(Beers) Bulkley. It is likely he apprenticed to John Whitear, Jr. of
Fairfield, Connecticut and after Whitear’s death became the leading clock
maker in Fairfield. On July 27, 1778 he married Grizzel Thorp. They were
members of Christ Church in Fairfield where they renewed their baptismal
covenants on May 30, 1779. Bulkley served in the Revolutionary Was and
resided in Fairfield until his death on June 2, 1815. His tombstone stands
in the old Fairfield burying ground. A number of Bulkley clocks are still
running in the Fairfield area.
The late Hugh B. Vanderbilt was president and CEO of the R. T. Vanderbilt
Company founded in New York City by his father, Robert Thurlow Vanderbilt.
Under Hugh’s leadership the company prospered and moved to larger quarters
in Norwalk, Connecticut. The company is now under the helm of Hugh B.
Vanderbilt, Jr., his son.
Hugh Sr. was an avid antiques collector and a patron of the arts. He
served on the board of Historic Deerfield and he and his wife Claire were
active in the Greenwich Historical Society. After Hugh Vanderbilt’s death
the clock was passed on to his widow Claire who died in June of 2005.
Their daughter wanted this clock to stay in the area as a remembrance of
her father who considered it one of his favorite pieces.
This collection includes Sniffen’s G.A.R. hat, a pistol holder, a
leather musket kit, his sword, an original Civil War Second Connecticut
canteen – all in excellent condition and a “shadow box” containing a
signed picture of Sniffen in uniform, two Civil War belt buckles, a lucky
penny that he carried, and many buttons from his original uniform. There
are also copies of two letters.
In the November- December issue of the Newtown Historical Society’s
newsletter, The Rooster’s Crow, Daniel Cruson’s essay “Recovery of the
Sniffen Civil Was Artifacts” provides background on Sniffen’s life, a
transcription of his letter dated July 5th 1863 giving details of the
battle at Gettysburg as he saw it as a member of the Second Connecticut
Light Artillery Battery. He was a jeweler, a Post Master, and a founder of
Custer Post, No. 46,G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) in Sandy Hook
where he lived from 1876 until his death in 1907.
He was survived by his wife Harriet R. Barnum who he married in Stratford
in 1867, and two sons: Ernest Sniffen of Newport News, Virginia, and Henry
Bywords Sniffen who was the Assistant Post Master of Sandy Hook and who
remained a prominent member of that community as his father had been
before him. Ernest was an amateur photographer and between 1906 and 1912
he took a series of landscape photos of Sandy Hook on his various trips to
Newtown from his Virginia home. These glass plate negatives were donated
to the Newtown Historical Society and are part of the Image Archive
Project.
