When I first encountered discussions about these clocks, it was a revelation. I had never seen a Jerome shelf clock with an Elisha Manross movement. That combination was the topic of a thread on the NAWCC message board started by Peter Nunes in December 2011. In the years since, I only recall seeing one other example, in a clock owned by Steven Thornberry. I was delighted that one found its way to me. All three of the examples are steeples and all have faux acid-etched tablets.
The consensus on the message board was that Jerome probably acquired the movements after Manross’s bankruptcy in November 1853. Whether Jerome purchased the movements outright or they were in payment of a debt owed to Jerome is not known.
The three reported examples of this Jerome-Manross clock all have the same label, which suggests the use of Manross movements lasted for only a short time.
Front view of the 30-hour, spring-driven, time & strike movement, with no maker’s stamp.
Rear view of the movement. Note the unusual placement of the count wheel.