Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

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pwaldron
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Location: Ballina, Killaloe
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German watchmakers in Ireland - Cromer of Limerick

Post by pwaldron » Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:27 pm

I had dinner last night with two friends who recently discovered that they are distant cousins, their common ancestors being a family of Limerick jewellers etc. named O'Shaughnessy, based for many generations at 18 George Street, now O'Connell Street, just down the road from Patrick Street, home to various families of jewellers mentioned earlier in this thread.

In Cork on 27 Jun 1854, Jane O'Shaughnessy, daughter of Robert, married Conrad Cromer, son of Joseph. See https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FGF8-LCC

Conrad Cromer was from Germany and took over the O'Shaughnessy family business at 18 George Street, where he and two sons (George, 38, and William, 30) were all enumerated as watch makers in 1901:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... t/1500805/

Conrad's death was registered in Limerick in early 1903:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FTXG-646

His widow and four of their nine children were still at 18 George Street in 1911:
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/p ... et/629809/
George (40) and William (30) were still watchmakers and their brother Albert (26) had become a jewellery salesman. The three brother had collectively aged not by 30 years as might have been expected, but by only two years since 1901! Let's hope their clocks and watches kept better track of time!

There are pictures online of several items made by C. Cromer, Limerick:

- a watch at
http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?7783 ... s-movement

- a wall clock at
http://www.limerickcity.ie/webapps/muse ... owID=10376

- spectacles and case at
http://www.limerickcity.ie/WebApps/Muse ... owID=10499

pwaldron
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German watchmakers in Ireland - Dold of Kilrush and Kilkee

Post by pwaldron » Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:54 pm

For anyone reading this thread who has not done a full search of the forum, please note that there is a separate thread on the Dold family at
http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtop ... f=1&t=1767

Sduddy
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by Sduddy » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:42 am

Early in this thread Mick O asked the question: “in the 1911cencus of ireland clare -ennistymon -riverview terrace lists joseph fehenbach and family occupation watchmaker born germany.what happened to german nationals living in ireland at the out break of the 1914 1918 war.?”

Peadar McNamara, in his article entitled “The Great War (1914-1918) and some effects on Clare” in The Other Clare, Vol. 13, writes, “Shortly after the declaration of war, all German and Austrian subjects in Clare were interned. Most were hotel employees and included managers, chefs and waiters, working in Lahinch, Lisdoonvarna and Kilkee. Also arrested were jewellers and watchmakers in Ennis and Ennistymon. Mrs Dilger of Ennis, whose husband was interned, was awarded eight shillings allowance per week by the Ennis Board of Guardians. German-born Mrs. Carroll, of Edenvale near Ennis, had to report weekly to the RIC.”

Sheila

Polycarp
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by Polycarp » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:09 pm

Ghislaine de Regge, in her recently published "A daughter's odyssey: a memoir" (Texas, 2012) much of which concerns her late father, Ernest de Regge, writes about the de Regge family jewelry shop in O'Connell Street, Ennis, a few doors away from the Maurer jewellers. Ghislaine writes that her father imported watches and timepieces from Switzerland and Germany which were also sold in the shop. The staff at the Ennis shop included the Knapps, father and son, from Czechoslovakia who in addition to their experience with horology were also apparently expert at shop security as, living above the premises, they slept with large knives under their pillows!

pwaldron
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - de Regge of Ennis

Post by pwaldron » Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:58 pm

Short biography of Ernest by Ghislaine at
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... graphy.htm

It is clear from this biography that this Belgian was not part of the earlier mass migration of German and Swiss clockmakers etc to rural Ireland.

Declan Barron
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by Declan Barron » Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:20 pm

Dilger is another name that came to Ennis about this time and there are still Dilger families in Ennis.

Polycarp
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by Polycarp » Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:17 pm

There is a photograph in the Clare Champion, 9 February 1952, of Herr Schneider of the firm of Schneider of the Black Forest, Germany, putting the finishing touches to the clock on the tower of the cathedral in Ennis. The newspaper says the new clock cost £800. The caption to the photograph of Herr Schneider and the "massive instrument" of the time-piece is "Erecting the New Clock on Ennis Cathedral".

Polycarp

Polycarp
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by Polycarp » Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:15 pm

In 1840, there was a company called B. Ott & Co. in number 5 Ellen Street, Limerick, "Importers and Manufacturers of Foreign and English Clocks."

Ott was described as the successor to the late F. Sivel. His company stationery was printed by Dartnell.

I imagine these names are now long gone from Limerick mercantile life.

asawdon
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by asawdon » Sat May 20, 2023 2:56 pm

Sipfel an isation of the black forest name Zipfel. It does look like
the name died out in ireland. The census of 1901 shows German born Sophia Zipfel as a widow, in dublin with son Ferdinand clockmaker and daughter Katherine, - the son died unmarried in 1910, Catherine married a mr Murphy, and Sophia died in 1934.

Black Forest clockmaker names did not entirely die out in limerick though. Kleiser pianos was founded by George kleiser, whose father anton and brothers were clockmakers in reading England. Kleiser so reading business continued, through a total of four generations until about 2000. The hilsers of formerly of cork city and continuing in bandon were in-laws.

asawdon
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Re: Timekeeping in rural Clare - Maurer of Ennis

Post by asawdon » Sat May 20, 2023 3:31 pm

Oops.Sivel I meant to say

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