The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1869-04-28
lrroa Ii. San Fr.nei.ee H.r.la.)
Romantic History of. an. old cloel

(Rrom the San Francisco Hsrsid.)
Romantic History of an old Clock.
Ina.quiet country town in New
Bampshire, near the Maine line,
sfands an ancient mansion, whose
appearance and surroundings in
dictate its occupation for many
generations. Tall trees have grown
mp around il, and a wealth Of tan.
gled shrnbbery and vines lend it
an cir .of home-like quiet, SO com
mon TO New England rural scenes.
The place is an old homestead of q
family named Blasdell, who, for
four generations, have called it
their home. Within this dwelling,
and forming a prominent feature
of it's antique appointments,
stands, like a grim sentry in his
box. an old fashioned eight-day
clock. To q casual observer there
10 nothing remarkable i'm tho ap-
pearance of this ancient time
piece, for it is ancient, as the in
scriptioa across its face" Nicllo-
las Blasdell, maker, Glasgow,
173Sn-plainly tells. Such clocks
are not rare in the old settled
communities Of the East, but q pc.
culiar value is attached to this
particular clock. Not only had it
been in the family for upwards of
q century, bnt it was tho h ndi.
work OF their remotcst ancestor in
America. Nicholas Blasdell, who
made that cock in 1888, ca,na to
America with three brothers in
1740, and they b.onght the clock
with them. Nicholas had been a
clockmaker in Glasgow, and had
acquired a little property. But
the. brothers were young, enter
pricing. and ambitious. Glasgow
offered no inducements to active
enterprise. and the news from the
far-off land of America was we'll
calculated to stimulate their youth
ful ardor. They determined to
seek their fortunes in the Colonies,
and packing mp their effects, in
cindina the new clock, they cross
ed the Atlantic, and settled in
New Hampshire. Three of the
brothers died unmarried, but
Nicholas took to himself q wife.
and was blessed with a family
Before leaving Scotland he had &C.
quired Q piece of land near the
city Of Glasgow, but as it was OF
no great value at the time, he
made no effort to dispose of it,
This property was frequently
made the subject of conversation
in his family and after his death,
even down to the present genera
tion, the story of bis having left
behind him q piece of land rear
Glasgow, has been told about the
family hearth, with many curious
speculations regarding il. o But
the children now living Thought
but little of the story. Sitting by
tho blazing fire in the old home.
stead, with the old clock staring
down upon them, never pausing
in its ticking. They have heard
their mother and grandmother
tell about the land that still stood
in the name Of Nicholas Blasdell,
near one Of Britain's largest cities,
but the thought Of attempting to
gain its possession never entered
their heads. Their Yankee predi
lections We're ayerse to rummagine
over the musty past in search Ol
fortune, when in a new country
rich with undeveloped wealth oi
every description [; and so they
dealt actively with the living pres
snt, and the story of the Glasgow
property was nearly forgotten.
in the meantime the CITY O.
Glasgow had been spreading will
wonderful strides. its pop1la Tor
had increased rapidly, It's CONNER
cial interests expanded, isnmens,
nnanuihotories had sprung up, ane
from the quiet seaport Of ITO. i
had become the second com,nsrcia
city Of tho kingdom OF Great Brit
ain. Ear beyond its former limit.
stately piles had been erected, ant
the foruner subnrbs were now III,
csntra of the .cfty. Had Nichola,
JnssdeH been sleeping o Hip Var
Win&Ie Slasnbsr. and npon avail
ing e.oessored q End his lot, 4
vdui1 have prrxxfes3 MIR .,..sst, !.