Peter Hill (July 19, 1767 – December 1820) was an American

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to ...

. Hill, a former

enslaved person Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to per ...

, was the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

clockmaker and the only African American clockmaker working during the late 18th century and early 19th century.

Biography

Peter Hill was born into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

on July 19, 1767, and lived on the land owned by a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

and

, Joseph Hollinshead Jr in

Burlington Township, New Jersey Burlington Township is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and is part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 2 ...

. Hill worked as an apprentice to Hollinshead, starting at age 14. Hollingshead helped Hill set up a clockmaking business of his own prior to freeing him. In 1794, Hill was given a certificate of

manumission Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...

and was freed by his master. He was certified a free man in 1795. Hill married Tina Lewis, an educator, on September 9, 1795. Hill and his wife lived in the same location as his clockmaking shop where he maintained the business there for 23 years. Hill was the first

clockmaker and the only African American clockmaker working during the late 18th century and early 19th century. Around 1814, Hill moved his business to

Mount Holly, New Jersey Mount Holly is a township that is the county seat of Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020, As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population ...

. On February 29, 1820, Hill purchased a large house in Mount Holly. He died in December of that same year. Hill was buried in the Society of Friends' Burial ground in Burlington Township. Most of Hill's clocks did not survive, with only five known to exist to the present day. One of Hill's clocks is in the collection of the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

References

Sources

External links

Peter Hill Tall Case Clock
{{Authority control 1767 births 1820 deaths American clockmakers 18th-century American slaves People from Burlington Township, New Jersey People from Mount Holly, New Jersey African-American artisans People of colonial New Jersey