Dating Goldsmith Chandlee Compasses

Dating Goldsmith Chandlee Instruments

This Compass is a Nice Example of a Fifth Design GC Compass - Note the Eagle

Goldsmith's Fifth Design - Likely 1807 to About 1810

Fifth Design - Counters (Poles/Miles), the later“W” for WEST designations, L-T Tables, and the American Eagle.
Likely 1807 to About 1810

To date GC Compasses with Counters, I look for 3 things:

1. What the W's look like.
2. Whether the Compass has a L - T table (L is for Links, T for Tenths).
3. Whether the Compass features an Eagle.

Including the America Eagle, especially with the "American Manufacture", likely arose out of the European Napoleonic Wars. In response to a British attack on a US Ship, Jefferson ordered an embargo on ALL foreign trade in 1807. The embargo wasn't very popular in New England, which depended on trade with Great Britain. Jefferson eased the embargo in 1809. Trade remaonedan issue up to the War with Great Britain in 1812. I don't know if GC made compasses without the Eagle during this period - perhaps so. But I suspect any compass that features an Eagle (especially with "American Manufacture) falls within the 1807 to 1810 time frame.

The 3 GC compasses that have Eagles all have the later "W" and L-T Tables.

Please See - Gaynor & McKnight - Goldsmith Chandlee's "American Manufacture" Compass - The Rittenhouse Journal Vol 2 #3 (1988)

Chandlee Articles

Here are some helpful reference materials related to the Chandlee Family of Instrument Makers:

1. Chandlee - Six Quaker Clockmakers (1943).

2. American Backcountry Tall Clock - Goldsmith Chandlee - His Genius His Customers (2016) A must see article that focuses on clocks and compasses.

3. The American Surveyor (Dale Beeks) - George Washington's Gift (Oct 2005) (Story about the compass Goldsmith made for GW - The Lane Compass).

4. The Professional Surveyor (Dick Elgin) - On Goldsmith Chandlee (2001) A really good article on GC.

5. Smart - His notes on Goldsmith for his book.

6. Gaynor & McKnight - Goldsmith Chandlee's "American Manufacture" Compass - The Rittenhouse Journal Vol 2 #3 (1988)

7. Beeks - A Surveyor's Compass Made By Goldsmith Chandlee - The Rittenhouse Journal Vol 2 #3 (1988)

8. Bedini - Goldsmith Chandlee & George Graves Compasses - The Professional Surveyor (Nov 1984) - Relying on Smart, Bedini inaccurately describe the functions of GC's L - T Table.

9. Bedini - Goldsmith Chandlee's L - T Table - The Professional Surveyor (May 1985) Bedini discussed a different possible explanation of GC's L - T table. I believe that Dick Elgin came up with the right explanation in his article, #4 above.