Goldsmith Chandlee

Goldsmith Chandlee - Compass Made for John Jackson - Used by Benjamin Hough

Goldsmith Chandlee - What We Know

Goldsmith Chandlee
Based almost entirely from an article by Dr. Richard L. Elgin, LS, PE

Goldsmith Chandlee was one of the most notable American clock and instrument makers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Goldsmith made beautiful and technically advanced compasses - and they command a huge premium when offered for sale

Born August 18, 1751 in Nottingham, Maryland, Goldsmith was the oldest son of Quaker clockmaker Benjamin Chandlee, Jr. (1723-1791). Goldsmith apprenticed under his father in Nottingham, Maryland and by the time he was 24 years old he was an experienced craftsman. In 1775 he moved to Stephensburg (now Stephens City), Virginia and then on to Winchester, Virginia in 1783. There he built a brass foundry and a shop where he produced clocks, surveying compasses, telescopes, money scales, and other instruments of metal. His business was located on the northwest corner of Cameron and Piccadilly Streets where he owned several buildings and also resided. Besides making clocks and compasses, he was active in many civic activities. He was a member of the volunteer fire company; was a justice of the Corporation of Winchester; sat on the Bench of Justice of Hastings Court of that city; and he drafted deeds, mortgages, and various legal papers; and acted as executor of estates. He was recognized as a leader in financial circles in northern Virginia and established a counting house in which he bought and sold bills of exchange, bonds, notes, soldiers' certificates, and military warrants. He also dealt in land and owned large tracts of land in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky.

Goldsmith married three times. He first married in 1776 Ann White (died 1781). From this union came three children, one being Benjamin III (1780-1822) who also was an instrument maker. In 1784, Goldsmith married Hannah Yarnall (1750-1810). From this union came four children, one being Goldsmith, Jr. (1788-1842). In 1811, Goldsmith married Eunice Allen (1753-1822). They had no children.

For more on Goldsmith, read the short chapter on him in the Six Quaker Clockmakers Book - The Goldsmith Chandlee Chapter is Here.

Three Important Things About Goldsmith's Compasses

Dating Goldsmith Chandlee Compasses

The Famous GC Links & Tenths Table

Goldsmith's Wonderful Counters

Over 50 Known Goldsmith Chandlee Compasses

Goldsmith Chandlee did not maintain production records for surveying instruments or clocks. Goldsmith produced a lot of instruments and clocks, however. In the Six Quaker Clockmakers Book, the author claims that Goldsmith delegated a great deal of work to others, and only touched items for important customers or at critical times. That must be true - the sheer quantity of clocks and instruments that Goldsmith made is really quite remarkable.

My general rule of thumb is that about 10% of all early surveying instruments have survived. That rule seems to hold true for makers like Whitney, who employed serial numbers so it's somewhat doable to determine how many were made and how many have survived.

I suspect that the survival rate of Goldsmith Chandlee compasses is MUCH higher than 10%. With the help of another collector, I have found over 50 GC compasses. There is NO WAY GC made over 500 compasses. I believe that are far higher percentage of GC's compasses survived because (1) they are works of art, (2) Museums acquired many of the compasses early on, and (3) unlike other makers GC engraved family names on many of his instruments (making more likely the family would want to retain the compass).

Below, I post pictures and what I know (like whereabouts and auction results) for more than 50 Compasses made by Goldsmith Chandlee….

GC Compasses With Engraved Owner Names

GC Compasses Without Engraved Owner Names

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.