W.C. Davis

This compass is marked "Merrill & Davis New York" and dates from the period 1835-1837 when Robert Merrill and William C. Davis were in business together in New York City. Two level vials are on the north arm. The decoration on the face (a circle of leaves) is a typical feature of New York compasses. The bottom of the wooden box that holds the compass is marked "Wiltberger, City of Washington, D.C." C. H. Wiltberger was listed in the 1843 Washington Directory as "register of the corporation, City Hall, west wing, second story."

William C. Davis was a maker of mathematical instruments in New York City with a shop at 36 Oak Street from sometime between 1835 and 1836. He later moved to 302 Pearl Street where he worked until 1878 or early 1879. He was the son of William and Edna Davis of New York and was born in that city in 1813.


William C. Davis was a maker of mathematical instruments in New York City with a shop at 36 Oak Street from sometime between 1835 and 1836. He later moved to 302 Pearl Street, where he worked until late 1878 or early 1879. He was the son of William and Edna Davis of New York and was born in that city in 1813. Several instruments bearing only his name are known. They can be found in the New York State Museum at Albany, in the Gurley collection at Troy, New York, and in the Historical Society of Plainfield and North Plainfield, New Jersey.

Natural History Museum