Hi All,

One of my many hobbies (after watches of course) is genealogy. After years of research I have made contact with a person with the same great great grandfather. This person actually has letters between him and his son (my g. grandfather). One of the documents she has in her possession is a receipt for a watch dated Jan. 24, 1836. The receipt is for “1 Dbl Button Chaparel Silver Watch”. It is warranted for 1 year to keep good time if not broken or exchanged. The company is Dennis & Fitch who were silversmiths in Troy New York during this period. The cost was $14.75, less $4.00 trade in for his old watch.

Now the questions I’d like to put to this august group of experts is: What is a Dbl Button Chaparel Silver watch? What kinds of watches were being produced at this time? Does anyone have any examples of watches that would fit this description and era or were produced or sold by Dennis & Fitch?

Any comments or guidance about this watch or receipt will be greatly appreciated.

The receipt in question.

hi Jon : Apparently Dennis and Fitch sold French,Swiss , and American watches,so how about researching "CHOPARD" a well known family of French and Swiss watchmakers,as I believe that you may have mis-read the receipt!! Remember, at that time America was still enthralled with France's support in the American Revolution, so French products were popular. That was a pretty good price for that time and if it had two buttons it could have been a chronograph or a repeater And what would that person be,your third or fourth cousin ?? One other thing if you send me a direct email with the receipt I will examine the rest of it for curious spelling or wording. Also I would do a genealogy search for all his GG grandchildren,all of them your cousins and blood relatives and try to see if one of them has the watch!!!! Also I would contact IHC185 member Tom Brown,who can find more information than any one I've ever seen,he may be able to tell you much more than me about both the sellers and the buyer of the watch , best wishes,Tom

Try double bottom. I have seen that expression used.

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the observations; this is exactly why I posted this here, the IHC always comes through.
Tom; your observation on Chopard is great! I don’t have much experience with Swiss manufacturers and had a difficult time reading the text. I’ll follow up on your suggestion for research and I’ll send a copy of the receipt directly to you. Any and all comments welcome. The person (George Peck) mentioned in the receipt is my great great grandfather. The person who sent the receipt to me is my cousin, George’s great great great granddaughter. I have inquired if the whereabouts of the watch is known but I think it’s a long shot if anyone still has it. What a fantastic heirloom that would be!

A short digression: I was once at a yard sale and thought I’d found my yard sale holy grail: a Hamilton gold watch, probably a 992. A young man was selling it for $10 bucks (said it didn’t work) and said his grandfather had worked for the railroad. As I was struggling with the ethical situation of buying the watch for $10, a 2 year old boy ran by. After learning that that was his son, I had to admonish the man that he was selling the boy’s great grandfather’s railroad watch, an heirloom that once gone can not be replaced. In addition it was worth much more that the asking price. He agreed and returned the watch to the house. I feel bad about missing out on the watch, but hopeful that one day he will tell his son that a stranger saved the watch from obscurity for him. Random act of kindness.

My discussions with my cousin has really just started having just found her online. Since her side of the family has kept so much information, I’m looking forward to many more avenues of research. I’ll also take up your suggestion and contact Tom Brown.

Jerry; At first I also thought that the receipt said “double bottom” but having never heard that expression used to describe a watch I thought button was more probable. What is a double bottom? Is it something that fits with a watch of this era (1836)?

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions.
Best regards,
Jon

Double bottom is used to describe the case and not the watch. The typical English case has two bottoms. Given the time frame involved,I would expect the watch to be English rather than French.
I am searching my books for sometning close to Chopard.

I suspected that was DBL bottomed ,as that would mean with a cuvette or interior dust jacket as well as the outer back. That was why I asked to see the note. And I still insist the likelihood of it being French is the greater, after all England was the recent enemy and the Marquis De Lafayette of France was an American hero. Dennis and Fitch were silversmiths and made watch cases so it was quite likely a Chopard movement in a D&F case or a complete Chopard watch?? That is my guess anyway,and I would love to see the watch,as I always loved detective work and ancient mysteries solved.

In "Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World" 21st Cen Ed. by Loomes it lists the following Chopard;

Chopard, Francois Louis. Sonvilier Switzerland 1783

Chopard, Frederic. Sonvilier Switzerland c. 1795

The Dennis & Fitch of Troy NY were Dennis M. Fitch & Stephen A Dennis

hi Tom; I went nuts and spent a lot of time looking,found a reference to them making silver watch cases, and have not been able to find it again no matter how hard I looked, aaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee as the Cajuns say !!!

Tom

Here is one link with a little info on them, it is The City of Troy & its vicinity.

http://books.google.com/books?...0%26%20Fitch&f=false

Dennis M. Fitch was born about 1813 in New York, in 1850 he is in Troy NY & is listed as a jeweler.

Stephen A. Dennis was born about 1804 & is also listed as a jeweler

Thank everyone, this is great information. I'll follow up on every one.

Thanks again,
Jon