Contributed by Tony Mindling
The grandfather clock was the technological center of the home in the mid-1800's, kind of like the computer is now. Both of these things arrived on my doorstep in the early 1980's, and both contributed to initiating the quest for family history...
When the folks took up trailer life and sold their home, Dad placed Jacob Peter's clock into my hands for caretaking. I asked Dad about the history of the clock, and we put the story on tape in 1982. Thus began my journey into family history.
The Story of the Clock
By Leo Mindling, 1982
Today is Friday, June 4, 1982 and Tony has asked me to record what I know about my grandfather's clock. My knowledge is strictly hand-me-down verbal from my father. The clock was - the works for the clock - were brought over from Germany when my great grandparents, the Peters, moved from Germany to Ohio, Washington County, Watertown Township near Marietta Ohio. Carl Peters was not the father - he was the son, his father Jacob was the one who brought the works I think, probably the one who fought under Wellington in the battle of Waterloo. The father and son built the cabinet on the farm in the little shop for the works that they had brought.
The earliest date that is written
in the clock on the back somewhere on the works shows C.P 1846 and J.P.
1840. The clock had been continuously in the family. My grandfather Jacob
Mindling married Maria Peters who was the daughter and as a result inherited
the farm with the proviso that he provide a home and a buggy and a horse
for his father-in-law and his mother-in-law as long as they lived, which
he did. Then the farm became my grandfather
Mindling's farm and I first recall the clock when I would go out to the
farm on vacation trips and spend considerable amount of time on the farm
in those times. My great-great grandfather Peter's
whom I never knew, was sort of a pen and ink artist and we have some examples
of his work drawing pictures of some of the various military uniforms at
the time of the Napoleonic wars and it had always been my impression that
the face of the clock had been created by him, but when I received the clock
on closer examination of the way the face was made it wasn't his work, it
was more of a manufactured thing. As my grandparents got into their
late seventies or early 80's, about 1932 or 1933 they were getting along
in years and their children got together and decided something had to be
done about their care. Of course the children were all scattered, had their
occupations and families in other parts of the country. My aunt Anna had
married William E. Jones, a congregational minister. He began to suffer
from asthma and decided to retire from the ministry and they chose, if the
rest of the children would sign over their rights to the farm, that they
would take over the farm and run it and do some remodeling on the place.
As a result they inherited all the furniture and the clock. Later on, Uncle
Will Jones died and Aunt Anna moved to Beverly, Ohio, and leased the farm
for a while and brought the furniture with her including the clock. I had
expressed a desire to Aunt Anna on several occasions that I would like to
be considered as one of those to receive the clock whenever she was ready
to pass it on. I never heard much more about it except that one time when
we were all visiting there in 1956 she had us there to dinner and she made
a remark saying I understand you would like the clock some day and I said
I would and that was the last I heard of it. She died along about 1969 or
1970 and willed everything to Mable Metze who was Aunt Roses daughter. Mable
Metze was the oldest child of Jacob and Maria Mindling and she married a
Henry Metze who farmed at Lowel, Ohio. Aunt Anna had always liked Mabel,
they had a good rapport, and she willed everything to Mable, apparently
with the verbal understanding that I was to get the clock. So when the estate
was all cleared up and everything Mable made arrangements to have the clock
shipped to me in Novato, California. We received it June 17, 1971. Tessie and I elected to sell our
property in Novato and disposed of a lot of our possessions in May 1982
and chose to turn the clock over to our son Tony Mindling at that time and
he has asked me to make this recording, the story of the clock. Some of the interesting features
of the clock upon examination is that the main frame of the works are not
made of metal - it is made of some kind of wood and all the shafts are supported
by this wooden frame and apparently it has worked out very well because
the shafts and bearings have not worn in the frame.  Jacob Peters' clock in my office, with his cane on top next to grandpa's (Sebastian Tallitsch), and my mother's (Tessie Mindling)cane leaning on the side. |
 Anna Jones with the Peters clock at her home in Beverly, about 1961 |