Aaron Willard

Aaron Willard
Aaron Willard, portrait by John Ritto Penniman
Born	(1757-10-14)October 14, 1757 Grafton, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British Empire
Died	May 20, 1844(1844-05-20) (aged 86) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation	entrepreneur, industrialist, clock designer

Aaron Willard (b. October 14, 1757, Grafton, Massachusetts Bay; d. May 20, 1844, Boston, Massachusetts, US) was an entrepreneur, an industrialist, and a designer of clocks who worked extensively at his Roxbury, Massachusetts, factory during the early years of the United States of America.

While at the family farm at Grafton, Aaron Willard developed his career conjointly with his three brothers, who became celebrated horologists too (though Aaron's and his brother Simon's creations are the most significant).

Both brothers moved to Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, (where the peninsular town of Boston joined to the mainland) where they developed one of the first modern American industries, independently from each other. Simon and Aaron Willard's clocks were the first economically accessible timepieces of the country.

The first American ancestor of Willard's family was Simon Willard who arrived in 1634, together with his wife Mary Sharpe, stemming from Horsmonden, Kent, England. In America, Simon Willard became a military commander and dealt fiercely with the Indians. The Willards were among the founders of the town of Concord, Massachusetts. Later on, Simon had a prominent role throughout the region as politician and judge.

A century later, Aaron Willard was of Simon's fifth New England generation. He was born in 1757, at a farm located in the hill-region of Grafton, in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Aaron Willard's parents were Benjamin Willard and Sarah Brooks. He was the third of four sons; his brothers were Benjamin, Simon, and Ephraim.