As Torri Johnson, a Village of Fenney resident, delicately moved her hand across the clock with long-lost features, a rather nostalgic air filled the room. After traveling in her family through generations, this clock box, filled with family stories, became hers in 2002.
“This clock makes the same sound now as it did for my great-great-grandfather,” Johnson said with a smile.
The story of the clock began with Johnson’s great-great-grandfather, William Henry Byrd.
At the time of purchase, Byrd was 40 years old, with a wife and baby. His young family lived on the Tennessee border.
Before Byrd left to serve in the Civil War, “He hid the clock in a hollow tree,” Johnson said. “He said it was so the damn Yankees wouldn’t get it.”
After Byrd’s death, the clock was handed down to her grandfather, Edwin DeBerry Byrd, who respectfully placed it on the fireplace mantel for quite a long time.
From there, the clock was passed along to Johnson’s uncle, but he was born blind and had no visual use for the clock. Still, he gratefully cherished it for 40 years.
By the time Johnson received the clock, several parts were broken, and it was dilapidated.
“My mom was excited for me to have it and hoped that I would get it working again,” she said.
Luckily, she found a clock repairman who was skilled in repairing very old pieces.
After tensely waiting two months, the clock was returned, ticking away and running. After another repair and a very careful transfer from Minnesota, the Seth Thomas original clock now greets guests a few feet from the front gate.
“It worked for about 10 years,” Johnson said with a smile.
“Winding it every night just became part of my routine before I go to bed,” said Dan Johnson, Torri’s husband. “Lock the door and wind the clock.”
After nearly 20 years of hearing this 150-year-old story speak through chimes, Torri’s eyes still lit up.
“It is a piece of me that continues to carry on,” she said. “This clock is part of who I am.”
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun