Charles Allison grew up in a farming family in Holley, New York. When a Rochester businessman loaned him a pocket watch to study in 1908, his life’s trajectory changed—and a watchmaker was born.

     Allison repaired watches in both Rochester and Los Angeles, but also explored the craftmanship of horology, creating 13 artisan timepieces that became known as The Allison Collection. Displayed in his shop, the clocks gained acclaim from Golden Age Hollywood celebrities and were slated for a museum upon Allison’s death in 1955.

     Instead, all 13 timepieces disappeared for nearly 70 years.

   Join Charles’ grandson, Gregory Allison, as he discusses his decades-long cross-country quest to find his grandfather’s missing collection. Photos and excerpts from Gregory’s 2024 memoir “My Grandfather’s Clocks: The True Story of a Grandson’s Search for an American Inventor’s Lost Collection” will be included.    

Gregory Gerard Allison's work has been published by Tiny Lights, Lake Affect, and other journals. He is the author of In Jupiter's Shadow and editor of The Big Brick Review. In 2015, City Magazine included him in a list of Five local authors Rochesterians should have on a bookshelf. Allison resides in Rochester, NY with his husband of 25 years. To learn more about his grandfather's collection: CharlesAllisonClocks.com.

Registration is recommended, but not required.

This is an in-person program that will also be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams

This event is presented by the Local History & Genealogy Division.