Edward Maussenet, Watch Maker (& I Have Photos to Prove It)

Edward Maussenet was born in France about 1815. By the fall of 1847, he had immigrated to the United States and married into the well-respected DURE family when he married Maria Therese Delia Dure October 28th of that year in Chatham County, Georgia.

By August 1850, in time to be counted for the Federal Census, Edward and his family (including brother-in-law George) were residing in Macon, Bibb County, GA. Edward Maussenet's occupation was listed as "watch maker." A search of old newspapers at GenealogyBank found many advertisements for Edward's business throughout the 1850's. He was in a partnership with S. B. Day. They not only sold watches and jewelry, but musical instruments as well.

The ad at left begins this way: "Watches! Watches! CELEBRATED ENGLISH MAKERS -- James Hoddell & Co, R. & G. Beesley, Josh Toleman, Josh Olarenshaw, Edwards Robinson, and the celebrated American Watch in Gold and Solver Cases...by DAY & MAUSSENET."

I wanted to bring your attention to that portion of the advertisement, because I got the coolest email the other day from Mr. Reid Zeigler. He has an Olorenshaw watch that was sent to Day & Maussenet in the 1850s, and he was kind enough to send me information and pictures! From Mr. Zeigler:

"This watch was made in England by Joseph Olorenshaw & Co., in the 1850’s. At that time, it was common for American watchmakers and jewelers to import fine watches from England and Europe for their wealthy customers. The dust cover on this watch is engraved "Made expressly for Day & Maussenet Macon Geo." The outer case is gold washed sterling silver, and it has a Coventry hallmark of 1875. Olorenshaw was in business from about 1842-1857, so the outer case is certainly a replacement. The style of the movement is consistent with mid 1800’s Liverpool manufacture, and that also matches Edward Mausennet’s date of death that you recorded of July 1866."

(Thank-you, again, Mr. Zeigler!)
In an odd turn (it seemed to me, anyway) Day and Maussenet dissolved their partnership in March 1860 "by mutual consent." Two months later, Edward Maussenet announced his entry into the liquor and cigar business via the Macon Telegraph:

E. Maussenet has this day opened a First Class Liquor and Cigar Store...where he will, at all times, keep the Finest Qualities of wines, Liquors, and the Choicest Brands of Cigars.

Indeed, in another couple of months, Edward was enumerated in the 1860 Bibb County, GA Federal census with an occupation of "Wine & Liquor Merchant."

Edward was not to be in the liquor business as long as the watch business, however. Mr. Maussenet died 10 July 1866 and was laid to rest in a minimally marked lot at Rose Hill Cemetery. I have yet to find an obituary, but he was mentioned in the local newspaper some 40 years after his death:

Caught on the Wing
by John T. Boifeuillet
Recently, Mr. Simon Dannenburg and his wife were in a store in Paris, France, buying laces...The French clerk referred to the late E. Maussenet, a jeweler, who married a sister of Capt. George A. Dure, of Macon. Mr. Maussenet is well remembered by ante-bellum citizens of Macon now residing here. He came to Macon from France some time before the war between the states commenced.