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Much of his genius, of course, sprang from his familiarity with clock movements.

During these early years the repair of watches and clocks and the building of special clocks for church steeples formed an important part of the young man's occupation.

He became particularly interested in graduating and precision measurement during the 1840's, and his thinking along these lines developed considerably during this period.

But his business also grew, and we are told that Mr. Brown found it increasingly difficult to devote as much time to his creative thinking as his inclinations led him to desire.

It must have been with some pleasure and relief that on September 12, 1848, Joseph Brown made the momentous entry in his job book, in his characteristically cryptic style, `` Lucian Sharpe came to work for me this day as an apprentice ''.