Beginnings

John Harrison was born March 24, 1963 in the county of Yorkshire, England. Four years after Harrison was born, his father,
a carpenter, moved the family to Barrow, England. It was in the town of Barrow that Harrison learned carpentry from his father,
picked up a fondness for music (eventually becoming choirmaster at his local church), and began to form a fascination
with clockwork.

At the age of 20, Harrison built his first pendulum clock, using almost all wood for his material. This was highly unusual
for a clock as most clocks had many metal parts. Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, assumes this was due to Harrison's
profession as a carpenter and the utility of using available material. Also notable, was that Harrison never apprenticed under
a clockmaker - he was entirely self-taught.

On August 30, 1718, Harrison married Elizabeth Barrell and together they had one son together. Approximately seven
years after their marriage Elizabeth died, and Harrison remarried to a woman named Elizabeth Scott on November 23, 1726.
Together, they had two children.


https://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_port/Barrow-in-Furness__England.cfm
Location of the town of Barrow, where Harrison grew up
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