Chauncey Boardman (1789–1857) was one of the most prominent early clockmakers in Bristol, Connecticut, active from around 1810 to 1850. He began making wooden-movement tall clocks with partner Butler Dunbar before continuing alone after 1812, later forming Boardman, Smith & Co. and then the large firm of Boardman and Wells, which at its peak operated as many as four factories simultaneously.
Boardman’s firms were early adopters of brass movements and helped pioneer the transition from weight-driven to spring-driven clocks. After Boardman and Wells dissolved in 1844, Boardman continued independently making Gothic “steeple” shelf clocks based on designs by Elias Ingraham, producing around 30,000 a year before financial difficulties ended his business in 1850.