This collection consists of personal papers of clock maker and astronomer William Cranch Bond (1789-1859) and his family, the records of the company William Bond & Son, of Boston, Massachusetts, some records of the Harvard College Observatory, papers of J. Morton Clinch, photographs, printed material, and medals and watches, dated from 1724 to 1931.

William Bond & Son was established in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1793 by William Bond, Sr., (1754-1848) an English silversmith and watch maker. His son, the astronomer William Cranch Bond (1789-1859), joined him in the business, which later expanded to include his sons, Joseph Cranch Bond (1823-1860) and Richard Fifield Bond (1827-1866) partners. His other son, George Phillips Bond (1825-1865), also worked for the firm, which manufactured, imported, and repaired clocks, watches, and chronometers. William Cranch Bond constructed the first American-made marine chronometer, and the business supplied and repaired chronometers for the United States government, which were used in surveys of the Atlantic Coast and the Colorado River. William Cranch Bond and George P. Bond also devised a break circuit device that attached to the escapement of a clock, which became the foundation of the new "American method" of determining longitude. The device, which they termed a "spring governor," earned a Council Medal at the London Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851. William Cranch Bond and Joseph C. Bond sold their shares in the company to Richard F. Bond in 1857. Other family members who later joined the business included William Cranch Bond's nephew, J. Morton Clinch (1833-1908) and grandson William C. Bond (born 1860). William Bond & Son ceased manufacturing clocks and chronometers in 1889, though it did not close until 1977.