The story popular in County Durham, England concerning ther clock is this,
The origional Grandfather Clock of the song stood in a public house in Piercebridge near Darlington County Durham It was owned by an old man and on the day he died the clock stopped, (no mention of it slowing down when he was ill.) The story goes that Christy's Minstrels were playing the Empire Theatre in Darlington at the time and heard the strange tale of the stopped clock. They in turn took the story back to America and the song was composed. I'm not sure if Henry Clay Work was one of Christies Minstrels or just heard the story from them but the clock still stands in that pub in Piercebridge with this story and a copy of the song. Cheers Bill