Originally Posted by
cjlindem
I can't help with opening the lock, but just a bit of history- a little research I've done on the years of operation of various early American lock companies notes that Henry C. Jones was in business from 1837 through ~1863. Charles W. A. Romer was the foreman for HC Jones company and took over the business sometime around 1863. The company was renamed Romer & Co., probably at this time (or at least no later than 1868 when Jones died). Unless your trunk was constructed with older lock parts, it was probably more of a mid-19th century construction. Very cool!
To continue the lineage, a John H. Wilkins (JHW) was a partner in Romer & Co. and took over in 1883 to form the J.H.W. Climax Company