Table Of ContentPlease
handle this volume
with care. <l>\0
TheUniversityofConnecticut
Libraries, Starrs
£
_\
ref,stx TS535S291953
American gun makers
3 1153 DQflb7E7S 2
-
^
v-
fSERVED
i FOR
1 BPERENCf
|
**•
EADING
NOT TO IE TAKEN
^ROM TUf URRARV
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/gunmakerOOsatt
AMEMGAE! MAmm
<SOT
MAHEM
OTM
by
ARCADI GLUCKMAN
—
Colonel U. S. Army Ret.
and
L. D. SATTERLEE
THE BTACKFOhE
CO.
HARRISBURG, PA.
R ESERVED
FOR
EFERENCI
EADING
NOT TO Bf TAKEN
«=ROM THE LIBRARY
Copyright 1953 by
THE STACKPOLE COMPANY
SECOND EDITION, REVISED
Including
SUPPLEMENT OF
AMERICAN GUN MAKERS
All Rights Reserved
L. C. CATALOG CARD NO. 53-5668
Printed in United States
by
THE TELEGRAPH PRESS
Established 1831
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
F©HEWOHP
Some thirteen years have passed since the first printing of
American Gun Makers, and though the original work published
by Ulbrich Company was brought up to 1949 by the issue of a
Supplement, it is felt that since more of the mist surrounding
the activities of our early arms makers has lifted, the time has
come to correct and delete, to edit and add, and place in the
hands of the gun-loving fraternity a revised volume incorporating
old material brought to date within the knowledge available; the
contents of the Supplement of American Gun Makers, and new
material gathered or contributed in the past four years.
It is perhaps appropriate here to quote from the Foreword
of the original work.
"It is regrettable that some of the historically most im-
portant arms makers are dismissed with but a few lines; no
reflection on their craftsmanship, or the volume of produc-
tion. It is a hopeful sign that this situation is being slowly
but surely corrected as new biographical and historical facts
are uncovered, pertinent documents come to light, and col-
lectors, students and historians interested in research and
delving in old forgotten papers and tomes, contribute of their
knowledge and finds.
While it has been our purpose to include only the known
producers of complete American small arms, or of their major
parts, it is quite likely that many firearms makers of old, their
names garnered from ancient directories and documents, are
included, though no arms have been met with bearing their
name. Mere repairs and maintenance would have yielded a
precarious living in those days, and proud of their craft,
practically all the old gunsmiths were firearms makers, though
for natural reasons, many left the products of their handi-
work unsigned during the Revolution, and even later.
It is to be noted that single dates, or double dates indicat-
ing a short period of activity, are indicative only of the general
period of such activity, having been gleaned from old city
directories, tax rolls, advertisements, local histories, etc."
We
might add here that no available source has been
neglected in the compilation: documents, archives, directories,
tax lists, local histories, tombstones, family and friendly remin-
iscences, oral tradition, magazine articles, newspaper advertise-
ments, letters to the undersigned, maker's marks and the arms
themselves;—all have contributed their grist, and it is but natural
that along with the meal much chaff is included. There are un-
discovered "repeaters," due to varied spellings or changed loca-
tions; some are included as gunsmiths who merely inscribed their
name for pride or security of possession; some may be foreign and
some may never have existed and have been brought in by "asso-
ciation." To all these errors of fact or interpretation, we plead
guilty and will be happy to make amends or correction when
brought to our attention.
Included in this edition are the available initials, names and
other data of our early Ordnance personnel, civilian and military,
as a matter of historical interest, and to facilitate the identifica-
tion of inspectors of our early contract arms.
Grateful acknowledgement is made to Messrs. Robert Bingham,
Milton DeS. Clow, Miner Cooper, Roy E. Green, Calvin Hetrick,
J.
James L. Mitchell, L. C. Quick, J. W. Pittock Jr., and the late
Richard D. Steuart for generous contribution of much original
data and biographical sketches of the original edition, and to
Messrs. Walter M. Cline, John G. W. Dillin, Robert Gardner,
James E. Hicks, Dr. Paul B. Jenkins, Ned H. Roberts and Stephen
Van Rensselaer, for their earlier works and research, and to Rhea
Mansfield Knittle and Stuart M. Martin for their studies of early
Ohio gunsmiths, all of which greatly facilitated the task of the
undersigned.
To all who contributed new material or brought attention to
past errors and omissions, heartfelt THANKS. Sincere appreciation
for important contributions of data is expressed to Messrs. Wm.
C. Almquist, Don H. Berkebile, Frank Donham, W. R. Felton,
C. Charter Harrison, Dr. T. Herron, W. H. Kelly, Wallace
J.
Mundell, Harold L. Peterson, P. Shaw, Sam E. Smith, Gerald
J.
Teesdale: to Harry Wandrus, Wes White and Robert C. Whiteman
for generous contribution of material on early Pennsylvania gun-
smiths; to William Abbot Jr., Jerry and Sue Hirtle, Frank E. Mar-
tin, Deuel Richardson, Harry C. Rife, Russell Smith, M. Urner,
J.
William C. Weaver and David Weimer for indirect contribu-
J.
tions. Space limits acknowledgement to all.
Again special acknowledgement of great indebtedness is
made to Donald Baird of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,
Harvard University. Mr. Baird's critical and constructive com-
ments and unselfish assistance in material, generous and valuable
as to quantity and quality, have been of inestimable value.
The unfortunate meagerness of many of the entries is self-
evident. It is hoped that this inadequacy may be rectified in the
future through the generosity and cooperation of the readers,
whose additional and correctional material, sent in care of the
publishers, will be carefully preserved and incorporated in future
editions.
Arcadi Gluckman
—
Colonel U. S. Army Ret.
L. D. Satterlee
