ALR Museum Gunsmith: J. Atkinson.....Tenn or Kentucky

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

A very fine decorated Southern rifle by J. Atkinson.

Here is the URL:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=21626.0

Comments welcome here as a reply.

The Museum Committee

[G-Man]

Beautiful rifle.  It has strong similarities (guard and patchbox) to another rifle that was posted on ALR a few years ago. 

Not often we get to see Cumberalnd Plateau area rifles.  That is pushing down toward Sgt. York country.....

Hard to tell on the dates.  I think 1827 seems too early for this rifle and I guess i would not surprise me if J Atkinson born in 1842 could be the maker.  But hard to say.  Barrels often got reused so it could be an earilier barrel.  I don't see a slot in the wood for a flint cock so it looks to have always been percussion(?), but I could be wrong.

Regardless, a nice piece.

Guy

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I remember seeing this rifle when I was a kid!  An elderly gentleman in Putnam County, Tn had it and had traded for it when he lived in Byrdstown, Tn after the war.

[rsells]

Guy is correct.  According to the info I have been able to find to date, there are 4 Joel Atkinson in three generations of this family.   I haven't been able to pin it down, but I think the rifle was made by Joel Atkinson (born 1740 in VA) that moved to Jamestown, TN from Va.  Originally, I thought the Joel Atkinson that was born in Jamestown, TN made the rifle, but he couldn't have been the maker because he was born in 1840 time frame, and the date on the barrel looks like  Aug 24, 1807.  The only number that is a bit hard to read on the date is the 8.  It came into my family the first time  in 1905, so I know it is not a 9 and it clearly is not a 7.  I don't think the current lock was originally flint, and the wood behind the hammer has been replaced sometime in the past, so, I can not say the mortis was originally cut for a flintlock and updated to a cap later on.  The barrel could have come from an older rifle that was a flint, I haven't disassembled the rifle to see if it has any info on the underside of the barrel that would be of help, and  I haven't been able to find any info on the person that Joel made the rifle for originally to date.  However, the search goes on.
                                                         Roger Sells

[G-Man]

Roger - so this does appear to be a plateau region gun correct?  Interesting. 

Fentress County TN (where Jamestown is located) is just across the line from Wayne County, KY. Sounds like the Atkinsons were a pretty big family in the area.

Nice rifle

Guy

[rsells]

Guy,
I was raised about 25 miles from Jamestown, TN and about an hour or so from where the Atkinson family ended up in the Monticello,KY area.  It is odd that I haven't seen  more examples of Atkinson work during my life being right in the area where they lived and worked.  The Atkinson family lived in Albany area for a while, which is six miles from my home in Byrdstown, TN.  One of my family members acquired the rifle in Albany according to family members info.  When I started trying to look into the Atkinson family info, the trail I found first started in Jamestown, TN when Joel Atkinson first moved from VA to TN.  I found a book that was published about the Atkinson gunsmith family in my search, however, it was all about the makers in the family gun makers in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  The book is in the Monticello library.  The only copy I have found for sale to date is in England.  Bummer!  I would like to have it to go with the photographs I have of some of the family makers shop areas.  I did make copies of the book for my files.  The rifle has been broken through the wrist and repaired sometime in the past.  The repair was made before it came into the Hassler family in 1905.  It would be nice to know the details of the work done at that time, but none is available.  If I can ever hit the trail of the owner Joel made the rifle for it would shine a lot of light on the history of the rifle.
                                                         Roger Sells