Need help - trying to ID this rifle

[cwbuff]

My barrel is marked I. Scholb on the bottom flat at the breech. I've been told this is a known barrel maker.
 The Baer family appeared to be primarily involved in large farming operations in, and around Lehigh county Pennsylvania. They were married into several prominent families, some with ties to prominent gunsmiths in the area. There are many family members with the first initial "J". I suspect that one of these J. Baer farmers, also made guns as a sideline. A couple of them were also listed as blacksmiths which might help narrow the field.

  Hungry Horse

This article (http://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/B016_Milliman.pdf), which you may have seen, identifies I. Scholb as one of the finest barrel makers of the 1780-1815 period. Look at the bottom of page 15-26.

[cwbuff]

Can anyone determine from the pictures I posted what kind of wood the stock is made from?

[Hungry Horse]

From the pictures yours looks like maple. Mine is a quite nice piece of curly maple, which is partially responsible for the damage on the forearm. Age, and rough handling, have caused the very thin forearm to crack along the grain.
 I can't tell you how excited I am to have the name of the likely builder of my gun. I would still like to narrow down which Baer actually built my gun, and if yours, and mine, were built by the same person, or another family member.
 Obviously the workmanship on both these guns is not crude, so it is likely the craftsman built guns regularly. Who knows how many of these fine guns are languishing away in collections, or closets, undiscovered.

  Hungry Horse

[cwbuff]

I live in Virginia, but grew up in Ohio.  I used to go to Log Cabin Sport Shop in Lodi to buy black powder. This is Kindig's shop. I will have to look into talking to those folks to see what they know on my next trip back. I used to be a member of the Forks of the Delaware Show in Allentown. I have not been back there in years. If I had a reason to head up there (like a museum or another place where I could talk to folks), I would go back there.

I spend a lot on time on genealogy research. The old records are loaded with conflicting information - especially various spellings.

[jdm]

With the I Scholb mark  as the barrel maker that sure narrows the whole gun down to Eastern  Pa. ( stock design, furniture and barrel ) . I found reference to  Jacob Bear as coming from Lancaster to Union Township , Berks County in 1779. In the old records spelling sometimes gets turned around. It might be something to look into.  " Arms Makers of Pennsylvania " by  Jim Whisker.

[cwbuff]

With the I Scholb mark  as the barrel maker that sure narrows the whole gun down to Eastern  Pa. ( stock design, furniture and barrel ) . I found reference to  Jacob Bear as coming from Lancaster to Union Township , Berks County in 1779. In the old records spelling sometimes gets turned around. It might be something to look into.  " Arms Makers of Pennsylvania " by  Jim Whisker.

Thanks - that is interesting.

[cwbuff]

I started exploring any connections to Jacob George -- thinking that maybe "J. Baer" worked with Jacob George. There is a gunsmith named Jacob George buried in the New Jerusalem (Dunkle's) Church cemetery in Greenwich Township, Berks County. I don't know if he is the same one whose work is very similar to the work on my rifle. Then I did some research at the Berks County Church Record lookup website (http://www.berkshistory.org/library/church-record-index/. There are many records that would match "J. Baer". But interestingly enough, two records show up from the New Jerusalem (Dunkle's) Church (circa 1753-1882) for a "John Baer" and a "Joel Baer". Could this be the connection?

[cwbuff]

I did a little more research on possibilities for "J. Bear". Here are 3 interesting finds of soldiers of the American Revolution. This does not indicate they are gunsmiths or gunmakers, but it does establish a connection to use of firearms in the right time frame.

1) Jacob Baer - a private in Captain Edelman's Company, 4th Battalion, Northampton County Militia.
2) John Baer - Class 6 in 8th Co. of Capt. Frederick Kuntz, Lehigh Township, Northampton County Militia, May the 2, 1781
3) Jf'hn Baer and Peter Baer - in  Capt. Adam Staller's Company, Northampton County Militia OCT. 3TH. 1781. (c.)

I don't know if "Jj'hn" is an abbreviation or an OCR error by Google. If the latter, it could be "John," which could be the same person as #1 having changed companies, or a different "John Baer."

I also found reference to a "Baer Valley" near Seipsville, Weisenberg Twp., Lehigh Co. So many of the Baer family lived there that the locals called it the "Baer Valley." This is adjacent to the Berks County line.