ALR Museum Gunsmith: Unknown Maker: "J.W.".... Upper Susquehanna School

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

Here is a challenge. Is this "J.W." John Watts or Jonathan Wetzel or? someone else. A beautifully carved and signed gun.

Here is the url:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=12128.0

Please add your comments here as a "reply."

Thank you
The Museum Committee

[scooter]

My vote is for Watts. Watts, John (1813-1885). gunsmith. 1850, Tuscarora Twp., Juniata County. 1860, Lack Twp., Juniata County. 1880, Bratton Twp., Mifflin County. Watts married Elizabeth Berryman. He was a son of James Watts and Elizabeth McBride of Wheatfield Twp., Juniata County, born on 2 November 1813. He died on 4 July 1885. A son James learned the gunsmith’s trade, but died young. David Wagner, a son-in-law, apprenticed with Watts.

[Don Getz]

Scooter......I disagree.   I never saw a John Watts this nice, plus, every John Watts rifle I have ever seen had his initials
made on top of the barrel using a center punch, making a series of dots to lay out the letters "J  W".    This gun looks
much more like a Snyder County gun, and would vote for Jonathan Wetzel......Don

[Don Getz]

In looking closer at the pictures, it appears to have a two  piece entry pipe, at least it looks like it could be riveted together.......another feature from Snyder County.........Don

[eastwind]

I've done some pretty hefty study of Berks County guns and I believe this rifle is by Jesse Worley of Mohnton, Cumru Township, in south Berks County. I've seen 2 (now 3) very similar rifles with the same identical signature... and to boot, one of them is owned by an elderly lady in Mohnton, Pennsylvania who positively says it was her father's gun. The town was a major center of gun barrel makers--such names as the Pannabeckers, Christ, Deeds, Gring, Haberling, Hornberger, Reichwein, Schnader and more...all worked from about 1750 until 1900. At one time some 20 gun barrel factories were on the Wyomissing Creek. The Worley family was a large  family of gun barrel makers along the Wyomissing and a few made complete guns...the most often seen are by Jesse Worley the elder, which I believe made this gun. He later bought and operated the first tilden hammer gun barrel factory, where most of his sons worked. Parts of the building still stand in Mohnton  - where in fact an exploratory dig will be performed next year.

I found no record that any Worley moved to Schuykill County and Jesse and most of his sons are buried in Mohnton.

Patrick Hornberger, author
BERKS COUNTY LONG RIFLES & GUNMAKERS