Missouri Rifle Makers Making Longrifles?

[woodsrunner]

I'm not knowledgable enough about the subject, but who were the rifle makers out in Missouri in the 1830s making Kentucky Longrifles? Curious

[BGC]

I can't speak for all the gunsmiths in MO, and I can't go back to 1830; but one gunsmith I know for certain went there.
John W. Rinehart born in Hampshire County (W)VA ended up in the Lexington, MO area around 1860 and died there 1890. + or -  Census records list him as a gunsmith around 1860 and 1870 and a storekeeper after that.

[J.D.]

The some of the Cole family was working as gunsmiths in Mo, but I don't know the time period. One WM Cole rifle, circa 1800-1810, with distinctive SWVA styling has turned up, and subsequently lost.

Some of the Sites family was at work in Cole county, MO, in about the 1830s.  JP Sites was working in Arrow Rock, Mo beginning about 1844. Both families were from Va, BTW.

Someone, Don't remember the author, wrote a book about Missouri Gunsmiths. I think he posts on the ALR. Hint, Hint. 

God bless

[msmith]

I believe Whisker may be working on a Missouri book, seems I heard that...

[jdm]

Vic Paul  published a book on Missouri gunsmiths in 1999. Missouri Gunsmiths to 1900. It is a hard bound book with over  two hundred pages.

[msmith]

ST Louis , Had the Hawken Brothers , Philip Creamer,Reno Beauvais,Horrace Dimick,Frederick Hellinghaus,Adolphus Meier,Henry Folsom,T.J. Albright and Meyer Friede...West of St Louis,were John& John JR Sites @ Boonville,. Others included, William Knaus,George Bergner,J G Philips,Mathias Wallerich,& Abram Renick....Sorry I do not know a thing about them, I just seen their names in a new book I got at Newark Show...Should give you enough to research for a few days....

[woodsrunner]

Thanks a million to all! I'll be digging for a while now!

[G-Man]

Woodsrunner - a few years back we discussed a great iron mounted rifle made by William Cole that appears to possibly be a Virginia made rifle brought west or was built by his son but in the style of Virginia work.  LOTS of the frontier families that first moved from Virginia and North Carolina to Tennessee and Kentucky in the 1760s-80s period ended up in Missouri in the early 19th century, including some of the gunmakers.

I will send you an e-mail with more.

Guy

[oakridge]

In his book, Jim Gordon also shows the following Missouri gunsmiths as working in the 1830's: J. S. Pease, J. Brunner and Jean Baptiste LeBeau in St. Louis, Henry Carter in Benton Co. and William Herrington in Jefferson Co.

[Majorjoel]

If my memory is working properly, I believe there are a couple of nice examples pictured in color of LeBeau's work in "Steel Canvas". A pistol comes to mind for sure.