I'm doing research on a J. & S. Hawken rifle in the Montana Historical Society. Herb posted photos of the rifle awhile back.
2 years ago there was a forum topic on Hawken patchboxes...
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=36562.0In the 2nd photo posted... the one by Mtn Meek... that shows several patchbox examples... the 2nd line of photos from the bottom... you see the patchbox on the MT historical society Hawken that I'm researching. I describe it as a snowman laying down wearing a witches hat. OK... That was weird. A more scientific description would be an oval patchbox with a round finial surrounding the forward screw with the finial ending in a pointed triangle. In the photo there are 2 similar patchboxes. One is on a rifle pictured in "Firearms of the American West, Vol 1" by Garavaglia and Worman. The last is on a rifle described as the "Sublette-Beale" rifle. I would very much like to have more information on these last 2 rifles.
Actually, I'd like to have as much information others might have on all 3 rifles.
I've been trying to determine who may have been the owner of the rifle in the MT Historical Society. "ETC" is engraved on the cheekpiece inlay. The museum provenance is that the rifle came to the museum in 1959 as part of a large donation of guns from the Samuel Johns collection. It is believed that Samuel Johns acquired the rifle from an F. G. Ellis in 1931 while on a gun buying trip to Webster Groves Missouri. Ideally I'd like to find a family connection between F.G. Ellis and the person who I think may have originally owned the rifle. Unfortunately I don't have a first name, date of birth/death, or any other information that would help in tracking down F.G. Ellis.
It is very possible that these 3 rifles were made within a few years of each other. If I can determine a date of manufacture it may help in determining possible ownership.
