Friendly competitors--Leman/Henry

[jwh1947]

One of the most interesting tidbits on later PA rifles that I've encountered recently comes compliments of the researchers at Jacobsburg Plantation.  It comes from primary documentation that they found on this historical site--the location of the Henry gunworks for several generations.

The point of interest--when the Henrys had an urgent need for hardware, they would ask for help from Henry Leman of Lancaster, and vice versa.  If Leman needed something, he felt comfortable calling the Henrys, on his cell, I think.  No surprise here; good businessmen cooperate for mutual benefit, then as now.   Perhaps we could entice Tim to elaborate on this situation.  He's got the details.  Incidentally, if you want to see nice rifles and learn about them, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the Plantation.  Open weekends, I think, during summer/fall.  Not far from Easton, PA (on NJ border--other side very gun unfriendly).  Close to Dixon's.  Very desirable experience for historians/rifle enthusiasts.

Also, as most of you probably know already, there were certain pieces of hardware that both factorys made that were widely used by other builders up and down the Appalachian range and beyond.  For instance, Henry Leman must have made tons of those cap boxes that look like a toilet seat.  I owned one of the better John Shells that had this box.  Shell engraved it, but I am convinced that Leman made it, as I have the identical one on a Leman rifle.  That commode lid pops up on Dauphin guns and late Lancasters a lot.  My bet is that H. Gibbs, Sr. and Jr. also had a give/take/trade relationship with Henry Leman, too.  I ask the Tryon experts, was there a  connection here, too?  Just curious.  

[Sean]

JWH,

I'm not so sure what you're trying to get at here, but in general I find the PA gun trade of 1800-1860 to be a complex and interesting study.  Whether or not their cooperation and competition was always friendly, who knows.  But most of these guys were shrewd businessmen who were very adept at finding markets and making a buck despite repeated economic panics and booms.  It was after all a very competitive business as evidenced by the number of folks who came into it and dropped out of it over the years to pursue other trades.  Jacob Dickert's own grandsons, JD and BD Gill, appear to have moved back and forth between the gun trade and the cabinet making trade.  Even powerhouses like Deringer eventually started losing out on big government contracts and refocused his efforts on producing pocket pistols.  Most of the larger operations sold not only complete rifles, but also locks, barrels, hardware, etc.  But even with some inventory on hand, the bigger orders (like 500-2750 rifles) could even get Deringer, Tryon and Leman scrambling for parts.  There are letters from Henry to AFC requesting their help in importing good English locks despite the fact that he touted the quality of his own locks in other communications.  The Tryons actually split their company up into separate entities at one point, one focused on building arms and another focused on importation of arms and parts.  They all knew each other.  George Tryon worked with JJ Henry and Fredrick Goetz early on.  Leman worked with both Melchior Fordney and Tryon.  Jacob Fordney apprenticed to the Gumpfs.  Apprentices often married daughters of their masters, cementing family and professional relationships.  Lose partnerships were formed and dissolved over the years in efforts to gain big contracts, and during all this time these builders also made and often imported guns for the local trade.  Like I said, its a complex topic.

Sean