Welcome Leems709,
That is a nice Henry Ledford rifle to start collecting with.
In 2021 I published a book titled "The Longrifle Makers of the Davidson School. " The book is 314 pages long and contains detailed photos of 35 Henry Ledford rifles and a large biography on him. The book sells for $60 plus $5 postage.
Henry Ledford was born in 1796 and died in 1856. He lived in Davidson County, N.C. He and his wife Catherine are buried beside each other in the Bethany Church Cemetery.
In John Bivins 1968 book "Longrifles of North Carolina" Bivins speculated that Davidson gunsmiths Henry
Ledford and Andrew Long trained in Salem (10 miles north) under Christoph Vogler. There is a strong similarity in their early rifles to Vogler's work. I recently spent two years in the Salem Moravian archives researching the Vogler family. While there are frequent complaints about Christoph bringing in outsiders in to work in his gunshop, the names Henry Ledford or Andrew Long never appear.
From studying the photos you posted, I believe your rifle has always been a half stock and has always been percussion. The lock might have been originally flintlock, but was converted before it was installed on the rifle. The silver inlays are typical to what are seen on Ledford rifles. I think your rifle was made in the early 1840's. His later rifles have more Jamestown School features as that is what was selling.
Henry Ledford longrifles are not rare. I have owned over a dozen of them and currently have three Eagle patchbox rifles by him in my collection. I recently purchased for resale an original flintlock, fullstock, signed Henry Ledford rifle that is available to add to your budding collection. It came from a family in Iredell County, N.C.
If you want more information please email me directly at mbriggs@callcoverage.com.
Thanks,
Michael Briggs
