"The Gunsmith's Shop in Bethlehem"

[spgordon]

I stumble across this document once every decade, it seems, in the archives at Jacobsburg Historical Society.

It's interesting for a number of reasons--it refers to a "gunsmith's shop" in Bethlehem, though there was not a free-standing shop (we assume the gunsmith worked out of the blacksmith's shop), and it names three customers who brought stuff to be repaired by Bethlehem's gunsmith--and it leaves some puzzles.

Why would these customers leave their property, which once repaired had some value (and use value), in Bethlehem for so long?

I'd love to know who these customers were. I'd love to know whether this advertisement was ever placed anywhere (or even where the Moravians thought about placing it). I'd love to know who the "gunsmith" referred to was: we assume it was Albrecht but ... who knows?

[Eric Kettenburg]

So does this look mostly right?  And who is 'Thomas,' the author?


Advertisement ———— 
            Thomas
Whereas there are several Guns, & Barrils thereof, lying in the Gunsmiths shop at Bethlehem some of which has been mended upwards of two years, and as there is amongst the (rest?) one Gun, belonging to John Morisson, one Barril Do. to John Johnson, one rifle to Fredrich Klyn, the owners whereof as well as the rest Neglecting to come fetch them, they having been mended upwards of twelve months, Whereby the Gun Smith is put to a considerable Disadvantage as well in taking care for the severall said Properties as also lying out of his money.  This is therefore for the last time To give Notice to all Persons that have any there, to come & fetch them otherwise they will be shortly exposd to Sale for payment of Charge accrued thereon by me.

Bethlehem February the 25th 1755

[spgordon]

Looks like a good transcription to me!

Joseph Powell, who was the storekeeper at Bethlehem, presumably wrote this advertisement.

The "Thomas" thing is unrelated to this 1755 note. At some later point, the other side of this piece of paper was used by Thomas Bartow to try out a new "silver pen"--he wrote his name, a few sentences over and over, etc.

There were several Thomas Bartows in Bethlehem and I haven't tried to figure out which one might have scribbled on the backside. The merchant Thomas Bartow (1709-1782) died in Bethlehem in 1782; his son Thomas Bartow (1736-1793), also a merchant, fled to Bethlehem in 1776 and was there until 1779 or so, and became closely connected to the Moravian church. His son was also Thomas Bartow (1771-1801), who also died & is buried in Bethlehem.

[spgordon]

Maybe it's worth noting that some of the gunsmithing work referred to in this advertisement would have been completed in late 1753 or very early 1754, given that Powell notes that by Feb 1755 the work had been done "upwards of twelve months" before.

[Dan Fruth]

These are just rare gems to look at and stimulate the imagination!  Thanks, Scott, for sharing...

[smart dog]

Hi,
Perhaps the owners died.  The timing is at the beginning of hostilities with the French and Indian tribes.

dave

[spgordon]

Perhaps the owners died.  The timing is at the beginning of hostilities with the French and Indian tribes.

Yeah, I wonder! Or moved away. Or ...

That's why I'd like to learn more about each of them. Not high on the list of things-to-do, though.

Bethlehem's craftsmen ought to have charged in advance! Though you'd think the investment in the weapon itself (even if not in the cost of the repair) would have brought the owner back to the shop.

[WESTbury]

Scott,

This is a great document. Perhaps when published in 1755, it flushed the owners out of hiding or Powell sold the pieces.

This is good insight into the period though, in any case.

Scott you may want to try panning for gold as you are great at excavating gems!

Kent

[backsplash75]

an analogue from Virginia

"About Six Months since, a long Gun, about 6 or 7 Feet in the Barrel, was brought by a young Gentleman of Glocester County, to me, … to be new Stock'd and Lock'd; and as I have some Reason to believe, that the Person who brought it is dead, and am desirous that the right Owner should have it, I therefore give this Notice,… James Geddy." [Wm. Parks, ed., Sept. 28-Oct. 5, 1739.]

[blienemann]

It is interesting that Joseph Powell mentioned “gunsmith’s shop” in English, while Albrecht and others referred to themselves as a gunstocker, a literal translation from the German der Büchsenschäfter. It appears that Albrecht worked separately from his arrival in late June 1750 through the end of 1752, as a small journal shows the Gunstock Maker trade for those years. In early 1752 Albrecht went looking for Sugar & Walnut Trees for Gun Stocks, and later to see some Trees to make Gun-Stocks. That year Kliest the master locksmith repaired a rifle for the Great Schawanos, and Albrecht stocked a rifle to his complete satisfaction. Albrecht and another talented Brother or two traveled far and wide to perform as musicians during these years. By sometime in 1753 Albrecht’s work as gunstocker was combined with the locksmith trade, and both presumably worked in the smaller side of the large Smithy building with their own forge, across from the blacksmiths. 

This draft notice from Feb 1755 was well before any clue of the French and Indian attacks in the fall, so apparently business as usual with Albrecht as gunstocker and Kliest or others as locksmith when Kliest was sent to Shamokin. Albrecht and another Brother were assigned charge of the children in August 1755, so his teaching role expanded.

Scott and I did find that Richard Shackleton, who managed the Oxford Iron Works across the river in New Jersey had guns stocked at Bethlehem, usually for other men. One of the Day Books has for 1755 March 24 – Stocking &ca a Gun for Fred.r Klein . . . 2. 6. –. This may be the Fredrich Klyn (Powell's English spelling of German name) listed in his ad. This may be a second job (Powell says one rifle already complete well before Feb 1755, and the Day Book lists a Gun (smoothbore) in late March of the same year.

These are wonderful tidbits that take us back in time. Thanks Scott for posting. Bob

[spgordon]

Even the English speakers vary from "gunsmith" to "gunstocker" in early documents.

As I've said before, it's a mistake to view the changes in the way financial records are kept (where the gunsmith's/gunstocker's expenses and profits are recorded) as if they reflect changes in the work itself or the physical arrangements of various craftsman. There's no evidence that Albrecht worked separately for some period and then, later, moved in with the locksmiths in the smithy. The bookkeeping changed, but probably not anything about the work.

Bob mentioned daybooks and ledgers. It is puzzling that the work for Morrison, Johnson, and Klein was not included in the daybooks or the ledgers, as least as far as we've found. I don't think we have any lists of outstanding debts to the gunsmith/gunstocker at this time: such lists show up (I think) only after the gunshop is built at Christiansbrunn. But, still, the gunsmith/gunstocker kept track of work he did and the cost of it and these things routinely show up in daybooks and ledgers. But no trace of work for Morrison, Johnson, or (the rifle for) Klein.

 

[spgordon]

Scott and I did find that Richard Shackleton, who managed the Oxford Iron Works across the river in New Jersey had guns stocked at Bethlehem, usually for other men. One of the Day Books has for 1755 March 24 – Stocking &ca a Gun for Fred.r Klein . . . 2. 6. –. This may be the Fredrich Klyn (Powell's English spelling of German name) listed in his ad. This may be a second job (Powell says one rifle already complete well before Feb 1755, and the Day Book lists a Gun (smoothbore) in late March of the same year.

I think this is what you're thinking of, Bob. The daybook just identifies work done for Shackleton (no indication of what that work is)--but the ledger, pictured here, which lists transactions by individual's accounts, provides additional information: the charge was for stocking a gun for Frederick Klein.

It is very likely, as you say, that this was a second instance of work done for Klein. But the coincidence of dates (Powell's draft advertisement and this entry, within a month of each other) makes me wonder.

It could be that the advertisement, if circulated, drew Shackleton back to Bethlehem and, as you suggest, he got more work done for Klein.

But ... it is also possible that the older work for Klein simply got entered in these financial ledgers at this time, prompted by Powell's effort to clean up his accounts. I wouldn't draw too much from the different terminology ("gun" in the ledger, "rifle" in Powell's advertisement): sometimes the difference between these types of arms appears precisely and sometimes it isn't. And these financial ledgers aren't transparent. They need to be read carefully with an eye toward how they are being used. Things might be entered into a ledger or daybook later than the work that the entry points to actually occurred.

All that said: if Powell was entering, after the fact, Klein's old charge he would probably enter the other two as well, which he doesn't. So probably Shackleton did come back to Bethlehem, recovered/paid for Klein's rifle, and then got more work done for Klein.