Above is the final revision, incorporating recent John Moll discussions and softening or emphasizing some conclusions based on your commentary, for which I am grateful. I also worked in what was found on the (surprising) Rupp-Schreckengost relationships, of which there were at least three intermarriages.
For those with an interest, a fascinating character deserving of further work is Adam Herman Rupp (1756-1831). (Thought to be a Moll I apprentice) Unlike Newhard and Moll, Rupp came from what was apparently a wealthy family, and may not have needed a trade as a sideline. (His mother was the daughter of an Alsatian Count). That may mean he chose gunmaking only because he enjoyed it.
We know he was the owner of 280 acres of land in Macungie township prior to the death of his father, when he inherited the old homestead, where he resided until his death. I don't know how large of a spread his father owned, but it may well have been a full section or more (600+ acres). I do know that in the next generation, Herman Rupp's son split the property around 1850 into three equal parts valued at $15,000 each, when a farm sufficiently large to support a big family could be had in the $4-6000 range.
Herman also reportedly served four years as a soldier during the Revolution, and was active in the militia organization later, reaching the rank of Brigadier General of militia. That's not small potatoes either in the political landscape of ca 1810 Pennsylvania.
