This is kind of grasping for straws but will ask anyway.
Several years ago a cousin of mine bought a rifle signed R B Gillespie on the top barrel flat. It was bought at a Richmond KY estate sale. The rifle is a typical poor boy style percussion rifle. I think it was made by a Gillespie cousin of mine that I did not know was a gun maker.
I have now located a second much higher grade gun that I believe came from the Lexington, KY area about 40 years ago. The barrel is signed the same as the earlier one but this one has a nice buttplate and patchbox with a few inlays (I have been unable to get photos)
One of my Gillespie ancestors was named Reese Bowen Gillespie (same initials) His father was known to have been taught how to make guns by his brother and also his uncle John Gillespie (John had a total of 14 sons, grandsons and gg grandsons that were gun makers). I know that he was born in 1782 and died in 1871 in Gentry County, Missouri. His father lived in Tazewell County VA so he was probably born in VA. Some of his family lived in TN and KY. What I am leading up to is I suspect he is the maker of the two rifles described above. Any chance any of you have run across an R. B. Gillespie in KY, probably in the 1840's?.
Dennis
