.50 cal, 41" ish barrel, last 8"s of the stock appears to be a new splice. "Rogers Warranted" PA made lock. Single trigger. Similar to an 1820-30s Henry American fur co gun in Ryan Gale's For Trade and Treaty. It is my understanding that Henry production in Philadelphia is 1807-1822 or so and that walnut and maple were both used for those guns as well as locks from the market. I'd appreciate any info or insights on this one.
Your understanding of the facts as you stated above is correct. John Joseph Henry started his Philadelphia business in 1807 and closed it in 1822, merging his operations with his brother's, William III, at Boulton Gun Works north of Nazarath, PA.
While in Philadelphia, John Joseph marked his guns "J. HENRY, PHIL
A" and appears to have used "JJ HENRY, BOULTON" after moving there. John Joseph's son, James, joined the firm in 1831. Some surviving guns are marked "JJ HENRY & SON, BOULTON" and assumed to have been made between 1831 and 1836. James took over the firm after his father's death in 1836. Guns were marked "J. HENRY, BOULTON" after that date. After James' son, Granville, became a partner in the firm in 1859, guns were marked "J. HENRY & SON". There are some surviving guns that are simply marked "J. HENRY". It's not known if these were made by John Joseph or James or if they are simply Henry barrels sold to other gun makers.
The stock architecture and mountings on your rifle are classic Lancaster pattern. The patch box finial is unusual, but we see a variety of patch box styles on Henry rifles. The lock mortise is so worn and chipped that it's hard to tell from the picture if the lock plate is original to the rifle. It certainly is in the style that one would expect on a pre-1822 rifle. The front lock bolt is too long to be original. The hammer is primitive looking, possibly off a military gun, and suggests a blacksmith conversion.
The rifle is definitely the same pattern and apparent quality of the rifles that were sold to the American Fur Co. I suspect that it was sold into the civilian market, though, based on its condition. It's clearly not one actually sold to the AFC because JJ Henry got his first order for rifles from AFC in 1826, several years after he closed his Philadelphia operations.
