Valentine Lepley, Ohio and Iowa gunsmith

[Dietle]

I've seen a picture of a rifle by Jacob Lepley's son Valentine Lepley marked "V. L. No. 45. 1848", indicating that he made it when he was only 22-years old in Ohio, before he moved to Iowa in 1854. The picture shows a full-stocked rifle with a beautiful and highly distinctive BEDFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA STYLE percussion hammer, and stock lines and a trigger guard that would look at home on a Bedford or Somerset County, Pennsylvania rifle.

Valentine's rifle raises the question of how did a person who was born in Ohio come to make Bedford-style rifles, and who did he learn gunsmithing from? This map provides a possible answer the question. Valentine's gunsmith uncle Joseph moved from Somerset County, Pennsylvania to Butler County, Ohio around 1842, and lived right next door to Valentine's father Jacob. Valentine's brother William also became a gunsmith and moved to Iowa.

There is more about the various Lepley gunsmiths on my website: https://korns.org/lepley_gunsmithing/Lepley-gunsmiths-822020.html

[Tanselman]

The barrel inscription on the "V L" marked rifle suggests it may not be made by the young Valentine Lepley if he was only 22 years old in 1848. The "No. 45" strongly suggests this is the gunmaker's 45th produced rifle, explaining why the gun's quality was good... it was the product of an experienced gun maker. I'm not sure a 22-year-old gunsmith, just a year out of his apprenticeship, would have/could have produced 45 rifles already. Is there a signed Valentine Lepley gun with full last name, that can be used to compare and verify this rifle is his work? Without a more complete signature on a rifle, initials tend to be an attribution more than solid identification until a more fully signed gun comes along to verify the maker's work.

Shelby Gallien

[Dietle]

Good Point, Tanselman. I was wondering about the "No. 45" myself, after making the post. I don't know what publication the pictures came from, but the article the pictures were in had pictures of rifles that were attributed to William and Valentine Lepley.