Middle Tn gunmaker George Long

[Logang]

I am looking for information on guns built by George Long. He lived in what is now Van Buren county in Tn. Van Buren was not a county until 1840,  so he is on the 1820 census as being in White county. I see from some post on here that Mr. WElliott might have a rifle built by Mr. Long but it doesn't appear that he has been active on here since 2020. Does anyone have any information regarding George Long, his rifles, or what may have become of Mr. Elliott?  Thanks,  Logan.

[Cades Cove Fiddler]

 :'( :'(... Wayne Elliott was a premier collector of Sothern guns and particularly those from Tennessee and his native Georgia.. he passed away about two years ago,... most of his collection is now in the hands of other collectors, many on this site... he was a great  friend, and always willing to share his extensive knowledge... He is greatly missed,...... regards... Cades Cove Fiddler

[Logang]

Very sorry to hear that Mr. Elliott has passed away.  I saw that he posted pretty frequently, then nothing after 2020, so I was afraid that may have been the case.

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I have a rifle attributed to George Long. I bought it between Spencer and Beersheba Springs.

Bill

[Logang]

Sequatchie Rifle do you happen to have any pictures of the rifle? Is it a flintlock or percussion? 

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I’ll try to email them to you next week. I’ll have to dig the gun out of the corn crib.

[Tanselman]

Logan,

You may want to check the images of the "Thomas Long" rifle on p.133 in the relatively new book, "Indiana Gunmakers 1778-1900." That gun passed through several collectors' hands years ago, including mine, since we weren't sure what it was. I first thought it was a Kentucky gun since Thomas Long was born in KY and worked there before moving to Indiana, but I never was certain of the first initial... which was kind of scroll-like. While the last name was clearly "Long" in script, the first initial could have been a "G" instead of a "T" as currently identified. The rifle is walnut stocked, long barrel, iron mounted with a cast nose cap, and looks southern. Might be worth taking a look at it.

Shelby Gallien

[Logang]

Thank you Mr. Gallien, I will look in to that book.  I'm not sure i would know what i was looking at. I have never seen a rifle built by George Long.  I am sure someone here local has one in the closet that has been pasted down but i have not been able to root one out yet.

[Logang]

I found in the county court records where they auctioned off Mr. Longs possessions after his passing. It list several rifle barrels and pistol barrels. Also listed a few clocks and clockmaking tools, I guess he did a bit of that as well. I also read somewhere that he made bells and axe heads.
I have found two rifles locally but I havent went to look at them yet to see if they were built by Mr. Long. Most of people  I have asked say that they have never seen a longrifle other than in books or movies. I figured they would be a little more common than it appears.
Do any of you gentleman recall if the George Long rifle that Mr. Elliott had was signed on the barrel or any other features it had?

[Logang]

George Long was born in Grayson Virginia in 1781 and his son was born in Virginia in 1815. He would have been in his thirty's,  if he was also in Virginia,  when his son was born. I assume he was also building guns there before coming to Tn. Unfortunately the Virginia  census reports for 1790 and 1800 were destroyed in the war of 1812.