Jacob Briggle II (1831-1896). gunsmith. Jacob, born on 16 September 1831, was the second of three sons of Christian and Anna Mary Briggle. His parents emigrated from Bavaria in 1832. Christian (1795-1881) was a brother of Jacob Briggle I and Adam Briggle who had earlier emigrated to America. By 1835 Christian and Mary Briggle had moved to Queen, Bedford County. On 21 March 1854 Jacob married Sophia Burket before Rev. Jeremiah Heller. On 7 August 1862 he joined Company E, 138th Pennsylvania Volunteers, in the Union Army. He was present at Cold Harbor and Middletown. His enlistment papers noted he was a gunsmith by trade, and described him as being 5'11'' tall with hazel eyes, sandy hair and fair complexion. He was discharged on 19 December 1863 at Philadelphia due to severe "lung congestion and inflammation." He arrived home on New Year's Day 1864. He spent the next eighteen months recovering from his illness and regaining his strength. He then moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and unable to stand cold weather, moved soon to Jasper County, Missouri. He lived out the remainder of his life near Carthage, Missouri. He died on 23 November 1896 and was buried in that area.
One gunlock has been viewed marked with the initials, "T.O./ J.G.B." from which we might assume that Briggle had apprenticed with Thomas Oldham. We may note that Oldham had moved to Iowa before the Civil War, as had Samuel and Enos Border. It is probable that Briggle bought out Oldham's shop and, in turn, sold out to John Nicholas Matthesiee. Some guns that appear to have been Matthesiee's work actually bear Briggle's signature.
