Iowa Gunmakers

[JCKelly]

Is anyone out there writing a book on Iowa Gunmakers?

I'm in the process of revising Michigan Gunsmiths for a second edition. There was a William T. Melvin who worked as a gunsmith in St. Joseph County, Michigan in 1875 (Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1875, R.L. Polk & Co., Detroit). The 1880 census says that a gunsmith named William T. Melvin, born in New York, was working in Benton County, Iowa. Some of these guys moved all over the place.

So if you are writing on Iowa Gunmakers I have a tidbit for you. If you have additional information on Melvin I'd appreciate if you'd share it, to include in my almost-finished second edition.
Thanks. Jim Kelly

[Tanselman]

Jim,  You might want to contact Curt Johnson out in IL directly, since I think he has been working on an Iowa Gunmakers book for the last couple of years. Shelby Gallien

[JCKelly]

Thanks, Shelby. Done.

[Curt J]

Jim,

This post (and your e-mail) appeared right before we left for eight days at Friendship, Indiana.  I'm just now starting to catch up on a few things.  Yes, I do have an interest in Iowa makers, and have a friend, Tom Moore, who is also.  We both have a few Iowa guns.  Tom and I have talked of publishing somehing on the subject, but it is still just talk at this point. We have both been gathering information for a number of years. It will probably be a "retirement project".  The only information I have on Melvin is the same as your's, the 1880 census listing.