Exactly when Edward Kline arrived in Henry, Marshall County, Illinois is not presently known. He was not found there in the 1850 census, but seemed to have been well established by 1854, when his ads could first be found in area newspapers. He is most noted as a maker of long-range target rifles, with false muzzles, which he referred to as "eighty-rod guns" in his ads, but also made hunting rifles, including Plains Rifles. His target rifles sold for "from $28 to $40". He used both walnut and maple stocks, and all known rifles are halfstocks. A fair number of his rifles could be described as "ornate", with silver mountings and inlays. I have never seen anything by him that did not use a patent breech. His rifles are normally cut with gain-twist rifling, and he mentioned it in his ads. He also made three barreled combination guns, with an underhammer mechanism for the lower barrel. All are of excellent workmanship. A heavy "Plains Rifle" is known, with the stamp, "D & E KLINE HENRY ILL". Little is known of "D. Kline. He is believed to have been a brother of Edward, who came to Henry with him but did not remain.
Kline was born December 24, 1822. The 1860 and 1870 censuses list his birthplace as "Hessen", but family sources say he was born in Alsace-Lorraine. He considered himself French, and had a lifelong distrust of the German military-industrial complex, stating that they would someday try to rule the world. A gunsmith named John Schurr worked for Kline for most of the years he was in Henry, and eventually opened his own shop after Kline left town sometime around 1877. Schurr also made guns. Kline moved to Streator, LaSalle County, where he is listed as a gunsmith in the 1880 census. He retired from business in 1886 or 1887, and sold his shop to to E C Van Loon, who continued the business. Edward Kline was still living in 1903.
