Some may wonder what is special about the "L. Bryan" rifle. For those who collect early rifles made west of the Appalachians, and specifically early Kentucky guns, it represents one of the earliest and finest examples of a Lexington rifle...the rifle style most recognizable within early Kentucky gunmaking. The Bryan family (inter-married with the Boone family) of gunmakers was heavily responsible for the development and distinctive look of the Lexington rifle. Any early Kentucky-made rifle with a full patchbox is rare, signed rifles even more rare, and those that carry both the maker's and the original owner's names are very special. Those special rifles can be traced back to a place and time where the original owner lived, thus allowing us to learn something about how the rifle began its life, who used it, and perhaps an historic event or two the rifle witnessed during its working days. For example, a quick check on this particular rifle shows that its probable original owner served in the War of 1812 at Ft. Meigs...same time and same place that the great Kentucky hornsmith, Francis Tansel, served during the War of 1812.
Some may recall the fine Lexington style rifle raffled off at the CLA in 2013... a true copy of a Bryan rifle crafted by the accomplished gun-builder Marvin Kemper of Indiana. Lexington rifles are growing in exposure and desirability these days due to their importance in early KY history and their distinctive appearance that is becoming more widely recognized by collectors. While not as heavily decorated as finer eastern rifles, Lexington guns make up for any decorative shortcomings by their slender, elegant stock architecture enhanced by barrels 46 to 48 inches in length. Slim wrists, delicate forestocks, tight side facings, a unique patchbox, and bold triangular butts with strong combs create a great looking, beautiful rifle...regardless of how much silver or carving it may lack.
The "L. Bryan" rifle was made by Lewis Bryan (1785-1871), oldest son of pioneer KY gunsmith Daniel Bryan who heavily influenced the Lexington rifle style. The Bryans arrived in Kentucky (Bryan's Station, five miles northeast of Lexington) from North Carolina in 1779. Gunsmith William Bryan Sr. led the Bryan party to Kentucky, but died by Indian fire before making any guns on Kentucky soil. His son, Daniel Bryan, was the earliest Bryan gunsmith known to build rifles in Kentucky. Daniel's rifles are extremely rare...in fact, in 35 years of chasing KY guns, I've never seen a totally original signed Daniel Bryan rifle with full patchbox...and this is only the third Lewis Bryan rifle that I've ever heard about, another of which is the better known "L. & W. Bryan" signed rifle made by Lewis and his younger brother William in the Bryan shop at what is today known as historic "Waveland" several miles south of Lexington. By the time Lewis and William were making guns, Daniel Bryan had become a successful businessman heavily involved in several other manufacturing enterprises on his farm (powder mill, paper mill, girls' school, stock breeding and farming), and his two older sons apparently took over much of the gun work. Even William Bryan's work is rare; I have only heard of one signed rifle with patchbox, and I have a second with badly damaged/destroyed stock with only metal parts surviving, which has since been accurately restocked to highlight the surviving signed barrel and signed patchbox. Bryan family work represents perhaps the most distinctive and best known style of early Kentucky gunmaking, done in/near Kentucky's most accomplished early town in the heart of the rich Bluegrass region, Lexington.
The "L. Bryan" rifle adds new knowledge to the study of early Kentucky guns. This particular rifle has several "non-standard" silver inlays on the wrist, cheek, and butt. In addition, the distinctive Lexington style molding lines below the cheek and as lower butt and forestock moldings vary slightly from the traditional Lexington style. These "differences" when found on a signed rifle will now allow us to identify more readily unsigned Lexington rifles (many are unsigned) as possible products of the Bryan shop, whereas before we would have thought they were "different" and therefore probably by another hand. A final comment on the L. Bryan rifle should help put it in better perspective. Among Bryan rifles, this particular rifle has more silver work than any other known Bryan rifle, putting it into a special classification. It also has a rare incised molding line along the butt's comb, most often associated with North Carolina rifles (where the Bryan's came from) but not seen before on a Bryan rifle. A final "plus" to this rifle is the fact that it has remained among descendants of the original owner up until this recent sale...so hopefully with a little follow-up in the weeks ahead, a few more facts about its past may be gathered that will remain with the rifle as it goes into the future. The rifle appears to have been cleaned in the past, and may have lost a few inches of its barrel on the muzzle end, but overall, it is a superior example of an extremely rare, important early rifle from Kentucky that most Kentuckians with a knowledge of the state's gunmaking history would love to own. The best single source of information on this maker, other Bryan gunsmiths, and the 1,100-plus early gunsmiths who worked in Kentucky is the recently published "Kentucky Gunmakers 1775-1900."
Shelby Gallien
