Thanks for that reference to Jacob Roop. There is, however, no association between the two. The "ROOF" I seek originates in LaRue County, Kentucky, and would have been active ca. 1850-60, though this may turn out to be a multi-generational family of gunsmiths with earlier dates of manufacture for prior generations. The Roofs lived and worked in Hodgenville, Kentucky, but earlier on were located in "Roof Hollow" on the north end of the county. Apparently someone who scrutinizes the posts here carefully noted my query and had at least some knowledge of the family, as recently an unmarked gun with no collection history or provenance was being brokered with an "attribution" to Roof based upon some fictitious litany of structural and design elements. I was amused, then angered, that folks would "steal" a name and then claim expertise in a "school" of gunsmiths for which there is no scholarship or even personal understanding. Readers, beware. Those seeking guns by obscure makers may have their wishes fulfilled by savvy "experts" cunning enough to assure they find exactly what you want! It's a shame we stoop to these levels for monetary gain. It's a hindrance to true scholarship, too. Now I've gotten off track, but if there is a way to share this warning on other boards, I'd like to do so. This is a misuse of the function of these boards.
