Jim as time has gone by, it appears that the likelihood of John/Johannes Rupp being a long-term gunsmith gets smaller and smaller. To be brutally honest, at this point about the only piece I'd actually consider a Johannes Rupp rifle is possibly Keiths old beast of a gun #13 on the Lehigh Disc, signed John Rupp. I think it was Tim Lubenesky a few years back who sent me a copy of an indenture/deed for John Rupp of Macungie - and it is clear by the description (son of George Rupp Sr.) and the notation regarding Herman Rupp that this is the elder John/Johannes Rupp, and in this deed he's described as a "yeoman." Appears to have been farming, being noted as a yeoman, was selling off 40 acres of land.
John II, the younger John Rupp, was a nephew of both Johannes Rupp and Herman Rupp. I strongly suspect he is the maker of pretty much all the JR / J Rupp / John Rupp rifles and I think they're all around 1800+ at the earliest.
Something which I think has thrown a big wrench into the works are a couple of semi-early (probably 1780s at earliest, just post-Rev War) rifles being attributed to John the elder with no signature. There is no way I believe the rifle on the KRA Lehigh Disc #6 is a Rupp rifle, I'll put that out there right now. That's a Moll gun in my opinion. Also the side-opener is also attributed, no signature, I really don't know who I'd attribute it to but I don't think it's the same guy who made the signed John Rupp #13.
There is also the possibility that 13 is just a big honking gun made for a big guy, and made early in John II's career.
I guess what I'm saying is that Johannes Rupp - born 1762 - appears to have been noted as a smith of some type somewhat early on in his life, just like his brother Herman, but I think by the early 19th century he likely moved on to other things. The problem as I see it is that there were a couple of different John Rupps in Lehigh and Berks and it's really not clear who was who. The indenture that Tim sent me is really the first hard evidence that the elder John - Johannes, brother of Herman - still owned land in Macungie as of 1802 and it somewhat reinforces the scattered familial genealogies as it specifies both his father George and his brother Herman. BTW, the second John Rupp was also a son of George Rupp, this being John George Rupp who was son of George the elder and brother of Johannes and Herman.
Confused yet?!!!!!!!
I guess the bottom line is I attribute pretty much all of the John Rupp guns, other than the Lehigh Disc #13, to the later John. Yours is a spectacular example of architecture, but it definitely looks 19th century and likewise I truly think it's a John II.
