G Slonaker

[msmith]

Just found a rifle with G Slonaker on the barrel in script.Rifle is plain,no patchbox.In "Bedford County Rifle"  Hetrick mentions a George Slonaker.Any info on George Slonaker?Thanks.

[Joe Stein]

I have a little information on Slonaker.  Will post it after work this evening.
-Joe

[mr. no gold]

Check Jim Whisker's books on Bedford County Gun Makers. He has as much infomation on Slonaker as I know of, in one place. Slonaker is not regarded as one of the Bedford School's classic gun makers, but he made a good useful gun in the unusual style of that area. He worked in the mid 1800s and lived in Bedford, if I am not mistaken.
Hope this helps some.
Dick

[Clowdis]

I restored a Slonaker rifle many years ago. As I remember it was a classic caplock period Bedford rifle with the typical patchbox and nice slim lockplate. Pretty typical of the area.

[Longknife]

Taken from Kaufmans' book:
Slonaker, George--Union township, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, Tax list 1849, Bedford county courthouse. Slonakers' guns were a bit heavier than the typical Bedford County product. He used handmade and commercial locks on his guns, many of which have very attractive patch boxes

[Joe Stein]

Longknife,
The other guys posted as much information as I have.  You might be interested in the book by Whisker: Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon & Somerset Counties by James B. Whisker & Larry Yantz.  It's available from Track of the Wolf.  There is a section with thumbnail biographies of the makers and lots of pictures of their guns.  Unfortunately, there are not descriptions or dimensions of the guns.
-Joe

[msmith]

Thanks fellows for all the input.One ALR member sent me a photo of his rifle and the signatures are by the same hand.Here is an interesting story I found doing a search.  archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/PACAMBRI/1999-03/0921942782