Author Topic: longarms of the Northeast  (Read 3140 times)

Offline old george

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longarms of the Northeast
« on: November 13, 2020, 03:21:55 AM »
Not sure where this belongs but I was wondering if the Northeast had a particuler style of long gun or were most of them imported to the colonies.

george
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Offline rich pierce

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2020, 03:38:00 AM »
Well the northeast covers Maine to Pennsylvania?  Can you narrow things down? You spoke of the colonies. So you’re mostly interested in the colonial period?
Andover, Vermont

Offline old george

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2020, 04:12:15 AM »
Well the northeast covers Maine to Pennsylvania?  Can you narrow things down? You spoke of the colonies. So you’re mostly interested in the colonial period?

Rich,
Was looking towards NY/Ma areas say post F&I thru rev war era?

george
« Last Edit: November 13, 2020, 04:17:45 AM by old george »
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Offline rich pierce

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2020, 06:09:57 AM »
George, the best book is Flintlock Fowlers by Tom Grinslade. It runs about $50 shipped. It has pictures and descriptions of many New England fowlers, Hudson valley fowlers, and British style fowlers.
Andover, Vermont

Offline mr. no gold

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2020, 10:28:12 AM »
There are some NE guns in the ALR Library. Look in the 'Fowlers' department. The 'Abner How' gun is a pretty typical example of a MA gun at the time of the Rev War. North East is a term usually applied to the extreme North Eastern part of the United States not usually including PA and even New York. Anything north and east of there, most of which are coastal is NE.
Dick

Offline rich pierce

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2020, 03:07:36 PM »
Andover, Vermont

Offline WESTbury

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2020, 03:55:25 PM »
Medad Hills, from Goshen Ct., style fowler Rev War era fowler. Lot #1175 Morphy's Nov 17 auction.

In addition to Grinslade's book recommended by Rich, I feel that Jim Mullins book, Of Sorts For Provincials, is a good choice as well.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2020, 04:53:10 PM by WESTbury »
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
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Offline Hlbly

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2020, 09:12:40 PM »
Here is one straight from an attic in New Hampshire. 52” barrel, 54 caliber smooth ore. Untouched condition.








Offline rich pierce

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2020, 09:23:32 PM »
Great gun! Can you show lock and sideplate?
Andover, Vermont

Offline Hlbly

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2020, 09:34:20 PM »
Doesn’t have a side plate. Here is a shot of the lock.


host images online

Offline vanu

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2020, 09:49:07 PM »
Wonderful!! Great to see this fowler untouched, too many have been oiled/waxed or worse which takes away from the pristine character of a well aged survivor. Thanks for sharing Hlbly!!

Offline rich pierce

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2020, 11:05:52 PM »
Thanks! The lock suggests post-1800 to me, though the architecture and tang carving could easily fit on an earlier gun.
Andover, Vermont

Offline Avlrc

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2020, 02:34:27 PM »
Gerald, that tis an awesome find.  Thanks for sharing.

Offline WESTbury

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2020, 03:36:29 PM »
Doesn’t have a side plate. Here is a shot of the lock.
[
Thank-you for letting us appreciate your great fowler.

In place of a sideplate, does it have washers or the usual New England "commas" for the lock screws?
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline Hlbly

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2020, 10:45:35 PM »
Just has a round iron washer with simple decoration.

Offline homerifle

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2020, 11:07:00 PM »
Gerald thanks for posting. Love it!

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #16 on: November 15, 2020, 04:22:48 AM »
 I think a waterproof Ashmore would be early 1800’s, not much past 1815.
 Wasn’t Welcome Mathewson a North Eastern gunsmith?

  Hungry Horse

Offline WESTbury

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #17 on: November 15, 2020, 05:54:59 AM »
Wasn’t Welcome Mathewson a North Eastern gunsmith?

  Hungry Horse

Indeed he was. Mathewson was from Sutton Mass, and worked from 1800 to 1830.
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline JV Puleo

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #18 on: November 20, 2020, 02:09:42 AM »
Mathewson was apprenticed in Sutton...he lived and worked in Rhode Island. Until fairly recently, his house was still standing and, as far as I know, his descendants still live across the street and have both his personal rifle and his fowler (which was a Philip Bond half-stock) as well as his day book.

Offline WESTbury

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #19 on: November 20, 2020, 03:31:30 AM »
Mathewson was apprenticed in Sutton...he lived and worked in Rhode Island.

Joe,
Thanks for the added info on where Mathewson actually worked. Did he apprentice with Waters?
Kent
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline JV Puleo

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2020, 08:40:26 AM »
Mathewson's day book, which survives and was reprinted as an appendix in Bill Achtermeier's Rhode Island Arms Makers, says nothing about where he apprenticed who he apprenticed with. In re-reading the entry, Bill concluded he'd apprenticed in Sutton based on some peripheral evidence, none of which is conclusive to my mind. That's the never ending problem with secondary sources. Even in this case where I cannot say Bill was emphatic about it, I clearly didn't remember it exactly as he wrote it.

Welcome was located in Smithfield, RI. At the time, there were only 5 towns in RI and Smithfield covered most of the northern part of the state. It was gradually broken up so I think his home is in what is now Chepachet, RI. A real curiosity is that in The Gun by W.W. Greener, the invention of the choke boring is attributed to Jeremiah Smith, also of Smithfield RI (now Lincoln, RI). I'm very skeptical of that but my best friend in HS lived in the Jeremiah Smith house - which is still there and his sister lives there now.

Bill knew the family and had access to the Mathewson papers, many of which are still in their possession along with Welcome's rifle and fowler, his powder horn and his brother's Dragoon saber. (He was Captain of the only RI Militia Dragoon company in the War of 1812.)
« Last Edit: November 21, 2020, 08:52:16 AM by JV Puleo »

Offline JV Puleo

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2020, 09:03:09 AM »
I did a quick bookfinder.com search on Bill's book - which is long out of print (I know this because we published it). The prices ranged from $18.00 to about $120.00 - a good example of how unpredictable the used book business is regarding prices. If you look for it - and you should if you are interested in NE guns - you have to search under the title because his name is spelled incorrectly on the title page. Andy offered to reprint it but he said "so what". In fact, he never noticed it was spelled wrong. His sister pointed it out to him.

jp

Offline WESTbury

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2020, 03:45:36 PM »
I did a quick bookfinder.com search on Bill's book - which is long out of print (I know this because we published it).

Joe---Thanks for all of the great info. I've not seen my copy of Achtermeier's book since we moved south. It's in my personnal book black hole somewhere.

Kent
"We are not about to send American Boys 9 to 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian Boys ought to be doing for themselves."
President Lyndon B. Johnson October 21, 1964

Offline Hlbly

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #23 on: December 20, 2020, 09:40:34 PM »
Another example. I forgot I had this one. It is not a Fowler, 50 caliber thick walled barrel.








Offline mr. no gold

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Re: longarms of the Northeast
« Reply #24 on: December 21, 2020, 01:13:29 AM »
What a great NE gun!!! The curly maple wood is over the top, good. Somehow, such a piece as this has escaped my clutches thus far. Maybe there's still time, but I don't know. Most NE guns are cherry or walnut stocked in my experience, and so maple stands out. Please photograph the whole gun and post it. Thanks you for bringing it in to be viewed and admired.
Dick