Hi Gibster,
Thank you for posting photos of your wonderful poor-boy rifle. I love the architecture and lines of this old rifle. It was not fancy, but had style and got the job done.
Fortunately, I live in what Bill Ivey termed the "Early Deep River School" in his book. I own three early Guilford County rifles from this school.
When I look for Longrifles from this school I look for the lower incised carved lines from the butt plate to the trigger guard. This is usually repeated all the way out the forestock from the ramrod entry pipe to the nose cap.
Here are some photos of my "Early Deep River School" longrifle signed by David Grose.
Here is the lower butt stock.
Here is the forestock.
Here is a wonderful longrifle by Craft Jackson. This longrifle has many wonderful features that no other rifle from this school I have seen.
Here is the forestock.
Gadroon engraving on top of the butt plate.
Gadroon engraving on the ramrod pipes and chevrons on the nose cap.
Last but not least, is the rifle I attribute to Matthew Osborne. He moved to Centre Meeting House from Pennsylvania in 1753. This was right on the Guilford - Randolph County line, right in the middle of the Early Deep River School. He made longrifles for his Quaker neighbors. In 1781, he learned that three of his neighbors had used the rifles he made for them at the Battle of Guilford Court House. According to the Centre Meeting House church minutes, he repurchased those three rifles and broke the stocks against a tree. He died in 1783 and is buried at the church.
Bill Ivey and I agree this is the oldest known example from the "Early Deep River School."
It is the oldest rifle in my collection.
Here is the cheek-rest side with relief carving.
These are the features I look for on a longrifle from this school. Thanks for posting your rifle. I hope to see you in Knoxville.
Thanks,
Michael
