Longrifles made in Pennsylvania?

[Longrifle]

@SOLANCO where are you located? I grew up and lived in Reading til I left for military service. My family has property up on skyline near the pagoda.

I also remember that there were a few rifles on display at the museum at Grings Mill in Wyomissing sitting on the banks of the Tulpehocken Creek. Not sure if they still are, I left Reading in 1995.

And I am sure you have visited the Boone homestead?

 

[excess650]

The Marshall rifle, if stocked identically in English walnut, would fit right in with many German rifles of 1740-1760 more or less. John Bivins first used the term “transitional rifle” as far as I know and I wish he hadn’t. The development or evolution of the American longrifle was never a linear process. But, I don’t like the term “American jaeger” either. Guess I don’t like classifying so generally.

Rich,
I have no idea where you are on that. English with their fusils, Germans and Swiss with their Jaegers emigrate to the colonies and suddenly, all of them in their various locations without contact, decide to build completely new style of gun......

 

[excess650]

@SOLANCO its been 40 years since I lived near that area, and didn't know to take note of the ruins of an old mill, but seem to recall there was an old furnace there.

 

[dave_person]

Hi Gus,
Durs Egg emigrated from France in 1772 and went to work for John Twigg. That is from whom he learned the "English" trade. He would not have been able to set up shop right away because he did would not be granted that freedom within the London Gunmaker's Guild. His time with Twigg secured his career in England.

dave

 

[rich pierce]

Rich,
I have no idea where you are on that. English with their fusils, Germans and Swiss with their Jaegers emigrate to the colonies and suddenly, all of them in their various locations without contact, decide to build completely new style of gun......

The early American longrifle is not a completely new style of gun. There are Swiss and German rifles of the period basically IDENTICAL to the Marshall rifle.

 

[SOLANCO]

@SOLANCO where are you located? I grew up and lived in Reading til I left for military service. My family has property up on skyline near the pagoda.

I also remember that there were a few rifles on display at the museum at Grings Mill in Wyomissing sitting on the banks of the Tulpehocken Creek. Not sure if they still are, I left Reading in 1995.

And I am sure you have visited the Boone homestead?

Born/raised in Philadelphia. We left in '
96 for Southern Chester county near Lake Octarara. In 2009 we moved here. Red Hill Road in Martic Township. Peaceful. Only three acres but surrounded by a 65 acre estate (our house used to be the chaufer's) and farms. Some amish some not. I have seen long rifles on display at the Landisville Museum, but don't know if that is a permanent collection. They do an annual fest in which many artisans are at work. I have seen a gun maker there from time to time.
Nearby Conestoga, home of the eponymous wagon, has an active historical society but nothing on rifles. Their annual fest is worth a visit if you happen to be in the Lancaster vicinity.
No to the Boone Homestead. Maybe I'll check it out and make a stop in Dixcon's. Don't generally get up that way though.
Where are you living now?

 

[Stophel]

stocked in European walnut, the "Marshall" gun would be a very typical central German rifle...maybe make a better flatter cheekpiece...

A lot of people are simply not familiar with German guns (as evidenced by the majority of "jaeger builds" i see today), and they rely on much-parroted "research" from the 40s...which ain't worth doodly squat.

 

[Longrifle]

Born/raised in Philadelphia. We left in '
96 for Southern Chester county near Lake Octarara. In 2009 we moved here. Red Hill Road in Martic Township. Peaceful. Only three acres but surrounded by a 65 acre estate (our house used to be the chaufer's) and farms. Some amish some not. I have seen long rifles on display at the Landisville Museum, but don't know if that is a permanent collection. They do an annual fest in which many artisans are at work. I have seen a gun maker there from time to time.
Nearby Conestoga, home of the eponymous wagon, has an active historical society but nothing on rifles. Their annual fest is worth a visit if you happen to be in the Lancaster vicinity.
No to the Boone Homestead. Maybe I'll check it out and make a stop in Dixcon's. Don't generally get up that way though.
Where are you living now?

Larimer County, Colorado.

Showed up out here by way of Ft Carson....never left.

If you get a chance, the Boone homestead is a fun experience. I also think there are rifles on display at the Reading museum, but it's been a while since I was there. I also remember that the Reading library had a section dedicated to Berks county history.

 

[excess650]

I live minutes from this area and would dearly love any more precise location information. In the last mile or two the creek drops precipitously through a steep and deep gully which pierces high hills overlooking the river. Their is little usable flat land there. A good location would be in what is now the Pequea Creek campground. But there are no historical markers. I have not seen any obvious sign of digging or mining for ore in the vicinity.

You're close to Martic Forge. Just south of Pequea on the west side of the river is York Furnace.
https://hsp.org/sites/hsp.org/files/mss/finding aid 212 forges and furnaces.pdf

 

[Zonie]

Folks: If you want to get into discussions about where you live, what High School you went to or other things like that, please do it in a "Conversation" (PM).

It often is private information we others on the forum don't care about or need to see and it clutters up threads.

 

[Stophel]

German rifle, 3rd quarter of the 18th century. Supposedly belonging to T.J. Vrooman (a very Dutch sounding name) of Albany county, N.Y., killed by Indians in 1780.

 

[Longrifle]

Folks: If you want to get into discussions about where you live, what High School you went to or other things like that, please do it in a "Conversation" (PM).

It often is private information we others on the forum don't care about or need to see and it clutters up threads.

I apologize for going off topic. Please remove my posts that do not pertain to the current topic.

 

[Artificer]

Hi Gus,
Durs Egg emigrated from France in 1772 and went to work for John Twigg. That is from whom he learned the "English" trade. He would not have been able to set up shop right away because he did would not be granted that freedom within the London Gunmaker's Guild. His time with Twigg secured his career in England.

dave

Dave,

THANK YOU!! OK, that explains the year to year and a half time period he studied with a Master English Gunsmith, because he worked for Twigg.

Funny, just before I read your post, I called my Sister to get more info. Turns out Durs was not Anabaptist, but probably Amish (maybe Mennonite) before he came with that group to England. Of course he almost probably had to convert to Church of England before the time he became Gunsmith to King George IV.

I don't mean to turn this into a religious discussion, but as a way of tracking how/why he initially came to London from France.

I'm sure my Sister will appreciate this almost as much as I do and will add that into one of the family history lines she tracks.

Gus