Searles Bowie (need some information)

[pharmvet]

I have recently become with the Searles Bowie design. I really like this design. I have read what information is available on the net. It appears as though this knife was made in the mid 1830's. My question is could I make this knife fit 1820 "came to Texas" personna. I would like any and all accurate information on this basic design etc. I would also like to know more about Daniel Searles , specifically the time period of his bladesmithing.

 

[Okwaho]

I rather doubt you can make this knife corrct for 1820.Most datable Bowies probably can be dated to the 1830's and beyond.I couldn't find much on Daniel Searles other than he was blacksmith in Baton Rouge and apparently made a knife for Rezin Bowie in the 1830's.There is very little known on these early Bowies.I would suggest that you read up on the Bowie knife. Three books containing information on Bowies are;
1."American Knives"{1958} by Harold L. Peterson,chapter on Bowies.The history of the knife sould be taken with a grain of salt and the "classic Bowie" illustrated interestingly is neither dated nor discussed except in a very broad fashion.
2."The Knife in Homespun America" by Madison Grant{1984}Grant includes the Bowies in a chapter titled "the American Big Knife" and while I think his dating is a little iffy and probably reflects in many cases the undocumented opinion of the owner, I think his thinking is correct in that the early Bowies were probably large knives in a class which includes large daggers sometimes popularly called "Arkansas Toothpicks"
3."American Primitive Knives 1770-1870"{1983}by Gordon B. Minnis,This is in my opinion the best book extant on American primitive knives.He has two sections applicable here,Daggers of the Mid-19th Century and Bowie Knives. Both should be read since they provide a background to the Bowie Knife.Especially interesting is a very early and very large{14.5 inch blade}Bowie knife collected and possibly made in Kentucky in the 1830-40 year period.{P.72}

There are a lot of Bowies out there which purport to be "copies of originals"but which in my opinion are very questionable.These are usually the so called "classic fighting Bowies" patterned after the Bowie illustrated by Peterson which I have not seen illustrated in any books other than by Peterson.

The Minnis and Grant books are,I believe,still in print but all three can be gotten via interlibrary loan and provide some solid information on Bowie knives, especially the ones by Minnis and Grant subject to the caveat on dating by Grant as expressed above.
Good luck
Tom Patton :m2c:

 

Actually, the Searles Bowie is a variation of the Mediterranean knives of the period which did exist prior to the 1820s, but a copy of a Searles per se would not be appropo. See also Spanish Belduque knives. The name "Bowie knife" did not come into being until after the 1827 sandbar fight north of Natchez. The knife Jim carried that day according to his brother, who gave it to him, was a plain butcher knife with a 9 1/4 " straight blade, no clip, no guard, wood slab handles. In ca. 1828 brother Rezin had a similar knife made with a 10" blade and fancier wood handle, still no guard and no clip point. This knife is on display in the history museum in Jackson, Miss., called the Perkins Bowie and was a gift to him from Rezin in 1831. I have a copy of it--it reminds one of a french chef knife. Older brother John Bowie said that the knife Jim carried ca. 1820 was a foot in length, handle and all, meaning the blade was not over 7 1/2-8" long. After Jim recovered from his wounds from the sandbar fight, he went to Texas and supposedly had a "copy" of the sandbar knife made with a 10"x2" blade. There are several other candidates for Bowie's knives, but the message here is that a large butcher knife would be your best choice for a 1820 Texas knife.

 

Below is a photo of some of my Bowies. The top one is a copy of the Perkins Bowie--the original style Bowie. The second one is a modified Searles (full guard added). The bottom one is a modern "southwestern Bowie" with the "classic" clip point.

 

Tom and Mike said it well........

Another brand new book on Bowies is out - "The Bowie Knife" by Norm Flayderman - it's 520 pages of great images and up to date info on the Bowie and it's predecessors - price is about $80.00 and in these days that's an excellent price for such a book.

 

[JH1961]