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.