French W Thornhill, Virginia Gunsmith, Ohio Merchant & Statesman

A well-used, nearly two-hundred-year-old long rifle bearing the characteristics of those crafted in the Valley of Virginia and the surrounding hills of Western Virginia is the subject of this post.  The maker's name engraved on the barrel is F W Thornhill. 

                                                                      

 This is the first Thornhill rifle we have seen, and we had no knowledge of him.  Our quest for the rifle maker's identity led us to search all the reference books on early Virginia and West Virginia gunsmiths and consult with experienced collectors and long rifle historians. Despite the initial lack of information on Thornhill, our research eventually led us to the discovery of our maker, French W. Thornhill. 

French W. Thornhill was born in 1804 in Culpepper, Virginia, the son of Reuben and Catherine (Payne) Thornhill. In the 1810 Federal Census, the Thornhills lived in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia.  

After finishing school at 16, French briefly studied law and then medicine. At seventeen, he ended his medical education to study the art and mysteries of gunsmithing.  French apprenticed with Alexander McGilvray Gunsmith of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and remained in the McGilvray shop for nearly ten years. (1)

                                           Click for Larger Image

                                                                        

The four-petal flower finial brass patch box, with one large piercing in the finial panel and a push-button lid release, was quite popular with makers in Virginia. Alexander McGilvray frequently used the brass trigger guard with a tight curl on the spur and the long cheekpiece. 

                                                                             

                                                                           

Tight Curl Trigger Guard Spur & Long Cheek Piece 

Alexander McGilvray

                                            Gunsmiths of Virginia

                                                                            

 

                                                                            

                                45 Caliber 42 Inch Long Rifled Barrel

1828, French married Sarah Wolfenbarger in present-day Pocahontas County, West Virginia.  His brother Reuben Jr. married Sarah's sister, Nancy.  French was a buyer at the 1828 estate auction of Andrew S Warwick of Clover Lick, Pocahontas County. The sale consisted of blacksmith tools, vises, bellows, etc. 

                                                               

                               Andrew S Warwick Estate Sale

In 1830, French & Sarah migrated to Coshocton, Ohio.  French and his brother were manufacturing bricks.  After a couple years of sickness and poor health, he moved to West Carlisle and started a mercantile business. He spent thirty years in the mercantile business and being a politician. In 1836, he was elected to the House of Representatives for Coshocton. (1)

                                                                          

                                                                  1865

July 9, 1867, Coshocton Democrat

1868

Rockingham Register

 In 1842, his wife Sarah died. In 1843, he married Eleanor Renfrew. In 1844, he was elected to the state senate. He also served as a justice of the peace and, in 1875, was appointed a probate judge by the governor.  The newspaper article below provides more on his elected offices and life in Ohio. 

                                                                             

                                Democrat Standard January 1, 1892

                                                                      

                                Cincinnati Enquirer December 26, 1891

                                       

Please contact us if you have a signed rifle made by French W Thornhill. It is possible that he signed some guns, F.W.T. As of now, this is the only known surviving rifle. Hopefully, more will surface.

(1)  The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century 1876 by Charles Robson, 1876. See pages 163 & 164. 

Thanks to James Whisker for the use of photo from Gunsmiths of Virginia

                                                                     FB

BMS & JDM

                                                               

James Merrick

This James Merrick rifle is similar to most other Hampshire County style rifles of the period. To date this is the only rifle we have seen made by Merrick. The stock is plain maple with a limited figure. The hardware needed to finish the stocking was easily procured at most hardware stores. However, the one bolt lock appears to be handmade by Merrick.  Merrick probably made the thimbles and patch box as well.  The rifle also has a cap box on the cheek side of the gun. It looks like an afterthought since its construction is fairly crude. The barrel is 42 inches long by 15/16" straight octagon and about .42 caliber with forged percussion bolster. Signed on top of rifle barrel in bold block letters James Merrick. 

Circa 1850

                                                                             

                                        Signed in Block Letters James Merrick

In the 1810 Minutes book for Jefferson County, John Merrick was bound to gunsmith Jacob Sheetz to learn the art of gunsmithing.  This may be gunsmith John Jacob Sheetz.  We need further evidence to confirm that this John Merrick could be James. But seems to be a fit.  James Merrick was an armorer at Harpers Ferry Arsenal in 1830, 1840 & 1850.  He may have worked there after that, but we are unable to find any census records with him after 1850.  We do see him on the personal property tax list as late as 1868.  His son Shadrack, born in 1829, worked at the arsenal, and so did his son James, born in 1827. It is possible that James Jr could be the maker of this rifle.  James Jr moved to New Haven, Connecticut, and worked at Winchester Repeating Arms until he died in 1913. 

The study of the American Long Rifle is continuous, and hopefully, we will find more information on James Merrick Gunsmith and the maker of this rifle. 

JDM & BMS

Ellis Houchin Pocahontas County Gunsmith

 Ellish Houchin was born in 1815.  Died December 15, 1882, in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. 

                                                              Click image for larger view

Ellis Houchin is listed in the 1870 census as a farmer and gunsmith in Bartow, WV.  Ellis owned several thousand acres of property north of Bartow and supposedly sold it and then later returned to the community and bought it back. A portion of this property is locally known as Houchin Hollow.

It bordered the property owned by Abraham Burner, an ancestor of this writer. Abraham was a Revolutionary War veteran and owned over 8000 acres.

Thus, the Houchin and Burner families were neighbors. I point this out because of what follows.

Ellis Houchin had eight children. They youngest was a male named Jefferson Lee Houchin who was born in 1861. You might surmise Ellis’s political sympathies from the name chosen for his son during this period in our nation’s history. 

Jefferson Lee was reputedly one of the finest shots in the county and a good father and husband, unless he was “in liquor” . He was drinking on July 6, 1900 in Durbin, WV and Constable C. L. Burner told Houchin to get out of town or he would arrest him.

Jeff Houchin did leave town, but on the way out of town, he told John Townsend that he was going home to get his 45/90 and take care of “Bud”Burner. 

He did get his rifle, and return to Durbin, but Constable Burner saw him first and Jeff Houchin died of three gunshots, two to the heart.

An inquest held the next day by Justice Gillispie exonerated Constable Burner.

Besides this story that relates to my family’s history, I have also been informed of a possible connection by the maker of this rifle to Pocahontas County Civil War History.

Ellis Houchin may have been involved in the “Hanging Rock”ambush of Union Cavalry at Durbin in July of 1861. This was a classic “bushwackers” affair carried out by a group led by a “local gunsmith”. 

The ambush resulted in the death of seven Union scouts from Burdsal’s troop of Ohio Cavalry that were watering their horses in the Greenbrier River. One rider escaped. Read Rebels at the Gate by Hunter Lesser.

                                                                         

                                                                                    

                                                               Signed Ellis Houchin

                                                                                

                                                   October 23,1852 Parkersburg Gazette

                                                                               

                                                      Highland Recorder April 10, 1896

             Special thanks to Robert Sheets for sharing this rifle and story on Ellis Houchin.