Zebulon worked with his brothers until about 1820, when he set up his own shop on Cold Stream Road near Capon Bridge. In 1835, he migrated to Monticello, Indiana, becoming one of the founders. Zebulon died there in 1868.
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Also see Zebulon Sheetz
Thanks to Alan Wood Collection for use of the picture of Zebulon Sheetz
Jacob Ludwick was a gunsmith in the Western part of Hampshire County, present-day Mineral County. The only record of him being a gunsmith is the 1860 Census for Ridgeville.
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Jacob was 21 years old at the time and lived with his parents, John and Sophia Ludwick. John and his family are recorded in the 1850 census of Shenandoah County, Virginia. In both records, Jacob's father, John, is listed as a millwright by trade.
The following percussion long rifle is Jacob's only known surviving rifle. This rifle has the typical Hampshire County architecture of a percussion rifle from that era. This is only the second Hampshire County Rifle we have seen utilizing a patent breech. A few features we have not seen on other Hampshire County rifles are the extended breech tang with two screws and the stock secured to the barrel via screws instead of pins or wedges. The patchbox and capbox engraving look similar to Frederick Sheetz's. The gouging engraving was almost a trademark of some Hampshire County Sheetz rifle makers. It is possible that Jacob served his apprenticeship with one of them.
What happened to Jacob after 1860 remains unknown to us. He probably served in the military during the Civil War. While searching the records, we found a couple Jacob Ludwicks from the surrounding area who served during the Civil War; however, their genealogy records do not match this Jacob Ludwick. Jacob Ludwick deserves additional study, and we desire more details on him. Hopefully, someone will have more information on him and share it with us. As with all our posts, we will edit as more factual information is revealed.
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Roland Savage Dayton, Gunsmith, Blacksmith, Farmer, County commissioner, and preacher, was born in 1815. In the 1850 census, he lived just two doors down from Gunsmith Frederick Sheetz's residence in Sheetz Mill, Hampshire County, Virginia, present-day Headsville Mineral County, West Virginia. He probably learned the gunsmith trade in the Sheetz shop. By 1860, he was living in McCoole, Maryland, and remained there until his death on August 1, 1900.
The two featured half-stock percussion rifles below were made and signed by Dayton. We have seen eight rifles that Dayton made, half of which were full stocks. All of them were original percussion. All but one had both a patchbox and a capbox. Both of the rifles below have 38-inch barrels that have not been cut. One is a 40 caliber and the other 36.
Roland was an Allegany County commissioner in the mid-1860s.
Roland was also a Methodist preacher. After the Civil War, the Methodist church at Headsville did not have a preacher, so Roland would walk from McCoole, Maryland, to preach. His Obituary states that he preached 6,000 sermons. He and his wife Nancy had 15 children. At his death in 1900, they had 66 grandchildren and 56 great-grandchildren. His obituary was published in newspapers across the United States.
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Kansas City Star
Many of the gunsmiths in the 1800s made approximately 20 rifles a year. We believe some of the bigger shops in Hampshire County, such as Sheetz & Rinehart shops, produced more. Where did they go?
Some of the early Glaze rifles made near Springfield on Springfield Pike near Milleson's Bridge saw service in the American Revolution. However, most of the makers here & the vicinity were active in their trade post-Revolution. The War of 1812 probably contributed to the demise of many. However, the Civil War was the most efficient eliminator of Virginia-made rifles. Many were destroyed in battles and horrible conditions, and others were confiscated from Rebels & citizens by Union Troops.
Immediately after the Civil War, the old American Long rifle was nearly forgotten. The birth of cartridge guns and war surplus was more than it could handle.
So, where did the rest go? As the stock became damaged with age and abuse, some were discarded, but parts that could be used for other tools were saved. I believe a lot was lost to house fires that were so common until fairly recently.
Many old barrels, locks & brass parts also went into WWI and WWII war efforts. During both wars, Americans actively sought and donated scrap metals to meet the massive demand for metals.
While Bits & Pieces are not as desirable to a collector or student of the long rifle as the complete rifle would be, they are still a handy tool in studying the work of our early gunmakers.
All of the following relics are remnants of rifles made here in Hampshire County.
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Cornelius Iman was a gunsmith in Scheer, Grant County, in the mid- to late 1800s. He was born in Pendleton County in 1830. In 1853, he ma...
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