HillBilly Willy
New member
Hi guys,
Thought I'd share my story (and the picture below) on the 1860 New Model Army Revolver that I received for Christmas. It belonged to my great grandmother. Picture yourself Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies with Dutch ancestry instead of the southern accent, with a never quit attitude, and you've got her pegged. In her later years, she was completely blind in both eyes, but still followed a rope from the kitchen porch to the woodshed to chop kindling wood on the family farm right up until the year she died at age 100.
She used to keep it tucked in her waistband, chasing away intruders with it, one time running off a thief who had just pilfered kitchenware from the farmhouse. She never had it loaded, lucky for her no one doubted her no nonsense demeanor.
Anyway, her story on the pistol is that she caught a hired farmhand cleaning the gun on the steps one day, and demanded the gun from him, stating that she didn't allow guns there. This had to be prior to the mid 1950's, as that was when my great grandfather died, and the farm was no longer worked.
When she died, my great aunt kept the affairs of the farm in order, and when she died, the contents of the farm went to my mother, who is now passing along the family heirlooms to the next generation.
I brought this gun to the Albany, NY gun show this past January, along with the other items in the picture below that were with the gun, and found out quite a bit, but I still have a lot to learn so this seems like a good place to start. From the gun show I have found out that all numbers match on the gun except for the cylinder and the spring on the wedge is broken. Hand carved on one side of the grip is someone's initials which I was told was probably done by the original owner, or not long after, due to the apparent age of the carving. Based on the serial number of the gun, it is from about 1862.
Where the accessories came from is unknown, though it was conjectured that someone in my family had a Remington pistol set at one time, based on the Remington flask and bullet mold included with the pistol. I'm sure my ancestors must have had guns at one time for hunting and protection as the farm dates back to the early 1800's. Even my grandmother and great aunt remember being told to watch out for the Indians who would sit on the fence by the railroad tracks as they walked to and from school.
The gun collector I spoke with at the show valued the gun at about $3000, though he said it would be a tough sell in this market. Not that I would sell. The gun that goes with my pistol-packing great-granny story is surely worth more than that!
Thought I'd share my story (and the picture below) on the 1860 New Model Army Revolver that I received for Christmas. It belonged to my great grandmother. Picture yourself Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies with Dutch ancestry instead of the southern accent, with a never quit attitude, and you've got her pegged. In her later years, she was completely blind in both eyes, but still followed a rope from the kitchen porch to the woodshed to chop kindling wood on the family farm right up until the year she died at age 100.
She used to keep it tucked in her waistband, chasing away intruders with it, one time running off a thief who had just pilfered kitchenware from the farmhouse. She never had it loaded, lucky for her no one doubted her no nonsense demeanor.
Anyway, her story on the pistol is that she caught a hired farmhand cleaning the gun on the steps one day, and demanded the gun from him, stating that she didn't allow guns there. This had to be prior to the mid 1950's, as that was when my great grandfather died, and the farm was no longer worked.
When she died, my great aunt kept the affairs of the farm in order, and when she died, the contents of the farm went to my mother, who is now passing along the family heirlooms to the next generation.
I brought this gun to the Albany, NY gun show this past January, along with the other items in the picture below that were with the gun, and found out quite a bit, but I still have a lot to learn so this seems like a good place to start. From the gun show I have found out that all numbers match on the gun except for the cylinder and the spring on the wedge is broken. Hand carved on one side of the grip is someone's initials which I was told was probably done by the original owner, or not long after, due to the apparent age of the carving. Based on the serial number of the gun, it is from about 1862.
Where the accessories came from is unknown, though it was conjectured that someone in my family had a Remington pistol set at one time, based on the Remington flask and bullet mold included with the pistol. I'm sure my ancestors must have had guns at one time for hunting and protection as the farm dates back to the early 1800's. Even my grandmother and great aunt remember being told to watch out for the Indians who would sit on the fence by the railroad tracks as they walked to and from school.
The gun collector I spoke with at the show valued the gun at about $3000, though he said it would be a tough sell in this market. Not that I would sell. The gun that goes with my pistol-packing great-granny story is surely worth more than that!
