| Firearms Manufacturer | |
| Industry | Firearms |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1871 |
| Headquarters | Worcester, Massachusetts, United States |
Key people | Sullivan Forehand, Henry C. Wadsworth |
| Products | Revolvers |
Forehand & Wadsworth (also known as Forehand Arms) was a US firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts that was formed in 1871 by Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen of Ethan Allen & Company.[1]
- Iver Johnson seems to have been the first gun company Fyrberg worked for but he also did work for H & R, Forehand & Wadsworth (later Forehand Arms Co.) and C.S. Around 1900 he went into business for himself and made single shot shotguns and top break revolvers for Sears, Roebuck & Co.
- Forehand and wadsworth serial numbers, forehand arms, forehand arms 32 cal revolver. Forehand arms co serial numbers, forehand arms company. Here is a look at my Forehand Arms Co. 5 shot Revolver. It has a stamp saying 'Pant'd June 1 1891' The serial number is 6178, does anyone know what year.
History[edit]
In 1871 Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth founded Forehand & Wadsworth from the remnants of Ethan Allen & Company after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen.[1] Wadsworth sold his share of the company to Forehand in 1890 in order to retire and the company was rebranded as Forehand Arms.[2]
The Forehand & Wadsworth Company 1871 Wadsworth Died in 1890 and it Became Forehand Arms Employees moved between H & R plant and the Forehand plant and many models look alike!
The company was involved with a patent infringement lawsuit on behalf of one of their employees, John C. Howe, against the United States government. Howe had patented an ammunition cartridge in 1864, and the US government infringed upon this design in 1868 with the 'Cup Anvil Cartridge' until the expiration of Howe's patent in 1881.[3] Howe asked Forehand to bring a lawsuit against the government, and eight years later the company won the suit on behalf of Howe with a judgement of $66,000. The lawsuit was not paid until after Howe's death and a few weeks before the death of Forehand in 1898.[1]
Forehand's sons ran the business for several years following the death of their father, but sold it in 1902 to Hopkins & Allen, who had been making Forehand Arms' revolvers under contract.[4]
Manufacturing[edit]
Forehand & Wadsworth manufactured a variety of blackpowder and cartridge revolvers including several versions of the British Bull Dog revolver.[5][6]
In popular culture[edit]
A Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog was used in the 1993 movie, Tombstone, by Joanna Pacula while portraying Big Nosed Kate.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ abc'Sullivan Forehand'. Collections of the Worcester Society of Antiquity. The Society. 1899. pp. 322–328.
- ^Hogg, Ian V.; Walter, John (2004). Pistols of the World. David & Charles. p. 128. ISBN0-87349-460-1.
- ^Congress, United States. (1895). 'Legal Representatives of John C. Howe'. Congressional edition 1895. U.S. G.P.O. pp. 3–16.
- ^Brophy, William S. (1989). Marlin Firearms: a history of the guns and the company that made them. Stackpole Books. p. 51. ISBN9780811708777.
- ^Shideler, Dan (14 July 2010). Gun Digest 2011. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 82–83. ISBN1-4402-1561-8.
- ^Flayderman, Norm (2007). 'Forehand and Wadsworth Revolvers'. Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media. p. 479. ISBN978-1-4402-2422-5.
- ^Shideler, Dan (2011). Gun Digest Book of Revolvers. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 68. ISBN1-4402-3157-5.
External links[edit]
By John Hackett:
Forehand & Wadsworth of Worcester Mass. Was in operation from 1871 to 1890. They were mostly known for their handguns. They made a couple models of derringers, and several models of full size and pocket revolvers. The most popular of the Forehand & Wadsworth revolvers at the time were the brand name guns they made; Terror, Swamp Angel, and American Bulldog. Forehand & Wadsworth did make a couple other guns though, a falling block type rifle, some side-by-side shotguns, and the pictured single shot shotgun.
Forehand & Wadsworth single shot shotguns seem to be somewhat scarce. In my 30 years or so of collecting and working on guns this is only the second example I have seen. This particular piece has a damascus twist barrel and a nickel plated receiver. I have seen some examples of single shot shotguns made by Forehand & Wadsworth’s successor company Forehand Arms Co. with fluid steel barrels, but not with the unique side hammer configuration.
The firm Forehand & Wadsworth has it’s gunmaking roots planted deeply in American history. It’s lineage dates back to 1831 in Grafton Mass. This is when the famed gunmaker Ethan Allen started his career. Allen was one of the first American producers of commercial handguns with interchangeable parts. The first guns were simply marked E. Allen, Grafton Mass. This, by the way is not the same Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen
In 1837 Allen’s brother-in-law joined the company and the name was changed to Allen & Thurber. In 1842 the company was moved to Norwich Conn. The company was again moved in 1847 to Worcester Mass. Where it remained until 1902.
In 1854 the name was changed to Allen, Thurber & Co. when Allen’s other brother-in-law, Wheelock, became a full partner in the company.
When Thurber retired in 1856 the company became known as Allen & Wheelock.
Fore Hand Arms Company Revolver
Wheelock died in 1864, and later that year, or the next, a new partnership was formed with Allen’s son-in-laws, Forehand and Wadsworth. The company was then known as Ethan Allen & Co.
The name was changed to Forehand & Wadsworth in 1871 after Allen’s death.
Fore Hand Arms Company Serial Numbers
Once again the company name was changed to Forehand Arms Co. in 1890 when Wadsworth retired.
Forehand Arms Co. continued until 1902 when it was taken over by Hopkins & Allen Mfg. Co. of Norwich Conn. In the meantime, Forehand died in 1898. There seems to be no relation between the “Allen” of Hopkins & Allen and Ethan Allen associated with this month’s “This Old Gun”.
The early Ethan Allen handguns, mostly the pepperboxes he made, have tremendous collector interest and warrant high values. Later guns made by his successor companies not so much. Most, like the featured Forehand & Wadsworth single barrel shotgun are simply interesting specimens of a bygone era, and most are purchased as such. Due to it’s uniqueness, and somewhat obscurity, I would give this shotgun a value of somewhere in the neighborhood of $200. If the right collector needs this particular piece to round out a collection it may fetch as much as $400.