looking for info on a trade gun

[bothenook]

buddy just called asking me if I'd ever heard of a rifle maker.
he just bought a 72 caliber trade gun and the only markings are George Dornbach a serial number INRI. He tells me it's a caplock, and the trigger guard is really wide, like a civil war military musket. The barrel is around 32 or so inches by eyeball, and the bore mikes out at 0.725 inches. pictures not available at this time, since he's not that savvy with those new fangled modern cell phone thingies (his words). Any ideas? I did a google search and wasn't able to drill down through the multitude of "genealogical" sites that need your credit card to see.

 

[4v50 Gary]

INRI is not a serial #. It's what the Romans put on the cross and stands for Jesus (Iesus) Nazarene, King of the Jews. That was common on powder horns too.

 

[shunka]

Ah, Gary beat me to it.

I can find no info as to a maker by that name.

FYI, Many originals and replicas had such features. The Hudson Bay Trade Co. (up in Canada) still sold percussion trade muskets prior to WW2.

Pennsylvania Dutch often decorated their Barn Guns with Penn Dutch hex signs or Christian symbols such as crosses, stylized fish or the letters INRI. “INRI,” is an abbreviation for the Latin "Iēsūs/Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum" or “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” which was written on a placque by Pontius Pilate to be affixed to the cross on which he crucified Jesus.

without good photos, I can't offer much more.

yhs
shunka

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Could it be a 12 ga shotgun?

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

"American Gunsmiths" 2008 by Frank M. Sellars (Blue Book Pub.) has:

Anthony Dornbach

Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

1803 (tax list)



Ancestry has:

1. Anthony Dornbach

Cocalico, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

1786 & 1793 (census)


2. Gorg (mit ein umlaut) Dornbach

1756 (baptism)


3. Anthony Dornbach/Durnbaugh

born 1698 in Germany

died after 1757 in Cocalico, Lancaster Co., Pensylvania

Sons:

Jacob b. 1742

Anthony b. 1750 (Gunsmith above?)

Joseph b. 1750

Johann George b. 1757 (Public Family Trees)


So maybe little brother George helped big brother Anthony make guns and none of his signed work has surfaced until now???

Does it look like it was converted from flint to cap?


Ancestry also has:

Dornbach, Geo

61

Blacksmith (c. 1889 - 11th census of Schuylkill Co., Pennsylvania)


Find a Grave has:

George Dornbach

born 1829

died 1915

Ringtown, Schuylkill Co., Pennsylvania

Maybe a grandson or great nephew of the gunsmith in Sellers book?

Hope this helps,
EK

 

[bothenook]

As always, I'm amazed at the responses on the boards.
I don't have access to the gun, and only forwarded the phone conversation in case someone recognized the maker's (owner's name maybe?) name.
Dude with the gun isn't into the tech needed to get a picture. We are meeting in a week or so, and maybe I'll get him to bring it with him to the meeting so I can take a couple of pictures......

 

[NCdad]

Looks like Ephraim Kibbey above has it ! My guess is the gun maker was: Gorg (mit ein umlaut) Dornbach, 1756 (baptism). "Gorg" with umlaut means George in English. Today it is written in modern German as Georg (pronounced GAY-org). The "Gorg" written above is incorrectly written, as it cannot be typed on an English keyboard. (mit an umlaut) means the 'o' in Gorg should have two dots above it - indicating the correct pronunciation in German. Or it could be: George Dornbach, born 1829, died 1915...
If it was originally a flintlock, it was the first George, if a caplock then the latter.

 

[StrawHat]

Görg is pretty close.

Kevin

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

Strawhat - How did you get the umlaut to show up over the "o" with a US keyboard?

Ich verstehe nicht!