Henry Deringer: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|American gunsmith}} |
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{{Redirect|Deringer|the generic name for pocket pistols|Derringer}} |
{{Redirect|Deringer|the generic name for pocket pistols|Derringer}} |
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{{about|the designer of the derringer pistol|his father|Henry Deringer Sr.}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Henry Deringer, Jr. |
| name = Henry Deringer, Jr. |
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| image = John Wilkes Booths Deringer.jpg |
| image = John Wilkes Booths Deringer.jpg |
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| image_size= |
| image_size= |
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| caption= The Henry Deringer pistol used by [[John Wilkes Booth]] |
| caption= The Henry Deringer pistol used by [[John Wilkes Booth]] |
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| birth_name = Henry Deringer |
| birth_name = Henry Deringer |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1786|10|26}} |
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1786|10|26}} |
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| occupation = Inventor, gunsmith, businessman |
| occupation = Inventor, gunsmith, businessman |
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| spouse = Elizabeth Hollobush |
| spouse = Elizabeth Hollobush |
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| religion = First Reformed Church |
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| partner = |
| partner = |
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| children = Theophilus T. Deringer ( |
| children = Theophilus T. Deringer (1811–1874), Bronaugh McClain Deringer (1819−1868), Calhoun Mason Deringer (1824−1907), Eliza Deringer (1831–1907) |
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| relatives = |
| relatives = |
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| signature = |
| signature = |
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| website = |
| website = |
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| footnotes = |
| footnotes = |
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}} |
}} |
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[[File:Deringer PHILADEL A.jpg|thumb|DERINGER/PHILADELA inscription]] |
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'''Henry Deringer''' (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868) was an |
'''Henry Deringer''' (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868) was an American [[gunsmith]]. He is best known for inventing and giving his name to the [[Derringer|derringer pistol]].<ref name="Great">{{cite book |title=The Great Guns |url=https://archive.org/details/greatguns0000pete |url-access=registration |last=Peterson|first=Harold L. |year=1971|publisher=Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. |location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatguns0000pete/page/176 176–185] |isbn=978-0-448-02069-3 }}</ref> |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Deringer was born in [[Easton, Pennsylvania]] on October 26, 1786 to colonial gunsmith [[Henry Deringer |
Deringer was born in [[Easton, Pennsylvania]], on October 26, 1786, to colonial gunsmith [[Henry Deringer Sr.]]<ref name="Chapel">{{cite book|title=Guns of the Old West|url=https://archive.org/details/gunsofoldwestill0000chap|url-access=registration|first=Charles Edward|last="Chapel"|chapter=6|page=[https://archive.org/details/gunsofoldwestill0000chap/page/102 102]|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|year=2002 |isbn=978-0-486-42161-2 }}</ref> (1756–1833) and Catherine McQuety (1759–1829). The family moved to [[Philadelphia]], where his father continued work on the [[Kentucky rifle]], both an ornate sporting model and a basic version for the [[U.S. Army]].<ref name="Chapel"/> He sent his son to Richmond to apprentice with another gunsmith there.<ref name="Great" /> |
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Henry Deringer moved back to Pennsylvania after serving his apprenticeship and set up shop in 1806 in Philadelphia, on Tamarind Street. He married Elizabeth Hollobush at the First Reformed Church in Philadelphia on April 5, 1810.<ref name= |
Henry Deringer moved back to Pennsylvania after serving his apprenticeship and set up shop in 1806 in Philadelphia, on Tamarind Street. He married Elizabeth Hollobush at the First Reformed Church in Philadelphia on April 5, 1810.<ref name="Great" /> |
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According to McElroy's directory in 1841 Deringer had a house/gun shop at 370 North Front Street, [[Northern Liberties, Philadelphia|Northern Liberties]], Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/mcelroysphiladel1841amce|title=McElroy's Philadelphia city directory|last1=A. McElroy & Co|last2=Orrin Rogers (Firm)|last3=E.C. & J. Biddle (Firm)|date=1837|publisher=Philadelphia : A. McElroy & Co.|others=Library Philadelphia Museum of Art}}</ref> |
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==Work== |
==Work== |
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Deringer's early efforts were for military contracts, producing military pistols, muskets and rifles.<ref name= |
Deringer's early efforts were for military contracts, producing military pistols, muskets and rifles.<ref name="Great" /> Among those he produced was the [[Model 1814 Common Rifle]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/us_arms/%28516_A%29.htm|title=1814 Common Rifle (516 A) |author=The American Rifle Shop, Inc.|access-date=2011-12-19}}</ref> and the [[Model 1817 Common Rifle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.militarytrader.com/military-trader-news/model_1817_us_flintlock|title=A Most Uncommon Rifle, The Model 1817 U.S. Flintlock |author=Robert P. Broadwater|access-date=2011-12-20}}</ref> He produced trade rifles, designated for the Native American tribes, to fulfill the U.S. treaty obligations.<ref name="Great" /> His specialties became fine sporting rifles and dueling pistols.<ref name="Great" /> He stopped pursuing government contracts by the mid-1840s.<ref name="Great" /> |
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In 1825 he designed the first of the large caliber, short barreled pistols that would lead to considerable wealth and fame for himself. Using the basic flintlock action in common usage at the time, the pistols were muzzle loading single shots, or in some cases, double barreled in an over-under manner.<ref name= |
In 1825 he designed the first of the large caliber, short barreled pistols that would lead to considerable wealth and fame for himself. Using the basic flintlock action in common usage at the time, the pistols were muzzle loading single shots, or in some cases, double barreled in an over-under manner.<ref name="Chapel"/> |
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Later models used the [[percussion cap]] action, although both actions were manufactured and sold for some time.<ref name= |
Later models used the [[percussion cap]] action, although both actions were manufactured and sold for some time.<ref name="Great" /> For arms of his own design, he adopted the newer percussion cap technology, putting his pistol on the modern cutting edge.<ref name="Great" /> He was innovative; he perfected the percussion cap about 1820, and Deringer was marketing them by the 1830s, and possibly the mid-1820s.<ref name="Great" /> |
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==Name and trademark== |
==Name and trademark== |
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Deringer never claimed a patent for his pistols and the public bought them as fast as he produced them.<ref name= |
Deringer never claimed a patent for his pistols and the public bought them as fast as he produced them.<ref name="Great" /> Further development and copying of his design resulted in the [[derringer]] (note the double-r) pistol that was generically manufactured widely by other companies.<ref name="Flayderman">{{cite book|title=Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values|first=Norm |last=Flayderman |chapter=Percussion Deringers|edition=9|publisher=F+W Media, Inc |year=2007 |location=Iola, Wisconsin| |
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isbn=978-0-89689-455-6 |page=406}}</ref> |
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There was widespread copying of his designs, |
There was widespread copying of his designs, including outright counterfeiting with his proofmarks being copied. One company even hired a tailor called "John" Deringer so that it could put the Deringer name on its firearms. Some of Deringer's workmen also left the company to set up their own duplicates, while others copied his pistols as closely as possible with some even putting on its Deringer name and trademark. Deringer fought these infringements for most of his business life. The ''Deringer v. Plate'' ruling, in which the [[California Supreme Court]] ruled in the company's favor, became a landmark in trademark law.<ref name="Great" /> |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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Deringer |
[[File:Henry Deringer tombstone.jpg|thumb|Henry Deringer tombstone in [[Laurel Hill Cemetery]]]] |
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Deringer died in 1868 at the age of 81 and was buried in [[Laurel Hill Cemetery]] in Philadelphia.<ref name="Chapel"/> |
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[[File:Gun used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on display at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.jpg|300px|thumb|[[John Wilkes Booth]]'s Philadelphia Deringer]] |
[[File:Gun used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on display at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.jpg|300px|thumb|[[John Wilkes Booth]]'s Philadelphia Deringer]] |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Concealed carry in the United States]] |
*[[Concealed carry in the United States]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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<references/> |
<references/> |
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{{authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Deringer, Henry}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deringer, Henry}} |
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[[Category:1786 births]] |
[[Category:1786 births]] |
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[[Category:1868 deaths]] |
[[Category:1868 deaths]] |
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[[Category:American |
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]] |
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[[Category:19th-century American inventors]] |
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[[Category:Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)]] |
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[[Category:Derringers]] |
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[[Category:Firearm designers]] |
[[Category:Firearm designers]] |
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[[Category:Gunsmiths]] |
[[Category:Gunsmiths]] |
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[[Category:People from Easton, Pennsylvania]] |
[[Category:People from Easton, Pennsylvania]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Weapon designers]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:13, 19 August 2024
Henry Deringer, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 The Henry Deringer pistol used by John Wilkes Booth | |
| Born | Henry Deringer October 26, 1786 Easton, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | February 28, 1868 (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, gunsmith, businessman |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Hollobush |
| Children | Theophilus T. Deringer (1811–1874), Bronaugh McClain Deringer (1819−1868), Calhoun Mason Deringer (1824−1907), Eliza Deringer (1831–1907) |
Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868) was an American gunsmith. He is best known for inventing and giving his name to the derringer pistol.[1]
Early life
[edit]Deringer was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on October 26, 1786, to colonial gunsmith Henry Deringer Sr.[2] (1756–1833) and Catherine McQuety (1759–1829). The family moved to Philadelphia, where his father continued work on the Kentucky rifle, both an ornate sporting model and a basic version for the U.S. Army.[2] He sent his son to Richmond to apprentice with another gunsmith there.[1]
Henry Deringer moved back to Pennsylvania after serving his apprenticeship and set up shop in 1806 in Philadelphia, on Tamarind Street. He married Elizabeth Hollobush at the First Reformed Church in Philadelphia on April 5, 1810.[1]
According to McElroy's directory in 1841 Deringer had a house/gun shop at 370 North Front Street, Northern Liberties, Pennsylvania.[3]
Work
[edit]Deringer's early efforts were for military contracts, producing military pistols, muskets and rifles.[1] Among those he produced was the Model 1814 Common Rifle[4] and the Model 1817 Common Rifle.[5] He produced trade rifles, designated for the Native American tribes, to fulfill the U.S. treaty obligations.[1] His specialties became fine sporting rifles and dueling pistols.[1] He stopped pursuing government contracts by the mid-1840s.[1]
In 1825 he designed the first of the large caliber, short barreled pistols that would lead to considerable wealth and fame for himself. Using the basic flintlock action in common usage at the time, the pistols were muzzle loading single shots, or in some cases, double barreled in an over-under manner.[2]
Later models used the percussion cap action, although both actions were manufactured and sold for some time.[1] For arms of his own design, he adopted the newer percussion cap technology, putting his pistol on the modern cutting edge.[1] He was innovative; he perfected the percussion cap about 1820, and Deringer was marketing them by the 1830s, and possibly the mid-1820s.[1]
Name and trademark
[edit]Deringer never claimed a patent for his pistols and the public bought them as fast as he produced them.[1] Further development and copying of his design resulted in the derringer (note the double-r) pistol that was generically manufactured widely by other companies.[6]
There was widespread copying of his designs, including outright counterfeiting with his proofmarks being copied. One company even hired a tailor called "John" Deringer so that it could put the Deringer name on its firearms. Some of Deringer's workmen also left the company to set up their own duplicates, while others copied his pistols as closely as possible with some even putting on its Deringer name and trademark. Deringer fought these infringements for most of his business life. The Deringer v. Plate ruling, in which the California Supreme Court ruled in the company's favor, became a landmark in trademark law.[1]
Death
[edit]
Deringer died in 1868 at the age of 81 and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Peterson, Harold L. (1971). The Great Guns. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. pp. 176–185. ISBN 978-0-448-02069-3.
- ^ a b c d "Chapel", Charles Edward (2002). "6". Guns of the Old West. Courier Dover Publications. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-486-42161-2.
- ^ A. McElroy & Co; Orrin Rogers (Firm); E.C. & J. Biddle (Firm) (1837). McElroy's Philadelphia city directory. Library Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia : A. McElroy & Co.
- ^ The American Rifle Shop, Inc. "1814 Common Rifle (516 A)". Retrieved 2011-12-19.
- ^ Robert P. Broadwater. "A Most Uncommon Rifle, The Model 1817 U.S. Flintlock". Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- ^ Flayderman, Norm (2007). "Percussion Deringers". Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values (9 ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-89689-455-6.