| Firearms manufacturer | |
| Industry | Firearms |
|---|---|
| Fate | Acquired by Hopkins & Allen in 1902 |
| Predecessor | Ethan Allen & Company |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Sullivan Forehand, Henry C. Wadsworth |
| Products | Derringers, revolvers. rifles, shotguns |
Forehand & Wadsworth (later known as Forehand Arms) was an American firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts. It 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, and was acquired in 1902 by Hopkins & Allen, a firearms company based in Connecticut.
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 company manufactured a variety of black powder and cartridge revolvers, including several versions of the British Bull Dog revolver.[3][4] Other offerings included derringers,[5]:381rifles,[5]:560 and shotguns.[5]:604
Forehand's sons ran the business for several years following the death of their father, then sold it in 1902 to Hopkins & Allen, who had been making Forehand Arms' revolvers under contract.[6]
- Forehand & Wadsworth (later known as Forehand Arms) was an American firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts.It 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, and was acquired in 1902 by Hopkins & Allen, a firearms company based in Connecticut.
- When H&A was formed in 1868, it took over production of Bacon Manufacturing Co. Later, it acquired other makers such as Davenport Firearms (1901) and Forehand & Wadsworth (1902). The high-quality Merwin Hulbert & Co. (q.v.) revolvers produced in the 1870s and 1880s are usually found marked with the Hopkins & Allen name on the barrels.
- Forehand serial numbers for their NEW MODEL HAMMER DOUBLE run from serial number 001 in 1892 to 11,001+ in 1902. The serial numbers for their NEW MODEL HAMMERLESS DOUBLE run from serial number 001in 1890 to 3,301+ in 1902.
Legal matters[edit]
Jun 15, 2014 FOREHAND ARMS CO. WORCHESTER, MASS, U.S.A. 7, '86 & JANY, 11, '87 Serial number is in the 371xxx range. The back of the clyinder has the last 4 digits of the serial number on it, and 22 in the star extractor just below those numbers. There are no other markings on the gun.
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.[7] 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]
In popular culture[edit]
Forehand Arms Company Serial Numbers Today
A Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver was used in the 1993 movie, Tombstone, by Joanna Pacula while portraying Big Nose Kate.[8]
Gallery[edit]
Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull Dog revolver chambered for .44 Bull Dog
Forehand & Wadsworth advertisement from March 1872 as it appeared in the Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa
Forehand Arms 5-shot revolver chambered for .32 S&W
Forehand Arms advertisement from February 1899 as it appeared in The Belle Plaine News of Belle Plaine, Kansas
References[edit]
- ^ ab'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.
- ^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.
- ^ abcFlayderman, Norm (1983). Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values. ISBN0910676585. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^Brophy, William S. (1989). Marlin Firearms: a history of the guns and the company that made them. Stackpole Books. p. 51. ISBN9780811708777.
- ^Congress, United States. (1895). 'Legal Representatives of John C. Howe'. Congressional edition 1895. U.S. G.P.O. pp. 3–16.
- ^Shideler, Dan (2011). Gun Digest Book of Revolvers. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 68. ISBN1-4402-3157-5.
Forehand Arms Co Revolver
External links[edit]
- US Patent 43,851: Improvement in metallic cartridges issued to John C. Howe (August 16, 1864)
- US Patent 116,422: Improvement in revolving fire-arms issued to Forehand & Wadsworth (June 27, 1871)
- Forehand & Wadsworth Catalogs in Current Publication from Cornell Publications LLC
- Forehand & Wadsworth single Damascus Barrel Shotgun via YouTube
- Western Guns - Black Powder #10 - Forehand Derringer 1875 via YouTube
- Forehand And Wadsworth British Bulldog 38 Pocket Concealed Carry Revolver Review via YouTube