Foreword: Second and third generation Settle family gunmakers in Kentucky made primarily half-stocked rifles of good workmanship but minimal decoration. Capboxes were seldom used and patchboxes never seen. Recently the unexpected happened… a well-marked Willis F. Settle rifle in good condition appeared at auction with a brass patchbox. The patchbox had a later style design as seen in Figure No.1 below and was probably purchased with the gun’s other mountings. It was the first patchbox the author had seen on a mid-1850s Settle rifle.
Figure No.1: This Willis F. Settle half-stocked rifle surprised Kentucky collectors with its unexpected patchbox. The rare presence of a patchbox suggested the gun was made for a wealthier and more discerning customer than most Settle rifles of the 1850s. The patchbox has later style separated side-leaves that expose stock wood along the lid’s edge.
Willis Franklin Settle: Willis (1826-1892) was a third-generation Settle gunmaker. His grandfather, William Settle (1770-1808), was the original Settle gunmaker in Kentucky, who left Virginia and settled in Barren County, Kentucky, in 1798, where he became known for plain, long barreled rifles with barrels hammered out of old iron rims from wagon wheels. He died prematurely from smallpox in 1808, but his son Felix (1801-1871) carried on the gunsmithing trade in Barren County. Felix had two sons who became Kentucky gunsmiths, Simon (1823-1871) and Willis Settle. Willis remained in Barren County to work as a gunsmith, while older brother Simon moved to nearby Greene County.
Willis learned the trade from his father, Felix Settle, at Roseville in Barren County. After reaching journeyman status in 1846, he moved to Glasgow in Barren County and later moved on to Hiseville in Barren County. He stamped his guns “W. F. Settle” and often added the town name and date after his stamp. Civil War years were difficult for Willis due to his southern sympathies. Union troops passing through Barren County burned his gun shop, destroyed his tools, and chased him out of town. He later moved to Russellville in Logan County where he continued to work as a gunsmith in addition to carriage-making and blacksmithing. About 1878 he moved to Russellville, Arkansas, where he died in 1892.
Figure No.2: This view of the Willis Settle rifle with patchbox shows its slim Kentucky architecture that Willis used on his earlier rifles. Here the cast nose cap sits several inches past the rear ramrod pipe in Kentucky style. By the 1860s, most Settle gunmakers had changed to the larger cast nose cap that was also the rear ramrod pipe. Stock wood is lightly curled maple, and all brass mountings including the patchbox appear to be hardware store purchases. Barrel: 40 inches long with .32 caliber bore, 7-groove rifling. Author’s collection, photos by author.
Figure No.3: The back of the Willis Settle rifle has an unexpected surprise with its silver star and brass strip in the cheekpiece. Those details were almost never used on Settle rifles and suggest a wealthier customer requested them. Author’s collection.
Figure No.4: The new rifle has Willis’ typical barrel stamp, “W. F. Settle,” followed by his production number “168” and date of “1856.” Many of Willis’ rifles also have the town name of “Roseville” or “Hiseville” following his name. Author’s collection, photos by author.
Patchbox Rifle: The Willis Settle rifle appears in Figures No.2 and No.3 along with its lengthy barrel signature in Figure No.4. The barrel is stamped “W. F. Settle” followed by his “168” production number and “1856” date. The date indicates Willis made the rifle when he was 30 years old and working at Hiseville in Barren County. The half-stocked gun is typical of most mid-1800s Settle rifles, except for the embellishments on the front and back sides of the butt. Both the patchbox in Figure No.5 and cheekpiece inlays in Figure No.6 are unexpected and rare for a mid-1850s Settle rifle.
The rifle’s wood and brass surfaces are clean and smooth due to the rifle being refinished years ago by its prior owner, who later scratched an identification number on the barrel’s under-rib just past the nose cap. Despite the gun’s cleaned surfaces, the patchbox cavity is dark and dirty, as is the ramrod channel under the nose cap and the mortise under the lock plate. The unexpected cheekpiece inlays on the butt’s backside complement the patchbox on the frontside and suggest the rifle was made for a more demanding customer who wanted a more attractive rifle than the standard Settle rifle… perhaps for bragging rights in his neighborhood.
Figure No.5: Willis Settle’s patchbox is a later style box appropriate for an “1856” dated rifle, with separated side strips and no engraving. All brass has been cleaned including the patchbox, but small bits of oxidation remain in some places around its perimeter.
Figure No.6: The Settle rifle’s cheekpiece is “heavily” decorated by Settle standards, with a silver 8-pointed star and brass strip, but neither inlay is engraved. Cheekpieces were used on earlier Settle rifles, but most later rifles have a smooth, shotgun-style butt.
The rifle is long and slim and feels almost delicate when picked up and shouldered. It was well taken care of during its working life and has survived with minimal wear and damage. In addition to its unexpected enhancements, several other details are noteworthy for a Settle rifle. The butt plate return has an attractively filed tip seen in Figure No.7, and the toe plate in Figure No.8 has a triangular finial when most Settle toe plates had flat ends. In addition, the rifle’s rear ramrod pipe is nicely filed behind the small cast nose cap in Figure No.9, and the nicely shaped guard in Figure No.10 is mounted in southern style with a pin anchoring the rear extension and wood screw in the front extension. These details make the rifle a step above the average mid-1850s Settle rifle and indicate the rifle was owned by a well-to-do customer who wanted a rifle that would stand out in a crowd.
Figure No.7: The Settle rifle’s butt plate return on top of the comb is cleanly faceted with a nicely filed pattern at the end. Most mid-century Settle rifles have rounded returns and lack decorative facets or filings.
Figure No. 8: The toe plate on the Willis Settle rifle has a small, pointed finial at the end, making it more decorative than the standard rectangular toe plates found on most Settle rifles of that time period.
Figure No.9: This view shows the nicely shaped rear ramrod pipe and the Settles’ typical short, cast pewter nose cap on their 1850s rifles. The barrel is pinned on this later rifle, and the barrel pin escutcheons are typical ovals attached with small wood screws.
Figure No.10: The Settle rifle has a pleasing style guard without the usual second spur found on many later rifles. The upscale style of the gun suggests a gentleman of some means knew exactly what he wanted in a Settle rifle, and he ordered it that way.
Summary: The Willis F. Settle auction rifle was full of surprises when examined. It had an almost unheard of full patchbox, with matching enhancements on back side that included a silver cheekpiece star and brass strip across the cheekpiece’s base. Compared to many mid-century Eastern rifles, the rifle doesn’t stand out in a crowd… but when compared to most of western Kentucky’s other Settle and Barrens School rifles, the rifle is exceptional and one of the best Settle rifles known from the mid-1800s.
ADDENDUM: Willis Settle and his older brother Simon were both trained by their father, Felix Settle. Rifles by Willis and Simon are illustrated below to show their similarities.
Willis Settle rifle dated 1856.
Simon Settle rifle from circa 1850.