An Intriguing New Rifle with Kentucky Roots by an Unknown Gunsmith ©
Foreword: Recently a rifle appeared at auction that had multiple details relating it to Lexington School guns from central Kentucky. Its script barrel signature had clear first, middle, and final initials, but several small letters in the last name were worn, making the surname hard to read as seen in Figure No.1. Fortunately, there were only a few possible letter combinations for the last name, and when all possibilities were exhausted, the name remaining was found in Kentucky.
Figure No.1: The auction rifle has a script signature that was presumed to be “W. N. Grinlen” by the auction company. The author read it as W. N. Grinler,” but after exhaustive genealogy searches, he came to the conclusion the gunsmith’s name was “W. N. Grinter.”
Auction Information: The gunsmith’s signature was described as “W. N. Grinlen” and the gun as a “flintlock fowling piece.” Neither description was accurate. The gun was an original half-stocked, smooth-bored gun referred to as a “buck and ball” gun or smooth-rifle with standard rifle sights and a thick-walled barrel capable of shooting either round ball or shot depending on the target, as seen in Figures No.2 and No.3. The gun had unmistakable Lexington, Kentucky, details in its slim stock architecture, triangular butt, tight side-facings around the lock, guard with a heavy front post, and front trigger with decorative tab on its back edge, details more easily seen in close-up views of the front lock area and rear lock bolt washer area in Figures No. 4 and No.5. But the most interesting detail was the coin silver cheekpiece inlay with federal eagle seen in Figure No.6. The pattern came from the masthead of Kentucky militia officers’ commission documents in the War of 1812. A similar eagle was used by Kentucky powder horn carver Francis Tansel of Scott County on horns made just before and during the War of 1812 as Figure No.7 verifies. More importantly, several almost identical cheekpiece inlays were used on Kentucky guns made by gunsmiths Lynn West and Lewis West of Georgetown in Scott County on percussion rifles ca. 1835-1840, with one of their eagle inlays shown in Figure No.8. The author has not seen any other ca. 1835-1840 rifles made outside of central Kentucky with the same cheekpiece inlay… which strongly suggests the “W. N. Grinlen” [sic] rifle was made in central Kentucky about 1835 to 1840.
Figure No.2: This view of the Grinter rifle shows its many Kentucky details including slim lines, triangular butt, and the traditional brass nose cap set several inches past the rear ramrod pipe. While hard to see in this photo, the guard has the traditional Lexington School heavy front post with rectangular cross-section, and the front “hair” trigger has a decorative tab on its rear side. Stock wood appears to be typical southern red maple with a bit less pronounced curl than the harder northern sugar maple. Barrel: 47-1/2 inches with smooth .50 caliber bore.
Figure No.3: The reverse of the Grinter rifle shows its good quality curly maple stock with a Lexington style cheekpiece with single molding line across its base, similar to most other Lexington School guns. An important detail visible in this view is the large, coin silver cheekpiece inlay that is finely engraved with the War of 1812 eagle found on Kentucky military documents and early Francis Tansel powder horns. Barely visible is the rare feature in Kentucky of an octagon-to-round barrel, thick walled and smooth bored, with conventional rifle sights and set triggers.
Figure No.4: The rifle’s guard has a heavy front post, and the side-facing is tight around the lock, both central Kentucky details. Author’s Note: The author believes the lock is a replacement and the rifle was originally a percussion gun.
Figure No.5: This view shows the decorative tab on the back of the front “hair” trigger and the single lock bolt that suggests a percussion gun. The lock bolt washer, while well shaped and engraved, may be an enlarged replacement for a smaller and simpler original washer.
Barrel Signature: The “W. N. Grinlen” [per auction listing] barrel signature in prior Figure No.1 could not be found on several genealogical web sites. The author identified the last letter as “r” rather than “n,” and possible surnames based on the remaining partial letters might then be “Grinler,” “Grimler,” ”Grimter,” or “Grinter.” Extensive genealogy research on the web, knowing the 1835-1840 date of the “Grinlen” rifle and first two initials, yielded only one possible name, William N. Grinter, who was the right age and lived in Logan County, Kentucky. The author could not find any other possibility either inside or outside of Kentucky for the gunsmith’s name. But Logan County was out in the western Barrens School area of Kentucky where guns were plainly made, none of which looked like the more decorated guns from the central Bluegrass area of Kentucky… so questions remained.
Figure No.6: The study rifle has a finely engraved eagle in its silver cheek inlay, a close copy of same era cheek inlays by gunsmiths in Scott County, Kentucky.
Figure No.7: This eagle on a War of 1812 powder horn by Francis Tansel of Scott County closely relates to eagles on cheekpieces of county gun, despite its turned head.
Figure No.8: This eagle on a silver cheekpiece inlay is on a half-stocked Lewis West rifle of Scott County, Kentucky, that dates to about 1835-1840.
William N. Grinter: Grinter’s parents came from Virginia to Logan County, Kentucky, before William’s birth in 1814. The father was John Hill Grinter (1788-1870), and the mother was Nancy Elizabeth Crewd Grinter (1791-1870). William was born March 18, 1814, in Logan County. Little is known about his childhood, early adult years, or occupation. He married Mary Ann Perkins on April 2, 1837, in Logan County, and the 1840 census showed him living in Logan County. Since he lived much of his early life in Logan County, it raises the question of how he could build a Lexington style rifle when local preferences preferred plainer rifles. One final record, a small, fortuitus discovery, connects him to the central Bluegrass area where/when the study rifle was probably made. The Lexington Leader newspaper of August 25, 1901, [in Lexington, Kentucky], reprinted an old 1849 article on local cholera deaths during the epidemic of 1849. “The Kentucky Atlas” newspaper of August 24, 1849, had listed cholera deaths of Lexington area citizens “after lingering for about two weeks.” Among the many cholera victims listed was William N. Grinter, who died of cholera on May 24, 1849, in/near Lexington. The listing suggests Grinter had moved to the Lexington/Fayette County area in the 1840s, placing him in the right place at the right time to make the study rifle. Unfortunately, he died before the 1850 census that listed occupations, so until more information on Grinter’s life becomes known, there is only the limited information provided here, plus reasonable speculation, for attributing the study rifle to him. However, the rifle strongly appears to be from the central Bluegrass area of Kentucky, and substantial genealogical research work on the barrel signature came up with only one possible candidate, William N. Grinter, as the maker of this intriguing smooth-rifle.
Figure No.7: This view shows the Grinter rifle’s barrel transition from octagon to round above the rear ramrod pipe. The rear pipe has a tapered flange rather than the traditional straight flange, but the nose cap sits the traditional several inches past the rear pipe.
Figure No.8: This view shows the front rifle sight on the round section of the barrel with smooth bore. A standard rear sight is located above the rear ramrod pipe in the traditional position for most ca. 1835-1840 Kentucky guns, making it a “buck & ball” smooth rifle.
Author’s Request: The author encourages readers to respond with their thoughts, opinions, and information they may have on this intriguing rifle attributed to William N. Grinter and likely made in the Bluegrass area of Kentucky. Anyone with a rifle or powder horn that they think may be from Kentucky is also encouraged to contact the author for his insights into their item.