Joshua Barlow, Little-Known Kentucky Gunsmith of the Barlow Family ©

Foreword: Kentucky had several important gunsmithing families who played significant roles in the State’s early gunmaking, and the Barlow family was one of them. They came from England as blacksmiths, gunsmiths, and mechanics and settled first in Virginia before moving on to Kentucky. Despite their success in Kentucky, one Barlow gunsmith has gone almost unnoticed with his work often attributed to other family members. He was Joshua Barlow (1817-1893) of Bracken County, Kentucky, and one of his rifles is shown in Figure No.1.

Figure No.1: A front view of the Joshua Barlow half-stocked rifle shows its clean Kentucky lines with triangular butt, typical double spurred guard, and a cast nose cap set several inches past the rear ramrod pipe, all characteristics of Kentucky gunmaking. Author’s collection, photos by author. Barrel: 40-5/16 inches long, .36 caliber bore.

Barlow Family: Kentucky Gunmakers 1775-1900 lists eight Barlow family gunsmiths, with Thomas H. Barlow the best-known. He was a gunsmith working in Lexington by 1825 who was also a gifted mechanic with an inventive mind. In 1827 he built and ran one of the first steam locomotives in America, then built a successful steamboat in his machine shop in Lexington. He was fascinated with the intricacies of the solar system and after three years of experimentation built a functional planetarium. National educators lauded his invention, Congress awarded him $4,000 for making planetariums for West Point and Annapolis Military Academies, and several universities purchased his planetariums. He later designed, built, and patented a successful rifled cannon which he sold to the U. S. Government. Other Barlow men were successful gunsmiths, blacksmiths, silversmiths, and mechanics, all known for their ability to learn mechanical skills quickly and do superior work.

Figure No.2: The reverse of the Joshua Barlow rifle shows its fine southern red maple stock with strong curl and beautiful original finish, oxidized dark but worn lighter in appropriate areas. The gun has a tall, triangular butt, brass furniture, and small brass washer under the lock bolt’s head. Despite not having ornamentation, it is a fine, well-built rifle with great eye appeal.

Joshua Barlow: He was born and raised in Nicholas County, Kentucky, and later apprenticed to local gunsmith Edmond C. Burden. Joshua began working as a gunsmith in 1838, probably as a journeyman in Burden’s shop since he married Burden’s daughter Martha in 1847. He moved to Bracken County shortly after his marriage where he was listed as a “gunsmith” in the 1850 census. His study rifle is dated “1851,” verifying its Bracken County roots. In October of 1855, Joshua left Kentucky for Fulton County, Illinois, and by the 1860 census he was a “farmer” of substantial means in Fulton County. His limited years as a gunsmith in Kentucky may account for why his work is seldom seen and when found, often mistakenly attributed to Jesse or Jesse M. Barlow. In addition to the study rifle, an exceptional pistol by Joshua Barlow is illustrated and described, with the intent that his Kentucky work can be better identified, understood, and appreciated in the future.  

Joshua’s Rifle: Joshua Barlow’s half-stocked rifle in Figures No.1 and No.2 above has key details highlighted in Figures No.3 and No.4 below. The rifle’s fit & finish are superior to most guns of its day; it is dated “1851” following the barrel signature in Figure No.3. Stocking is crisp with a typical Kentucky forestock having a cast nose cap set several inches past the rear ramrod pipe. The nose cap and flangeless rear pipe are shown in Figure No.4. Fine curly maple stock wood and a double spurred guard with Kentucky “square shoulder” above the rear spur can be seen in Figure No.5, along with uniform side-facings with mid-percussion era truncated tails. The gun lacks decorative inlays, but its graceful lines and mellow original finish make it an attractive rifle.

Figure No.3: Joshua Barlow signed his rifle “J. Barlow” followed by the date “1851,” verifying it was made during his Bracken County years. His script “B” differed significantly from those of other Barlow gunmakers.

Figure No.4: Barlow’s cast nose cap sits beyond the rear pipe in traditional Kentucky style, but his flangeless rear pipe is rare for a Bracken County gun and can help identify his work.

Figure No.5: The lock area on the Joshua Barlow rifle shows its double spurred Kentucky-style guard with a “square shoulder” above the rear spur where it meets the rear extension. Also present is a tight, uniform side-facing around the lock plate and a decorative tab on the rear of the front trigger, all Kentucky details. Not visible is the gun’s 3-5/16 inches long tang with a single tang bolt.

Joshua’s Pistol: The pistol in Figure No.6 was misidentified for years as the work of Jesse M. Barlow of Rush County, Indiana. Comparing the pistol’s “opposed vines” engraving to the “opposed vines” engraving on a pistol by gunsmith Edmond C. Burden [not shown] who trained Joshua confirms the pistol was Joshua’s work. Perhaps more convincing is a comparison of the rifle and pistol signatures in Figure No.7 and Figure No.8 below; the signatures are identical, and both are followed by dates. Two other details verify the pistol was not made by Jesse M. Barlow; Jesse’s signatures always included his middle initial “M,” and the style of his capital “B” in “Barlow” was different from the “B” used by Joshua Barlow. Joshua’s pistol is one of the more heavily engraved Kentucky pistols with multiple “opposed vines” covering its barrel and tang. Joshua had only limited engraving skills, but he knew how to use the skills he had to make a gun look attractive.

Figure No.6: This under-hammer pistol is the best of several known by Joshua Barlow. He used good curly maple for the stock with a nicely filed and fitted single-action firing mechanism. The barrel and tang are heavily engraved in his “opposed vines” style, similar to engraving by his trainer, gunsmith Edmond C. Burden of Nicholas County. Barrel: 4 inches long with .34 caliber bore. Photo courtesy G. Barlow.

Figure No.7: Joshua Barlow’s signature on his under-hammer pistol is virtually identical to the signature on his rifle, and both are dated.

Figure No.8: This is the same signature in Figure No.3 above, but it has been cropped to highlight the name and date and show their similarity to the signature on the pistol barrel to the left [←] of this image.

Summary: Despite only a few known guns by Joshua Barlow of the large Barlow clan of gunmakers in Kentucky, he was a significant gunmaker in his own right. His work has often gone unnoticed due to mix-ups in attributing it to better known Barlow gunsmiths. Research has verified his apprenticeship to Kentucky gunsmith Edmond C. Burden and identified his work by comparisons to Burden’s work, as well as to comparisons to other Barlow gunsmiths. Joshua was an accomplished gunsmith who made attractive rifles and pistols in Nicholas and Backen Counties, Kentucky, and with the help of this brief study, more of his existing work should be properly identified, and new discoveries better identified in the future.