Revolutionary War German gunsmiths?

[GoodOlBoy]

Does anybody know of a resource (book, webpage, etc) that tells what part of Germany the German gunsmiths, who built the first American rifles during and just before the Revolutionary war, came from?

Thanks

GoodOlBoy

[Mr. 16 gauge]

GOB;
I don't think that there was a particular part of 'Germany' that the gun makers came from.....rather, I think that the gunsmiths were probably from several of the different German 'states' at the time (remember, there wasn't a unified "Germany", as we know it, until the late 19th century.....prior to that that, they were just a collection of german speaking states/nations that were unified by a common language.
For instance, my dad's side of the family came from the Euchermarch (if I spelled that correctly) region of Pomerania, which was in Prussia. Others may have come from Holstien, Hessia, Fresia, ect. But all considered themselves "German".
Anyway, I know most of them settled on the Pennsylvania frontier......maybe doing a database search on early Pennsylvania settlers and settlements might give you some more insight......or maybe Gil or Adam might have some more knowledge, since both of them live in PA.
Good luck in your quest.

[Joe Boleo]

Doing a web search for "Early American gunsmiths" will generate a lot of information. The links below are just such examples. German and Swiss gunsmiths came to Pennsylvania during the colonial period. A bit of research may answer your questions about where they came from. Take care...
Joe

http://www.metmuseum.org/publications/bulletins/1/pdf/3257334.pdf.bannered.pdf

http://www.claytoncramer.com/popular/CountingGunsmithsInEarlyAmerica.html

[Adam Helmer]

GOB,

The National Muzzle Loader Rifle Association prints, annually, several fine Pennsylvania Rifle articles in their monthly publication, "Muzzle Blasts." If you Google NMLRA, you will get to their site.

Adam