Not only farmers but how about coal miners? I know for certain my grandfather had a Meridan double from Sears and Roebuck's, only gun he owned. My grandmother who always called it, 'That old black thing in the cellar" threw it out with the trash in the weekly pickup. A shame.

My uncle from Smock Pa, also had a field grade Ithaca NID as well as his brothers and father, a few only had single shots, but all coal miners.