I am the person (or at least one of the people) presently researching the life of self-promoter (I like that, Kutter) Willard Milton Farrow (1848-1934). He was the youngest of a complicated (his, hers & theirs) family of 17 offspring. There were 2 Williams. The first was the eldest of the 17, but died as a child. The 2nd William was 20 years older than W. Milton. He was a sail-maker in Maine and ran a sail-loft until he was in his 90s. No shotgun makers there.
Milton Farrow & brother Thomas ran a sporting goods & jewelry store in Newport, RI from 1873 to about 1883. They advertised shotguns in the local newspapers & city directories. Would they stamp their name on someone else's product? I think so. Did they make it? I think not. I think they lacked the necessary skills. Thomas died of TB in 1885. Milton went to work for Bullard 1/1/84. That is where he picked up his machinist skills. Milton's prototype single shot appeared late in 1884.
Milton was in Springfield, Mass from 1884 until 7/1885. From 7/85 to 1887 in Brattleboro, Vt. From 1887 to mid 1890 in Holyoke, Mass. From mid-1890 to about 9/1891 in Mason, Tennessee. From 9/91 until 1897 in Morgantown, West Virginia. In 1897, he moved to Washington, DC and was essentially out of the gun business. I think Farrow was too busy self-promoting & trying to make his single shot a paying product to mess about with shotguns.
In the years before lots of middle-European migration, Farrow or a variant was in the top 20 surnames in America. There could be any number of William Farrows. Not Joe Smith, but close to it. One I have been trying to track is William B. Farrow, who reportedly made percussion target rifles in Holyoke, Mass from 1867 to 1875.
