doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com F. Huels , Madison,Wisconsin-odd barrels

Raimey, the top rib is a "twist" type pattern. I just took the barrels out in the sun, but cannot see a pattern on them. But, the finish is a thick one and my eyes ---------well, someday you'll know. Given the barrels are about twice the weight one would expect, I just can't think of any comparables.

Charles E. Overbaugh & Company, NY


F. Huels, Madison, Wisconsin

If F. Huels was born circa 1846, he could have attained the rank of master by at least 1870, when PeteM notes he was at August Herfurth.

In 1857, the gunsmiths in Madison, Dane County were T.N. Bovee, Herfurth(August) & Anschutz(F.W.) and C. Lamb. I'm curious if F. Huels worked a stint in each shop.

By 1880, the trio of gunsmiths in Madison were:

William Flohr, father(not son) of Dentist or Doctor Eugene W. Flohr. I wonder if he was related to gunsmiths Andrew & nephew Charles Flohr of California. I believe William Flohr's father(not grandfather) was from Alsace-Lorraine, Germany.

F. Huels

A. McGovern

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Raimey, it looks like the locks came from a similar source. The Overbaugh locks are sourced in Germany by H A Lindner. So, I would guess the Huels locks to be from that area, too.

Raimey, Flohr's grandfather--if from Alsace-Lorraine--likely would have been insulted if you said he was from Germany. Alsace-Lorraine did not become German territory until after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Thus, Flohr's grandfather would have been French by birth.

I think I found your original owner.

http://wigenweb.org/dane/biographies/barronqh.html
Q. H. BARRON was born in Rockingham, at Saxton's River Village, Windham Co., Vt., May 26, 1810; moved from there to Mount Morris, N.Y., in 1824, engaged in mercantile business most of the time at Nunda, for about ten years prior to his coming to Wisconsin, in September 1844, and in December of same year, he located at Fox Lake; was one of the first settlers in that section of the State, and has since resided there; engaged in farming on Secs. 33, 34, Township 12, Range 13, and remained at that business most of the time until 1868; was part of the time engaged in keeping hotel at Fox Lake; after 1868 his sole business was hotel-keeping, until 1878, when he was appointed Superintendent of public property; since living at Fox Lake, he has served as Justice of the Peace for twenty-seven years, Chairman, Board of Supervisors twice, Assessor twelve years, member of the Assembly in 1857 and in 1862; was Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms in 1858. Married at Nunda, September 1835, Sylvia H. ASHLEY; she was born in Whitesboro, Oneida Co., N.Y. Now resides at Fox Lake. Mr. BARRON is still a resident of Fox Lake.

Nice find Lochlan. That was my next question with a followup of just who were these "friends"?

1st I have it backwards and William was the son of Moritz Flohr and I think he was a tailor, or was in that line of business. I'm not sure of Moritz's departure from Alsace-Lorraine, but there was a substantial migration of Germans into Watertown and Wisconsin in the late part of the 19th Century(where is Baumgarten when we need a German Wisconsin history lesson?) It may be that he didn't like the situation of the Franco-Prussian conflict or being folded under the German Imperial umbrella. True, if earlier he would have been a French citizen. Glad to see at least someone if fact checking.

Getting back to F. Huels, it would seem that he took over the business of August Herfurth, who retired in 1879?, and they seem to have the same business address? I wonder if he married August Herfurth's daughter?

Nice bit of info you unearthed there, PeteM.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Are the barrels possibly sleeved? If you ever fired it; sounds like a situation just made for Gaugemate Silvers 12 to 16. But the Gaugemates might have to be shortened.

Nope, F. Huels didn't marry August Herfurth's daughter. Maybe he just purchased the business.

"Fred A. Herfurth. One of the first-class examples of the self-
reliant man who has made his own way in the world is Fred A. Herfurth,
a successful contractor and owner of a planing mill at Fremont. He
was born at Madison, Wisconsin, on June 14, 1868, a son of August
and Ida (Dienald) Herfurth, both natives of Germany, who came to
Wisconsin at an early day and were there married, and became the
parents of five children, four of whom survive, namely : Millie, who
married Earl Brink of Grand Island, Nebraska ; !Mrs. Alma Leberman,
who is a widow, of Fremont ; Fred A., who was third in order of
birth ; and Max, who is a carriage trimmer, living at Fremont. The
parents were members of the Congregational Church. In politics the
father was a democrat. By trade he was a gunsmith and he worked
at his trade at Madison, Wisconsin, and at Fremont, Nebraska, to which
city he moved when Fred A. Herfurth was a child, and here he died
in 1884, but his widow survives him and lives at Grand Island.

Fred A. Herfurth attended the public schools of Fremont, and was
graduated from its high school course in 1894. Beginning his appren-
ticeship in boyhood, Fred A. Herfurth learned the carpenter trade and
has always worked at it, developing into a contractor, and has done con-
siderable building in and about Fremont. In 1907 he established a
planing mill that he sold to W. R. Reckmeyer, and in 1913 built another
mill that he is still conducting in conjunction with his contract work.
In his mill Mr. Herfurth makes fixtures of all kinds used in woodwork,
and his product is in great demand. A skilled workman himself, he
will not accept anything but first-class work and is noted for his faith-
fulness in living up to the specifications of his contracts."








Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Raimey,

In 1870 August Herfurth, a "Dealer in Guns" was 37, born in Prussia. Fred Huls, a gunsmith, was living with him. NB the census records often contain misspelled names...

In 1880, Fred Huels had a wife, Hellen aged 28, who was born in Wisconsin and a daughter aged 2.

Pete

Wow, you all have found a lot of info. We know about Huels, and his employee for a period, Huels. Good info on the engravers and the recipiant of the gun, Mr. Barron.

From Petes pictures of the Punt gun by Herfurth, I might guess the extra heavy barrels on the Huels gun came from the same source. Why the very heavy barrels on a 12 gauge with a 14 bore is another question. Lots of work and thought went into the gun.

Who Mr. Barron's Friends were, we can only guess from the biography supplied by Lochlan.

Thank you all.