Larry,
People want to know what they can use in an old (whatever) TODAY, not what someone could or did use 120 years ago. Nobody can use any of the different versions of powder J TODAY, because it has been obsolete since long before most of us were born ( you, excepted, of course).
Knowing what you can or should use in the gun will be derived, hopefully, from an understanding of what level old gun was proofed at, and with a bit of reverence to the age of the gun, which didn't matter to the original owner, but, hopefully does to the current caretaker. We have access to low pressure loads that should take the worry out of using old guns, and that have NOTHING in common with loads that were used a century or more in the past.
Seeing the condition of many old European gun bores, I'd suggest that loads featuring black powder and corrosive priming were available long after smokeless was considered normal. Perhaps they were substantially cheaper?
When you stumble on to that keg of pre-WWI powder J, Larry, let not your heart be troubled thinking I will pester you for some of it to use in my guns.
I promise, I won't.


Best,
Ted