Henry Deringer, Jr.

The Henry Deringer pistol used by John Wilkes

Booth.

Born Henry Deringer

October 26, 1786

Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Died February 28, 1868 (aged 81)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United

States

Occupation Inventor, gunsmith, businessman

Religion First Reformed Church

Spouse(s) Elizabeth Hollobush

Children Theophilus T. Deringer (1811 -

1874), Bronaugh McClain Deringer

(1819 - 1868), Calhoun Mason

Deringer (1824 - 1907), Eliza

Deringer (1831-1907)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Deringer (October 26, 1786 – February 28, 1868)was an American gunsmith. He is best known for inventing

and giving his name to the Deringer pistol.[1]

1 Early life

2 Apprenticeship

3 His Work

4 Household Name

5 Copying of his work

6 Death

7 See also

8 External links

9 References

He was born in Easton, Pennsylvania on Oct. 26, 1786 to

colonial gunsmith Henry Deringer Senior[2] (1756-1833) andCatherine McQuety (1759–1829). The family moved toPhiladelphia where his father continued work on the

Kentucky rifle, both an ornate sporting model and a basic version for the US Army.[2] Henry, Jr. marriedElizabeth Hollobush at the First Reformed Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 5, 1810.

Henry Deringer's father, Henry Deringer, Sr. was also a gunsmith who came to the U.S. before theRevolutionary War, living in Richmond, Virginia and then in Pennsylvania. He sent his son Henry to Richmond

to apprentice with another gunsmith there.[1]

Henry moved back to Pennsylvania after serving his apprenticeship and set up shop in 1806 in Philadelphia, on

Tamarind Street.[1]

Deringer's early efforts were for military contracts, producing military pistols, muskets and rifles.[1] Among

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those he produced was the Model 1814 Common Rifle[3] and the Model 1817 Common Rifle.[4] He also

produced trade rifles, designated for the Native American tribes, to fulfill the U.S. treaty obligations.[1] His

specialties became fine sporting rifles and fine dueling pistols.[1] He stopped pursuing the government contracts

by the mid-1840s.[1]

In 1825 he designed the first of the large caliber, short barreled pistols that would lead to considerable wealthand fame for himself. Using the basic flintlock action in common usage at the time, the pistols were muzzle

loading single shots, or in some cases, double barreled in an over-under manner.[2]

Later models used the percussion cap action, although both actions were manufactured and sold for some

time.[1] For guns of his own design, he adopted the newer percussion cap technology, putting his weapon on the

modern cutting edge.[1] He was innovating; the percussion cap was perfected about 1820, and Deringer was

marketing them by the 1830s, and possibly the mid-1820s.[1]

He never claimed a patent for his notorious pistols, not intending it as something special. The public bought

them as fast as he produced them.[1] Further development and copying of his design resulted in the derringer

(note the double-r) pistol that was generically manufactured widely by other companies.[5]

There was widespread copying and trademark infringement of his designs, include outright counterfeiting withhis proofmarks being copied. One company went so far as to hire a "John" Deringer ( a tailor, not a gunsmith),so that it could put the Deringer name on its guns. Some of Deringer's workmen also left the company to set uptheir own duplicates. Still others copied his guns as closely as possible, some even putting on its Deringer nameand trademark. Deringer fought these infringements for most of his business life, ironically having his bestsuccess after his death. The Derringer vs Plate ruling, in which the California Supreme Court ruled in the

company's favor, became a landmark in trademark law.[1]

Deringer died in 1868 at the age of 81. Deringer is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[2]

Concealed carry in the United States

"The Booth Deringer—Genuine Artifact or Replica?" at FBI.gov (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab

/forensic-science-communications/fsc/jan2001/schehl.htm/)

Bond Arms - Modern manufacturer of derringers (http://www.bondarms.com/)

Henry Deringer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Deringer

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John Wilkes Booth's Philadelphia Deringer

American Derringer - Modern manufacturer of

derringers (http://www.amderringer.com/)

^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Peterson, Harold L. (1971). The Great

Guns. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. pp. 176–185.

1.

^ a b c d Chapel, Charles Edward (2002). "6". Guns of the

Old West. Courier Dover Publications. p. 102.

ISBN 978-0-486-42161-2.

2.

^ The American Rifle Shop, Inc. "1814 Common Rifle (516

A)" (http://therifleshoppe.com/catalog_pages/us_arms/%28516_A%29.htm). Retrieved 2011-12-19.

3.

^ Robert P. Broadwater. "A Most Uncommon Rifle, The Model 1817 U.S. Flintlock" (http://www.militarytrader.com

/military-trader-news/model_1817_us_flintlock). Retrieved 2011-12-20.

4.

^ Flayderman, Norm (2007). "Percussion Deringers". Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their

Values (9 ed.). Iola, wisconsin: F+W Media, Inc,. p. 406. ISBN 978-0-89689-455-6.

5.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Deringer&oldid=582439563"

Categories: 1786 births 1868 deaths American inventors Firearm designers Gunsmiths

People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania People from Easton, Pennsylvania

Burials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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