Henry Deringer, Jr.

The Henry Deringer pistol used by J ohn 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) and
Catherine McQuety (17591829). The family moved to
Philadelphia where his father continued work on the
Kentucky rifle, both an ornate sporting model and a basic version for the US Army.
[2]
Henry, J r. married
Elizabeth 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 the
Revolutionary 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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Henry Deringer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Deringer
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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 wealth
and 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 with
his proofmarks being copied. One company went so far as to hire a "J ohn" 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 up
their own duplicates. Still others copied his guns as closely as possible, some even putting on its Deringer name
and trademark. Deringer fought these infringements for most of his business life, ironically having his best
success 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 DeringerGenuine 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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J ohn 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. 176185.
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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