KRA Bulletin | VOLUME 40 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2013

Misidentification and attribution errors surrounding gunsmiths of the same name have long complicated the study of Pennsylvania longrifle makers. This Fall 2013 Bulletin addresses one such problem through a detailed investigation of Christian Beck of Jonestown, distinguishing his work and career from those of similarly named relatives previously conflated in published scholarship.

Using tax records, church registers, estate filings, and close examination of signed rifles, the article reconstructs Christian Beck’s apprenticeship, working life, and stylistic lineage as the son of John Philip Beck. The research clarifies generational relationships within the Beck family, resolves longstanding confusion regarding Christian Beck “the Earlier” and “the Later,” and provides a documented framework for accurately identifying rifles produced in and around Jonestown during the early nineteenth century.

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