I was confused by a biographical entry in a 1990 book
The biographical entry for Abner Truax on page 186 of James B. Whisker's 1990 book "Arms Makers of Pennsylvania" thoroughly confused me. The entry identifies Abner Truax as a gunsmithing apprentice and reports that he was working with the gunsmith Jacob Fishel in 1849. The entry seems to indicate that the apprenticeship activity occurred in Thompson Township of Fulton County, Pennsylvania on property that Jacob Fishel owned there. The entry also seems to indicate that Jacob Fishel lived just to the westward of his Fulton County property, in Hopewell Township of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The stated basis for the Abner Truax biographical entry was tax list(s).
Here are the things that I found confusing about the above interpretation of the 1990 biographical entry:
A 2017 book clarifies the matter
Chronology
1850: Abner Truax does not appear in the household listing of the gunsmith Jacob "Fisher" that appears in the following November 25, 1850 Hopewell Township, Bedford County census sheet. Although the listing is supposedly for Jacob "Fisher", I think it is really a listing for the household of the gunsmith Jacob "Fishel". I base my opinion on the name of the youngest child (John) and the name of the individual who appears to be Jacob's wife (Christine).
The following portion of this chronology references all the Abner Truax entries I could find in the Thompson Township, Fulton County census records. I am not sure if any of the entries are about the 1849 Bedford County gunsmithing apprentice named Abner Truax.
1850: The farmer Abner Truax who is listed in the following census record is the only individual named Abner Truax that I saw in the 1850 Thompson Township, Fulton County census records. I am not sure if this Abner Truax was the 1849 gunsmithing apprentice, but I do know that the 24-year age might be nothing more than a rough guess by one of the other potentially unrelated household members.
1860: Based on his reported age, the 27-year-old farmhand Abner Truax who is listed in the following 1860 census record from Thompson Township of Fulton County may have been the 1849 gunsmithing apprentice. This is the only listing for an individual named Abner Truax that I could find in the 1860 census records of Thompson Township.
1870: What follows is one of two listings for an individual named Abner Truax in the 1870 census records of Thompson Township of Fulton County. The other individual named Abner Truax was an 18-year-old who was living in the household of Benjamin Truax. The age of 40 years might be a guess by one of the other potentially unrelated household members.
There is one thing makes me suspect that the 1850, 1860, and 1870 Abner Truax census entries that are shown above may all be about the same individual: Each entry shows a worker named Abner Truax who is living in someone else's household.
1880: When I looked through the 1880 census records of Thompson Township of Fulton County, I didn't see any individuals named Abner Truax.
L. Dietle
In books about old-time gunsmiths, biographical information is typically highly condensed and somewhat cryptic, to save space. As a result, it is sometimes difficult, at least for me, to determine what a biographical entry was intended to mean.
The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" by Vaughn E. Whisker & James B. Whisker helps to clarify the Abner Truax subject by clearly indicating that Abner Truax of Thompson Township, Fulton County was a gunsmithing apprentice of the Bedford County gunsmith Jacob Fishel.
1849: The aforementioned 2017 book identifies Abner Truax of Thompson Township, Fulton County as a gunsmithing apprentice of the Bedford County gunsmith Jacob Fishel.
