Introduction: This project includes individuals who may have been incorrectly identified as a gunsmith, to promote additional investigation. The Whiskers identify the Somerset, Pennsylvania blacksmith Frederick Huff (Hoff) as a gunsmith in their 1983 booklet, but not in their 1991 or 2017 books. To me, this suggests their thoughts on the matter may have changed.
1809: An article "Reminiscences by Henry J. Young, twenty-four years ago..." in the August 10, 1894 issue of the "Somerset Standard" newspaper contains the statement, "In 1809 I went to Somerset and learned the blacksmith trade with Frederick Huff. We had to get our coal from the Countryman farm in Brothersvalley Township. The shop was on the present Somerset House lot. Jacob Huff kept a tavern at the same time in a house on the same lot. Daniel Berkey and Adam Nye had a blacksmith shop on Main street where Major Geo. Chorpenning's brick house now is."
The following excerpt from the 1876 "County Atlas of Somerset" shows the location of the Somerset House (approximately 40.008262480291826, -79.08053961734126) at the Corner of Main Street and Edgewood Avenue. (I lived on Edgewood Avenue when I was in my senior year of college, and as a student teacher taught drafting and metal shop at the Junior and Senior high school level.)
Here is a 1907 photo of the referenced Somerset House.
1810: I did not see a listing for Frederick Huff in the Somerset Borough or Somerset Township portions of the 1810 manuscript census records of Somerset County.
1814: The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" identifies Frederick Huff as a blacksmith and a gunsmith in the borough of Somerset in 1814. The authors of the 1983 booklet did not include Frederick Huff in their 1991 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties" or in their 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Here is what the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania" says about Frederick Huff:
I do not know why Frederick Huff is included in the 1983 booklet as a gunsmith. Here is what is published about Frederick Huff in the 1906 book "History of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania":
The following excerpt is from an article titled "A Gala Week for Somerset" in the July 1, 1895 issue of the Philadelphia "Press":
The following excerpt is from the "Pennsylvania Archives", Sixth Series, Volume 4:
The following muster roll is from the "Pennsylvania Archives", Second Series, Volume 12.
1820: I did not see a listing for Frederick Huff in the Somerset Borough portion of the 1820 manuscript census records of Somerset County.
