Robert E. Gardner's 1963 book "Small arms makers; a directory of fabricators of firearms, edged weapons, crossbows, and polearms" identifies George Hawkins as someone who made percussion-type sporting firearms in Bedford, Pennsylvania during the 1870 to 1876 timeframe.
The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" indicates that George D. Hawken was in the borough of Bedford from 1872 to 1876 and is identified as a gunsmith and locksmith in 1873 with a value of $146.00.
The 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntington, & Somerset Counties" by Whisker and Yantz indicates that George D. Hawken appears on the 1872 to 1876 tax lists of the borough of Bedford as a gunsmith and/or lock smith.
Sellers' 2008 book "American Gunsmiths" gives the surname of this gunsmith as Hawkins, puts him in Bedford in the 1870 to 1876 timeframe, and mentions a full stock percussion rifle.
The following composite excerpt from the 1871 book "The Miscellaneous Documents" shows that George D. Hawkens voted in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on October 11, 1870.
I did not see any Hawkens listings in the manuscript 1870 census records of the borough of Bedford.
One can reasonably wonder if there is any genealogical connection between this George D. Hawken and the George and William Hawken who (according to page 1062 of the 1882 book "History of Western Maryland", Volume II) were gunsmiths in Hagerstown, Maryland sometime in the 1800 to 1805 period. (Hagerstown is 64.5 miles east-southeast of Bedford on modern roads.)
L. Dietle
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