George Fay is known as a Bedford County, Pennsylvania gunsmith from an entry in the 1983 Whisker & Whisker booklet. That entry puts George Fay in Hopewell Township of Bedford County from 1835 to 1844 and puts him in Allegheny Township of Blair County from 1848 to 1858. The 1991 Whisker & Whisker book and the 2001 Whisker and Yantz book put Fay in Hopewell Township from 1848 to 1858. I suspect this is a mistake resulting from accidentally misquoting the 1983 booklet. The 2017 Whisker & Whisker book accidently reports an 1850 Blair County census record of George Fay as being a Bedford County census record. Please recognize that such mistakes are extremely easy to make when writing history-related books, and rare is the book that is error free.
L. Dietle
Chronology
1835: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a daughter named Mary Fay who was born circa 1835.
1835-1844: The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" locates George Fay in Hopewell Township of Bedford County from 1835 to 1844.
1836-1877: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a daughter named Rachael Fay who was born circa 1836. A genealogy website indicates that George Fay had a daughter named Rachael (Fay) Galbraith who was born in 1836, died in 1877, and is buried in the Fairview Cemetery in Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania.
1837: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a son named William Fay who was born circa 1837. The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" indicates that George Fay's gunsmith son William was born in 1837.
1840: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a daughter named Sarah Fay who was born circa 1840.
1840: An individual named George Fay is listed in a transcript I reviewed of the Hopewell Township portion of the 1840 census of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The household listing includes 1 male in the less than age 5 column, 1 male in the 15 and under 20 column, 1 male in the 20 and under 30 column, 1 male in the 30 and under 40 column, 2 females in the less than age 5 column, 1 female in the 5 and under 10 column, 1 female in the 15 and under 20 column, and 1 female in the 20 and under 30 column.
Circa 1842: The June 9, 1875 issue of the "Hollidaysburg Register" newspaper states, "Jacob Snyder, formerly of Stonerstown, Bedford county, a banker in Colorado Territory, was murdered on the 20th of last month, at Georgetown, Colorado. Mr. Snider learned the trade of gunsmith with Mr. Geo. Fay, of Altoona, some thirty-three years ago. His remains were brought home for interment."
1842: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a son named Andrew Fay who was born circa 1842.
1846: Pages 5 to 8 of the 1896 book "A History of Blair County, Pennsylvania" provide the text of the act establishing Blair County that was approved by the governor of Pennsylvania on February 26, 1846.
1848-1858: The 1983 booklet puts George Fay in Allegheny Township of Blair County from 1848 to 1858. The 2001 book locates George Fay in Hopewell township from 1848 to 1858, but this seems likely to be based on a misreading of the confusingly written 1983 booklet.
1844: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a daughter named Margaret Fay who was born circa 1844.
1850: The 1850 census of Blair County suggests that George Fay had a daughter named Lavina Fay who was born around May in 1850.
1850: In the 1850 census of Allegheny Township, Blair County an individual named George Fay is enumerated as a 39-year-old Pennsylvania-born gunsmith with property valued at $1,200.00. Also living in his household are 35-year-old Mary, 15-year-old Mary J. Fay, 14-year-old Rachel Fay, 13-year-old William Fay, 10-year-old Sarah Fay, 8-year-old Andrew J. Fay, 6-year-old Margaret Fay, and 6-month-old Lavinia Fay, and 21-year-old gunsmith Alexander Bradley, all Pennsylvania-born. The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" mistakenly reports that these census entries are from Hopewell Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1851: A tombstone at the Newry Lutheran Cemetery in Blair County, Pennsylvania states, "MARY Wife of GEORGE FAY DIED Sept. 2nd, 1851 aged 36 years 2 ms & 28 days".
1859: Kauffman's 1960 book "The Pennsylvania - Kentucky Rifle" reports that George Fay is on the tax list for the Borough of Gaysport (Blair County) in 1859, and reports that his name is stricken in the 1860 list.
1860: Kauffman's 1960 book "The Pennsylvania - Kentucky Rifle" reports that George Fay is on the tax list for Hollidaysburg (Blair County) in 1860, and reports that his name is stricken in the 1861 list.
1860: George Fay is enumerated as a 49-year-old gunsmith with a personal estate value of $200.00 in the 1860 federal census records of the Borough of Hollidaysburg. Living in his household are 73-year-old Mary E. Fey (evidently his mother), 33-year-old Mary, 23-year-old William (a gunsmith), 17-year-old Andrew, 11-year-old Levina, 3-year-old George, and 1-year-old Maria.
1861: The 1983 booklet and the 2001 book locate George Fay in Duncansville of Blair County in 1861. Sellers' 2008 book "American Gunsmiths" reports, based on an 1861 directory, that George Fay was in Duncansville in 1861.
1862-1891: The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" locates George Fay in Altoona (Blair County) from 1862 to 1891. (Kauffman's 1960 book identifies George Fay on the Altoona tax lists of 1862, 1864, 1869, 1874, and 1879.)
1864: Kauffman's 1960 book "The Pennsylvania - Kentucky Rifle" reports that William Fay is included on the 1864 tax list of Altoona, but his name is annotated to indicate that he was killed in the (Civil) war.
1870: George Fay is enumerated as a 59-year-old gunsmith in the 1870 federal census records of the First Ward of Altoona.
1876: An article in the August 3, 1876 issue of the “Altoona Evening Mirror” newspaper indicates that a "story and a half frame house on Tenth Street above Green Avenue owned by George Fay Gunsmith was partially destroyed by fire this morning... The building was unoccupied..."
1880: In the 1880 federal census records of Altoona, George Fay is enumerated as a 70-year-old gunsmith with a 34-year-old wife.
1882: A news item in the Thursday, June 8, 1882 issue of the "Altoona Tribune" states, "Mr. George Fay, gunsmith, resides on Third avenue, between Twenty-first and Twenty-second streets. His shop is situated at the rear of the lot. On Monday morning when he opened the door it did not take more than one look to convince him that somebody had been there during the previous night. Everything was in confusion and considerable property missing, including three revolvers, three brass padlocks, powder and powder horn, caps, etc. The burglars had taken a pane of glass out of a rear window and thus effected an entrance. Once in they broke all the locks in the place but one, which was too strong for them. Mr. Fay is of the opinion that the damage was done by a couple of boys who had been lurking about the place for several days. He would not make any estimate of his loss."
1890: The 1953 edition of "American Gun Makers" indicates that the address of a George Fay who was identified as a gunsmith in an 1890 directory was 2120 Third Avenue, Altoona, Pennsylvania, and the address of a George W. Fay who was also identified as a gunsmith in an 1890 directory was 1000 Green Avenue Altoona, Pennsylvania. The 1953 book mentions that full stock percussion rifles by George Fay of Third Avenue are known, and some are in the Bedford County style. The following excerpt from sheet 34 of the 1894 Sanborn fire insurance map of Altoona identifies 2120 Third Avenue. The street numbering has been changed slightly since then.
1891: The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" indicates the death of the elder George Fay occurred on August 18, 1891 and the burial took place in the Fairview Cemetery (40.52273745, -78.40163205) of Altoona. An article in a 2025 issue of the "Muzzle Blasts" magazine indicates that George Fay died in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1893: An individual named George Fay was listed as a gunsmith in "Clark's Altoona Directory, 1893."
1895: In the "Altoona Directory" of 1895, an individual named George Fay is reportedly listed as a gunsmith at Watson's. The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" logically deduces that this is a reference to George Fay, Jr. The referenced Watson's may be the J.M. Watson who appears as follows in "Clark's Altoona Directory, 1893."
1911: The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" indicates that George Fay, Jr. died in 1911.
1972: The obituary of George S. Fay in the January 17, 1972 issue of the “Altoona Mirror” newspaper includes the following gunsmithing traditions:
"The life and the family of George S. Fay of Eldorado who died Jan. 12, were deeply intertwined with the history of Altoona. He was born in a home which stood on the site now occupied by the Altoona Mirror building on Green Avenue. His father George Fay Sr., came to Altoona in the Early 1880s from the Blue Knob section and bought a plot of ground from Andrew Green. On this land he erected his home and machine and gun shop. The elder George Fay made muzzle loading rifles and shotguns at his Green Avenue shop until he sold the location to the Mirror printing co. In 1912. The Fay family established early fame for fine machine work and top quality gun smithing. This craftsmanship is traced back to an ancestor George Fay who came west from Lancaster county after the Revolutionary War and who was said to have been a pupil of the famed George Meylin revolutionary period gunsmith and reputed maker of the famous Pennsylvania Rifle. Later called the Kentucky Rifle it gained prominence in the hands of Pioneer Americans including it is said Kit Carson and Daniel Boone. The Lancaster Fay came to Markleysburg Huntingdon county where he made muzzle loading Flintlock and percussion rifles a trade followed later by his son another George Fay born in Markleysburg in 1809. The Fay rifles had a wide reputation for accuracy."
George Fay work product:
Return to the Korns family genealogy home page
1811: The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" lists a George Fay as living from 1811 to 1890. The authors of the 1983 booklet do not include this individual in their 1991 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties". The 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, & Somerset Counties" indicates that George Fay lived from 1811 to 1912, but this probably mixes up dates for father and son gunsmiths who had the same name.
For an index to biographical information on other western Pennsylvania gunsmiths and pictures of the long rifles they built, click here.
