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Introduction
In the chronology below, I include John Furney's brothers Adam, Daniel, and David and father Philip to provide a fuller picture of John Furney's Ohio years, and because Daniel was also a gunsmith. Based on Daniel's age when his parents moved westward in 1836, it seems likely that he apprenticed in Bedford County, Pennsylvania before moving to Ohio.
This page is part of an online project that features the old-time guns and gunsmiths of Bedford and Somerset counties, Pennsylvania.
L. Dietle
John and Daniel Furney are mentioned in an 1895 book
Apparently by accident, the excerpt above was also published verbatim in a book titled "Portrait and biographical record of Guernsey County, Ohio". The Guernsey County book was published the same year as the Tuscarawas County book. For a long time, I was really confused as a result of reading things in a Guernsey County book that seemed to be about Tuscarawas County! Click here and here to see the corresponding pages from the Guernsey County book.
Chronology
The following table is a summary of everything I think I know for certain about where the Furney family members were living. The biggest remaining mystery for me is not being sure of where John Furney was between 1830 and 1860.
Circa 1774 to 1866: According to the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, John, Daniel, David, and Adam Furney were sons of Philip and Catherine (Wymer) Furney. According to the same book, Philip Furney died on January 6, 1866 at the age of 91 years and eleven months, which yields an approximate birth date of February 6, 1774.
Circa 1777 to Circa 1868: According to web pages about them, Philip and Catherine (Weimer) Furney are buried in the Old Sandyville Cemetery, which is just outside of Sandyville in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. According to his web page, Philip was born in 1777 and died in 1868. (That birth year agrees with his age in the 1860 census.) According to her web page, Catherine was born in 1781 and died in 1844. Sandyville is about 41 miles generally west of Magnolia.
1790: Although there is a Philip Furney listed in the transcript of the 1790 census records of Frederick County, Maryland that is published in the 1907 book "First Census of the United States 1790 Maryland", 1790 seems too early for someone born circa 1774 to circa 1777 to appear a the head of a household.
Circa 1799: The 2017 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford County, Pennsylvania" indicates that John W. Furney was born in Maryland circa 1800, and indicates that his parents were Catherine Wymer and Philip Furney. I suspect this is based on Sandra Hall's August 31, 2004 post on genealogy.com that is titled "John Furney/Forney son of Philip Furney of Bedford County PA". Based on the enlistment and census records summarized in the following table, I propose that it seems more appropriate to say that the gunsmith John Furney was born circa 1799. Although his Ohio "Graves Registration Card" reports that he was born in 1800, such cards were prepared during the late 1930s as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, and there is no way to know what the stated 1800 birth date is based on.
1800: I did not see any Furney listings when I read through the 1800 manuscript census records for Hopewell & Woodberry Townships, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1800: At least one web page reports that some of Philip Furney's children were born in Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Although most of Franklin County, Pennsylvania is west of Frederick County, Maryland, they adjoin one another at the Mason-Dixon Line for about one half of a mile. Greene Township is just east of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and its southernmost tip is about 10.27 miles north of the Mason-Dixon line. When I searched through the manuscript 1800 census records of Greene Township, I couldn't find a listing for a Philip Furney household. Does anyone know if there is a listing for the Philip Furney household in the 1800 census records of Frederick County, Maryland?
1810: I did not see any Furney listings when I read through the 1810 manuscript census records for Woodberry Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1810: Click here to see an 1810 census record from Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania that may include a listing for the Philip Furney household. The census image is a composite that combines listings from one page of the census with a table header from another page. I wonder if the Mary Forney that is listed next to Philip Forney might be Philip's mother.
1811: Click here to see an excerpt from the 1884 book “History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio indicating that the David Furney who died on September 12, 1883 was born in 1811. 1850 and 1860 census records included below indicate he was born in Pennsylvania. At the very least, this indicates his mother was present in Pennsylvania in 1811. A web page about David Furney indicates that he was born in Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania on November 4, 1811 but doesn't provide a basis for that assertion.
Circa 1814: Based on his death record and census records, which are summarized in the following table, Daniel Furney, the gunsmith brother of John Furney, was born circa 1814. The 1850 census says he was born in Pennsylvania, and the 1860 census says he was born in Maryland. I don't know if Daniel Furney apprenticed in gunsmithing in Bedford County, Pennsylvania before moving to Ohio. I also do not know who taught Daniel Furney the art of gunsmithing, but it certainly would not be a huge surprise if he apprenticed with his older brother John while still a youth, before leaving Bedford County. After all, most apprenticeships took place when the apprentice was a minor. I don't know when Daniel Furney moved west, but I do know that his parents reportedly moved west in 1836 when he was approximately 22 years old, and I do know that he was married in Ohio in 1837 and is listed in the 1840 Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio census records.
1819: According to the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, Philip and Catherine (Wymer) Furney's daughter Mary Furney was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania on July 25, 1819. This helps to establish that Philip and Catherine Furney were already living in Bedford County by 1819. Their son Daniel would have been about five years old in 1819, and their son John would have been about 20 years old.
1820: A Phillip Furney household appears in a transcript of the Woodberry Township portion of the 1820 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania with three males under age 10, one male in the 16 to 25 age bracket, one male in the 45 and upwards age bracket, one female under age 10, two females in the 10 to 15 age bracket, one female in the 16 to 25 age bracket, and one female in the 26 to 44 age bracket. Two individuals from the household were engaged in agriculture. This is presumably a listing for the family of the parents of the gunsmiths John and Daniel Furney. If that is a correct interpretation, then Philip and Catherine (Wymer) Furney were still living in Bedford County in 1820. Click here to see the relevant portion of the 1820 Woodberry Township manuscript census record.
1820: There is a listing for a John Furney household in the 1820 census records of Providence Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. In my opinion there are far too many household members for it to represent the household of a young man of about 20 or 21 years old. I interpret this record as demonstrating that in 1820 there was more than one person named John Furney in Bedford County.
1822: According to the aforementioned 2017 book, John W. Furney entered into wedlock with an individual named Mary circa 1822. I suspect that the statement in the book is based on Sandra Hall's August 31, 2004 internet genealogy post.
1826: The 1990 book "Arms Makers of Pennsylvania by Whisker and the 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, & Somerset Counties" by Whisker and Yantz locate the gunsmith John Furney in Belfast Township (now a part of Fulton County) in 1826. The 1990 book attributes the assertion to a tax list. A statement in the 2001 book indicates that John Furney was usually identified as a farmer in tax lists. Since there was more than one individual named John Furney, or something similar, that leaves two unanswered questions: Does the 1826 tax list mention the occupation of gunsmithing, and if not, how can one be sure it references the gunsmith John Furney and not some other individual? Can anyone find a copy of the relevant portion of that tax list, or a transcript of that Belfast Township tax list, and send it to me?
The 2001 book indicates that John Furney was a farmer and a gunsmith, but the authors opined that John Furney probably only repaired guns because they never heard of a gun made by Furney. In May of 2025, a "J. Furney" marked rifle came to my attention.
1828: The 1983 booklet "Gunsmiths and Gunmakers of Bedford and Somerset Counties Pennsylvania 1770-1900" references an April 1, 1828 legal matter as the "Commonwealth v. John Furney". This legal matter is not mentioned in the the 1990 Whisker book, the 1991 Whisker & Whisker book, the 2001 Whisker & Yantz book, or the 2017 Whisker & Whisker book. I don't know if the legal matter concerned the gunsmith John Furney, or another individual with the same, or a similar, name. Since the legal matter seems to only be referenced in the 1983 booklet, perhaps it should be ignored unless it can be verified to pertain to the gunsmith John Furney. Can anyone find a copy of the court reference to this legal matter, to see if it references the occupation of gunsmith?
1829: Sellers' 2008 book "American Gunsmiths" lists John Furney as a gunsmith in Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1829 based on a tax record, reports that John Furney used the initials "J.F.", and reports that he made full-stocked percussion and flintlock rifles. Sellers identifies "Whisker" as his source of information. In Sellers' bibliography, "Whisker" is cross-referenced to a 1982 book titled "The Bedford County Pennsylvania Rifle Book" by Whisker & Whisker that was published by the Old Bedford Village Press. I haven't seen a publication with that title.
I sure would appreciate it if someone could locate and forward a copy of the 1929 tax record in order to determine if it references the occupation of gunsmith. Alternately, if the tax record is referenced in the records Calvin Hetrick compiled at the Bedford County Courthouse as part of the Historical Records Survey (HRS) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), then I would like to have a copy of the relevant portion of that compilation.
1829-1848: The 1983 booklet and the 1990 book locate John Furney in Woodbury Township from 1829 to 1848. The 1990 book indicates that this assertion is based on tax lists. In view of the dueling 1830 Woodberry Township census records identified below, it would be interesting to review the tax lists this assertion is based on, to see which lists mention the occupation of gunsmith. I wonder if those tax lists are part of the records Calvin Hetrick compiled at the Bedford County Courthouse. Can anyone help this research by finding copies of the tax lists, or transcripts thereof, and forwarding them to me?
1830: In the Woodberry Township portion of the 1830 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the household of Philip Fordney has two males in the 10 to 15 age group, one male in the 15 to 20 age group, 1 male in the 20 to 30 age group, one male in the 50 to 60 age group, 2 females in the 5 to 10 age group, 1 female in the 10 to 15 age group, and one female in the 40 to 50 age group. This is presumably a listing for the family of the parents of the gunsmiths John and Daniel Furney. If that is a correct interpretation, then Philip and Catherine (Wymer) Furney were still living in Bedford County in 1830. Click here to see the manuscript census record. Daniel Furney would have been about 16 years old in 1830, and John Furney would have been about 31 years old.
In the 1830 manuscript census records of Woodberry Township, Bedford County, the household of a John Fordney has one male in the 30 to 40 age group, one female in the 20 to 30 age group, two females in the 5 to 10 age group, and one female in the up to five age group. Based on having one male in the 30 to 40 age group who is presumably the head of the household, this is almost certainly the listing for the family of the gunsmith John Furney. Click here to see the manuscript census record, which strongly suggests that the gunsmith John Furney was still living in Bedford County in 1830.
On the same page of the census, there is an entry that is difficult to read, but it may be an entry for a John Forney household with one male under five years old, one male in the 20-to-30-year age group, two females in the 5- to ten-year-old group, and one female in the 20- to 30-year-old group.
In a transcript of the 1830 census records of Woodberry Township, Bedford County, a John Forrney household has one male and one female in the 50 to 60 age group, three males and two females in the 20 to 30 age group, one female in the 10 to 15 age group, and two males and one female in the up to five age group. Based on having one male in the 50 to 60 age group who is presumably the head of the household, this seems unlikely to be a listing for the family of the gunsmith John Furney. This record does, however, demonstrate that in 1830 there were at least two individuals in Woodberry Township with similar and perhaps identical names.
Circa 1834 & circa 1836: In the 1850 census, David Furney’s 14 and 16-year-old children are listed as being born in Pennsylvania. If accurate, this indicates that David Furney’s wife — and probably David Furney as well — were in Pennsylvania in circa 1834 and circa 1836.
1836: The aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book indicates that Philip and Catherine (Wymer) Furney moved from Bedford County, Pennsylvania to Burlington, Iowa in 1836, but then went to Sandy Township, and then moved to Sandyville. (Sandyville, Ohio, is in Tuscarawas County.)
1836: Click here to see an excerpt from the 1884 book “History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio" indicating that the David Furney who died September 12, 1883 emigrated to Ohio in 1836.
1837: A Tuscarawas County, Ohio marriage record indicates that an individual named Daniel Furney married Rosanna Cable on August 6, 1837. This is obviously a record of the marriage of the gunsmith Daniel Furney, who was a brother of the gunsmith John Furney. Clearly, Daniel Furney — a member of the Philip Furney family — was already in Tuscarawas County by 1837.
1838: According to the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties...", South Woodberry Township of Bedford County was formed in the southern end of Morrison's Cove during 1838. The 1792 Reading Howell map helps one understand that South Woodberry Township was formed from Woodberry Township. This is potentially relevant because of a John Furney who is identified (see below) as a South Woodberry Township property owner in 1859. That property would have been in Woodberry Township before 1838.
1840: In the East Providence Township portion of the 1840 census of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, the household of an individual named John Forney has one free white male in the 60 to 70 age group and one free black male in the 10 to 24 age group. Based on the free white male in the 60 to 70 age group, this is not a listing for the gunsmith John Furney, who would have been about 41-years-old in 1840. Click here to see the relevant part of the census record. Does anyone have an easy way to search the entire 1840 Bedford County census for the gunsmith John Furney? If he cannot be found anywhere in the 1840 Bedford County census records, then he might have already moved to Ohio.
1840: Click here to see the listing for Philip Furney in the 1840 census records of Sandyville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. I didn't see a listing for John Furney in the 1840 Sandyville census records.
1840: Click here to see the listings for David and Daniel Furney in the 1840 census records of Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. I didn't see a listing for John Furney in the 1840 Sandy Township census records.
1840: I didn't find any Furney listings when I read through my blurry copy of the manuscript 1840 census records of Perry Township, Muskingum County, Ohio.
1840: A transcript of the McConnels Boro portion of 1840 census of Bedford County lists the household of a Daniel Fortney that has one free white male and one free white female in the 50 to 60 age group, one free white female in the 15 to 20 age group and one free black female in the 10 to 24 age group. This Daniel Fortney is too old to be the gunsmith Daniel Furney.
1843: The 1983 booklet references a property transaction from Jacob Farhner to John Furney for a piece of land in Providence Township that is recorded in an 1843 mortgage entry book. This transaction is not mentioned in the 1990 Whisker book, the 1991 Whisker & Whisker book or the 2001 Whisker & Yantz book. I have no way of knowing whether this transaction actually involved the gunsmith John Furney. It would be useful if someone could locate the document to determine whether it mentions the occupation of gunsmith. (I've seen a few old property transactions that did mention the occupation of one of the parties. I'm guessing this was done to better identify a specific individual.)
1843: The transcript of an 1843 Tuscarawas County, Ohio document that is provided in Samuel E. Weaver’s book "A History of the Jonathan Cable Family" indicates that Mary Cable and Rosanna Cable, wives of David and Daniel Furney respectively, were heirs of Jacob Cable. A statement on page 119 of Charles W. Forney’s 1931 book "Forney's five family records of genealogy of Benners, Clappers, Ettlemans, Forneys, and Studys, with historical sketches" indicates that the David Furney who married Mary Cable was a son of Philip Furney.
1844: If, as reported above, the mother of John Furney died in 1844 and is buried in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, then it seems clear that she — a member of the Philip Furney family — was already in Tuscarawas County, Ohio by the year 1844.
1849: As reported farther below, an individual named John Furney was living in Thompson Township of Fulton County in 1852. Click here to see an excerpt from the 1936 book "The History of Fulton County Pennsylvania" which indicates that Thompson Township was formed in 1849. Confusingly, 1849 is actually before Fulton County was formed.
1850: A listing for the household of John Laughlin, a brother-in-law of the gunsmith brothers John and Daniel Furney, appears in an 1850 census record from Sandy Township, Tuscarawras County, Ohio.
1850: A Pennsylvania-born 35-year-old farmer named Daniel Furney is listed as the head of a household in the following 1850 census record of Sandy Township, Tuscarawas county, Ohio. In the 1860 census, this Daniel Furney is listed as a gunsmith. Based on that, the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, and the presence of John Laughlin in Sandy Township, this Daniel Furney is clearly John Furney's brother.
1850: I did not find a John Furney household in the East Providence Township portion of the manuscript 1850 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. I also did not find a John Furney household in the Thompson Township portion of the manuscript 1850 census records of Fulton County, Pennsylvania.
1850: I did not find a John Furney household in the South Woodbury or Middle Woodbury portions of the manuscript 1850 census records of Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1850: Click here to see an excerpt from the 1936 book "The History of Fulton County Pennsylvania" that indicates Fulton County was formed in 1850.
1850: I didn’t find the gunsmith John Furney in the 1850 census records of Sandy Township, Stark County, Pennsylvania. There was a household listing for a 41-year-old Pennsylvania-born bricklayer named John Forney, but he is too young and has the wrong birthplace to be the gunsmith we are studying.
1850: I didn’t find the Philip Furney or the gunsmith John Furney in the 1850 census records of Sandyville or Sandy Township in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
1850: Although I found a listing for John Furney's brother David in the 1850 census records of Perry Township, Muskingum County, Ohio I did not find a listing for John in that township.
1852: The 1983 booklet and the 1990 book locate John Furney in Thompson Township of Fulton County in 1852. The 1990 book indicates that this assertion is based on a tax list. The assertion may be based on a reference to an individual named John Furney in a transcript of a tax list in the Thomson (sic) Township section of the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". Click here to see that reference, which doesn't mention the occupation of gunsmithing. I don't know whether that transcript references the gunsmith John Furney, or references another individual with the same name.
1852: I didn’t see any Furney properties on the Perry Township portion of the 1852 Bennett map of Muskingum County, Ohio.
1854-1857: According to the 1884 book "History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties...", "In 1854, Providence was divided into two election districts, East and West Providence. In 1857 Snake Spring township was organized from West Providence and Colerain." In another place, the book states, "Snake Spring township was organized in 1857. Previous to that date its territory had been included in Colerain and West Providence." I am mentioning this because an 1868 advertisement (included below) references a property in Snake Spring Township belonging to the heirs of an individual named John Furney.
1855: I didn’t see any Furney properties on the Sandy Township portion of the 1855 Williams Dorr & Co. "New Map of Stark County, Ohio".
1857: As shown below, John Furney is listed in the household of his brother Adam Furney in the 1860 census of Muskingum County, Ohio. A Muskingum County marriage record indicates that Adam Furney married Catherine Livengood on July 24, 1857. With the last name Livengood, Catherine is most likely a distant cousin of mine.
1859: Although I do not know whether it pertains to the gunsmith John Furney, a notice in the October 7, 1859 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper identifies an individual named John Furney as a property owner in South Woodberry Township of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Click here to see the reference. I couldn't spot the property on the South Woodberry portion of the 1861 Walker map of Bedford County.
1860: There is a household listing for a name that looks like John Furry on pages 26 and 27 of the manuscript June 12, 1860 census records of South Woodbury Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. That's the only name that I saw that was similar to John Furney. The listing does not pertain to the gunsmith John Furney, because only four days later the gunsmith John Furney appears in a June 16, 1860 census record from Muskingum County, Ohio that is shown below.
1860: In the 1860 census records of Perry Township, Muskingum County, Ohio the Maryland-born 61-year-old gunsmith John Furney is listed in the household of his 48-year-old Pennsylvania-born brother Adam Furney, who is identified as a shoemaker.
1860: I found the 46-year-old gunsmith Daniel Furney in the 1860 census records of Mineral Point PO, Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
1860: This Sandyville PO, Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio census record appears to list the households of John Furney's farmer brother David and father Philip.
1861/62: Based on the enlistment age of 62 given in following composite image from Volume II of the 1886 book "Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 – 1866", I believe that the gunsmith John Furney served in Company D of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry from October 12, 1861 to May 11, 1862. Click here for a brief history of the regiment from the same book.
For additional information about the Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, see the 1886 book "History of the three months' and three years' service from April 16th, 1861, to June 22d, 1864, of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the war for the Union". The Sandyville place of death given in the following exerpt from that book suggests that the David Furney who served in Company D was the brother of the gunsmith John Furney.
1866: The aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book indicates that Philip Furney died on January 6, 1866. He is reportedly buried in the Old Sandyville Cemetery, Sandyville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
1868: Click here to see a notice published in the October 16, 1868 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper that references property in Snake Spring Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania that belonged to John Furney's heirs. Since the gunsmith John Furney appears as a living person in an 1870 Ohio census record (see below), this 1868 Bedford County, Pennsylvania notice obviously references some other John Furney.
1870: In the relevant 1870 census record from Muskingum County, Ohio John Furney is not listed in the household of his brother Adam. Instead, the 1870 census records of Sandy Township, Stark County, Ohio list the 71-year-old Maryland-born gunsmith John Furney as living in the hotel of John Gregory.
1871: The 1895 Tuscarawas County book excerpted above indicates that John Furney "served ... in the late war" and "died in Magnolia, Ohio". The Ohio "Graves Registration Card" for John Furney indicates that he was born in 1800, died on July 26, 1871, and is buried at the Magnolia "Old Cem." in Sandy Township, Stark County. The service record provided on the card is based on "Ohio Roster Vol. 2. P. 100" and indicates that he served in the Civil War in "Co. D. 4th. Regt. O.V.I.", enlisted on October 12, 1861 and was discharged on May 11, 1862.
A genealogy-related web page lists a burial for a John "Forney" who died in 1871 and is buried in the Magnolia Cemetery at Magnolia, Stark County, Ohio. The web page claims it is the grave of a soldier who was born in 1831, joined Company F of the 46th Ohio Infantry on October 8, 1862, was discharged at Camp Mansfield, Mississippi on August 9, 1863, and died in 1871. Click here to see an excerpt from the roster of Company F of the 46th Ohio Infantry which indicates that a drafted Civil War Private named John Forney who was born circa 1831 really did exist. I believe that the author of the web page is mistaken about where that Veteran is buried.
1875: The Sandy Township map in the 1875 "Combination Atlas Map of Tuscarawas County Ohio" shows two "D. Furney" properties. One is Section 9, just northeast of Mineral City. The other is Section 35 southeast of Sandyville.
1880: When I searched through a copy of the manuscript 1800 census records of Sandy Township, Stark County, Ohio and the villages of Waynesboro and Magnolia, Ohio, I did not find a listing for the gunsmith John Furney. This search result doesn't prove that he died in 1871, but nevertheless it is the result one would expect if he had died in 1871.
1880: The following 1880 census record from Washington Township, Anderson County, Kansas lists a 66-year-old Maryland-born farmer named Daniel Furney who has a 34-year-old border living with him who is named Julius K. Laughlin. According to the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, John and Daniel Furney had a sister who married John W. Laughlin. The book further reports that John Laughlin and his first wife Elizabeth (Pifer) Laughlin had a son named Julius who was then living in Anderson County, Kansas. Based on this, the Daniel Furney listed in the 1880 Kansas census record is obviously the gunsmith brother of John Furney.
1882: The book “Record of Deaths, Vol. No. 1, Tuscarawas County, Ohio” records the death of a Maryland-born farmer named Daniel Furney who died on August 4, 1882 at the age of 68 years at a place called Mineral Point. This Daniel Furney is obviously the gunsmith brother of John Furney who is mentioned in the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, which mentions that Daniel died at Mineral point. Daniel Furney is buried in the Old Sandyville Cemetery, Sandyville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
1883: The book “Record of Deaths, Vol. No. 1, Tuscarawas County, Ohio” records the death of a Maryland-born farmer named David Furney who resided in Sandy Township and died in Sandy Township on September 12, 1883 at the age of 71 years. This David Furney is obviously the brother of John Furney who is mentioned in the aforementioned 1895 Tuscarawas County book, which mentions that David died in Sandy Township. David Furney is buried in the Old Sandyville Cemetery, Sandyville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
John Furney work product
John Furney is known as a gunsmith from an 1829 Bedford County, Pennsylvania tax record, an 1860 Muskingum County, Ohio census record, and an 1870 Stark County, Ohio census record. He is mentioned as being a gunsmith in a 1983 Whisker & Whisker booklet, a 1990 Whisker book, a 2001 Whisker & Yantz book, a 2017 Whisker & Whisker book, and elsewhere. It is difficult to trace the gunsmith John Furney because of other individuals with the same or a similar name, and because the year he migrated to Ohio is unknown.
The following excerpt is from the 1895 book "Portrait and biographical record of Tuscarawas County, Ohio". It reports that individuals named John and Daniel Furney were sons of Phillip and Catherine Furney of Frederick County, Maryland who lived in Bedford County, Pennsylvania before moving farther west. It also reports that John served "in the late war" and died in Magnolia, Ohio. I think this is a reference to the gunsmith John Furney because there is solid evidence (see below) that in 1870 a gunsmith named John Furney lived in the Stark County, Ohio township where Magnolia is located. The excerpt also lists the siblings of John and Daniel Furney, including brothers named David and Adam.
Overview: Research on the gunsmith John Furney is complicated by the existence of a number of individuals with identical or similar names. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether a bit of information relates to the gunsmith John Furney, or one of the "other" individuals. In some cases, information concerning the "other" individuals may have confused firearms historians. I have included the confusing information in the chronology as a potential subject for future research. I have also documented some research dead ends, so they don't have to be researched again by me or others. As a result, this chronology probably reads more like a work in progress, and less like an entertaining historical narrative.
