Hawken, Jacob

Name	Street	Town	State	From	To
Hawken, Jacob		Harpers Ferry	West Virginia	1808	1818
Hawken, Jacob	His shop was where the Gateway Arch stands today	St. Louis	Missouri	1818	1849

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One of the Hawkens (Hachen) Family of gunsmiths. Early part of the 19th century. Flintlock, Percussion and cartridge rifles, shotguns and pistols. Jacob Hawkens, born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1786. Little is known about Jacob. In the St. Louis Directory of 1821 he lived at 214 North Main Street. It is said that he established his own business in 1807 and opened a gun shop in St.Louis by 1815. However, payroll records at the Harpers's Ferry Arsenal show that he was employed at the arsenal from April 1808 to February 1818. August 21, 1818 he bought half a certificate for 160 acres of land outside of New Madrid, Missouri. He would became partners with James Lakenan, gunsmith in St. Louis, which would last until Lakenan's death on August 25, 1825. His brother Samuel would have joined him in St. Louis in 1822. Jacob and Samuel became partners after the death of Lakenan. The brothers were not only gunsmiths. Invoices and other records show that his shop was rather a hardware shop with gun repair. Tools and all sort of metal items could be purchased. E.g. iron and brass axes, tomahawks, fire steels, iron arrow points, gun worms. Even shoeing horses was proposed. Concerning guns mainly restocking, repairs and cleaning was a large part of their activities until 1848 when the manufacture of guns became their main business. Jacob died on May 8, 1849 during the cholera epidemic. What hapened with his body is unknown.

Product

One of the Hawkens (Hachen) Family of gunsmiths.

Early part of the 19th century. Flintlock, Percussion and cartridge rifles, shotguns and pistols.

Jacob Hawkens, born in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1786. Little is known about Jacob. In the St. Louis Directory of 1821 he lived at 214 North Main Street.

It is said that he established his own business in 1807 and opened a gun shop in St.Louis by 1815. However, payroll records at the Harpers's Ferry Arsenal show that he was employed at the arsenal from April 1808 to February 1818. August 21, 1818 he bought half a certificate for 160 acres of land outside of New Madrid, Missouri. He would became partners with James Lakenan, gunsmith in St. Louis, which would last until Lakenan's death on August 25, 1825.

His brother Samuel would have joined him in St. Louis in 1822. Jacob and Samuel became partners after the death of Lakenan. The brothers were not only gunsmiths. Invoices and other records show that his shop was rather a hardware shop with gun repair. Tools and all sort of metal items could be purchased. E.g. iron and brass axes, tomahawks, fire steels, iron arrow points, gun worms. Even shoeing horses was proposed. Concerning guns mainly restocking, repairs and cleaning was a large part of their activities until 1848 when the manufacture of guns became their main business.

Jacob died on May 8, 1849 during the cholera epidemic. What hapened with his body is unknown.