Samuel Hawken, Gunsmith

https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4165

Gunsmith. Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, he moved west to establish a gunsmithy in Xenia, Ohio. Sometime after 1821, Hawken's wife died and he relocated to St. Louis where his elder brother, Jacob, and his partner also worked as gunsmiths. Hawken set up his own independent shop and would not form a partnership with his brother until 1825 when Jacob's business partner died. The brothers were considered the best gunsmiths in St. Louis and the product they turned out were high quality arms.

The earliest documented sale of production Hawken Rifles was an order for 18 by the American Fur Company in 1831. The brothers probably then produced between 100 and 200 weapons a year, with peak production during the 1849 Gold Rush. The quality of their weapon carried the Hawken through the mid 1850s when its popularity began to flag in favor of breech loading models. Hawken retired and passed the business to his son about 1855. He died at 92 at his home in St. Louis.

The Hawken Rifle was reportedly carried by such men as Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and Jim Bridger.