While visiting his brother John in Cincinnati, he partnered with sculptor Hiram Powers for his demonstrations with a theme based on The Divine Comedy. He met Colt in a gunsmith's shop on January 4, 1847, and ordered 1,000 revolvers. Colt's mother died from tuberculosis when Colt was six years old, and his father married Olivia Sargeant two years later. This Catholic commentary on the New Testament, following the Douay-Rheims Bible text, was originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. Christopher Colt was remarried two years later to Olivia Sargeant. Samuel Colt Joe Biren ( / kolt /; July 19, 1814 - January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. The family tree for Samuel Colt is still in progress. Later, after hearing soldiers talk about the success of the double-barreled rifle and the impossibility of a gun that could shoot five or six times without reloading, Colt decided that he would create the "impossible gun". Commissioned by Elizabeth Colt in 1902, the foundation for the Samuel Colt Monument was laid in April 1905 and the memorial was dedicated, in a ceremony, on April 26 th, 1906. The Blackest Bird. Colt would later say that the concept of the revolver was inspired by his observations of the ship's wheel during his first voyage. Samuel Colt was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. They became friends and they both lobbied the U.S. government for funds. in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Samuel COLT (1814), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. Beginning 1848, more contracts followed for what is known now as the Colt Dragoon Revolvers. White had an idea of a "bored-through" revolver cylinder to allow cartridges (made of paper at the time) to be loaded from the rear of the cylinder. Ancestral pedigree chart of Samuel Colt. Samuel Colt is in the 1st generation of the family tree for Samuel Colt (Ahnentafel #1). 8. Fountain and Sculpture was dedicated in 1905. During late 1843, after the loss of payment for the Florida pistols, the Paterson plant closed and a public auction was held in New York City to sell the company's most liquid assets. [11] This instrument and patent number 1304, dated August 29, 1836, protected the basic principles of his revolving-breech loading, folding trigger firearm named the Colt Paterson. "If I can't be first, i wont be second in anything" - Samuel Colt, 1844 [6], Samual Colt Memorial, Colt Park, Hartford, CT, USA. Home; . His brother, John, became a lecturer who killed a creditor in 1841 in New York City, was found guilty of the murder, and committed suicide on the day of execution. When the breech plug was removed from the barrel no fouling from the tin foil was evident. Over the years he developed specialized machinery for stock turning or cutting the rifling in gun barrels. [citation needed], Having saved some money and still wanting to be an inventor as opposed to a "medicine man", Colt made arrangements to begin building guns using proper gunsmiths from Baltimore, Maryland. His father Christopher Colt was a textile manufacturer. From his experience in haggling with government officials, he knew what numbers he would have to generate to make enough profit to invest money in improving his machinery, thereby limiting imitators' ability to produce a comparable weapon at a lesser price. Colt's first two business ventures producing firearms in Paterson, New Jersey, and making underwater mines ended in disappointment. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. Samuel Colt appears briefly in Rose, Joel (2007). The soldiers in Florida loved the new weapon, but "the unusual hammerless design, sixty years ahead of its time led to difficulty training men used to exposed-hammer guns and many curious soldiers took the locks apart. The soldiers in Florida praised the new weapon, but the unusual hammerless design, sixty years ahead of its time, resulted in difficulty in training men who were used to exposed-hammer guns. On this voyage, Colt made a wooden model of a revolver. Samuel Pomeroy Colt : Family tree by Tim DOWLING (tdowling) - Geneanet Samuel Pomeroy Colt Col. Born 10 January 1852 - Paterson, Passaic Co., NJ Deceased 13 August 1921 - Bristol, RI,aged 69 years old Buried - Juniper Hill Cem., Bristol, Bristol Co., RI 1 file available Parents Christopher Colt 1812-1855 Theodora Goujaud DeWolf 1820-1901 These models were based on the Walker Colts, and during three generations slight changes to each model showed the evolution of the design. Colt never claimed to have invented the revolver, as his design was merely a more practical adaption of Collier's revolving flintlock, which was patented in England and achieved great popularity there. [10] The invention of the percussion cap made ignition more reliable, faster, and safer than the older flintlock design. William Jarvis, who lived downriver from Hartford. As ticket sales decreased, Colt realized that "serious" museum lectures were not what the people wanted to pay money to hear and that it was dramatic stories of salvation and redemption the public craved. As the world's major proponent of mass production techniques, Colt delivered a lecture concerning the subject to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London. Colt. [43] Colt historian Herbert G. Houze wrote, "had it not been for Root's inventive genius, Colt's dream of mass production would never have been realized". [2], At age 11, Colt was indentured to a farmer in Glastonbury, where he did chores and attended school. Have you taken a DNA test? One recurring problem Colt had in selling his revolvers was that "it was not possible to change the provisions of the Militia Act of 1808. Colt died in 1862 as one of the wealthiest men in America. His brother, James, became a lawyer and his brother, Christopher, a textile merchant. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849). He designed this special revolver at the start of the Mexican-American War, which spanned from 1846-1848; with Army Captain Samuel Walker. His ship was at Annapolis. Skip Ancestry main menu Main Menu. Samuel Colt passed away aged 47 years, at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1862,[1] and his estate was worth around $15 million dollars, which is $350 million by 2009 comparison standards. [56] He used marketing techniques which were innovative at the time. Among the pistols, we saw Colt's revolver; and we compared it with the best English revolver. In correspondence to and about his namesake, Samuel Colt referred to him as his "nephew" in quotes. His revolving-breech pistol became so popular that the word "Colt" was sometimes used as a generic term for the revolver. Famouskin.com also includes ancestoral charts showing the family relationships of Samuel Colt to many famous kin. [31] The first revolving-breech pistols made at the factory were named "Whitneyville-Hartford-Dragoons" and became so popular that the word "Colt" was often used as a generic term for the revolvers. His father would not finance any more development, so Samuel needed to find a way to pay for the development of his ideas. Ellsworth was now the superintendent of the U.S. Patent Office and advised Colt to file for foreign patents first, as a prior U.S. patent would keep Colt from filing a patent in the United Kingdom. Skip Ancestry navigation Main . We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Any arms purchased under the Militia Act had to be those in the current service to the United States". Colt and Captain Walker drew up a new improved model from which Whitney produced the first thousand-piece order. However the unit never took the field and Colt was discharged on June 20, 1861. With this rank, he toured Europe again to promote his revolvers. The first completed pistol exploded when it was fired, but the rifle performed well. [37], A major cause of Colt's success was vigorous protection of his patent rights. Root has been credited as "the first to build special purpose machinery and apply it to the manufacture of a commercial product". He began promoting the telegraph companies so he could create a greater market for his cable, for which he was to be paid $50 per mile. [52] During a tour of the factory, Charles Dickens was so impressed with the facilities that he recorded his comments of Colt's revolvers in an 1852 edition of Household Words:[53]. Colt then threatened to sue Allen & Thurber due to the cylinder design of their double-action pepperbox revolver. New Haven was simmering with manufacturing and transportation schemes during . Colt tried alternative materials such as rubber cement, but decided to use a thin type of tinfoil. When someone infringed on the patent, Colt sued and the court ordered that Colt receive royalties on each gun that had been sold by the rival company. Skip Ancestry navigation Main Menu. - changed location to time of event. [3], While aboard the Corvo, Colt became intrigued with the ships wheel, especially the way it could spin either way; or be locked in with the use of a clutch in a fixed position. He abandoned the idea of a multiple-barreled revolver and opted for a single fixed-barrel design with a rotating cylinder. He founded Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (today, Colt's Manufacturing Company), and made the mass production of the revolver commercially viable. [31] He established a ten-hour work day for employees, installed washing stations in the factory, mandated a one-hour lunch period, and built the Charter Oak Hall, where employees could enjoy games, newspapers, and discussion rooms. He went so far as to hire agents in other states and territories to find such samples, to buy hundreds of copies for himself and to give the editor a free revolver for writing them, particularly if such a story disparaged his competition. Samuel Colt (1814-1862) 2nd Generation. In an effort to end the flooding from the river he planted German osiers, a type of willow tree, in a 2-mile-long dike. Its articles concerning Robert Fulton and gunpowder motivated Colt throughout his life. After the Panic of 1837, the company's underwriters were reluctant to fund the new machinery that Colt needed to make interchangeable parts, so he went on the road to raise money. Later, his firearms were prominent during the settling of the western frontier. Zenas Colt was born on month day 1905, at birth place, Massachusetts, to Samuel G. Colt and Frances K. Colt. Father of Caldwell Hart Colt; Elizabeth Jarvis Colt and Samuel Caldwell Colt By telling each nation that the others were buying Colt's pistols, Colt was able to get large orders from many countries who feared falling behind in the arms race. During 1859 Colt considered building an armory in the South and as late as 1861 had sold 2,000 revolvers to Confederate agent John Forsyth. Husband of Elizabeth Jarvis Colt ("The First Lady of Hartford") and Caroline Colt [16], Although by the end of 1837 the Arms Company had made more than 1,000 weapons, there were no sales. HAYDOCK CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY. Samuel G Colt family tree Family tree Explore more family trees. During 1842 he used one of the devices to destroy a moving vessel to the satisfaction of the United States Navy and President John Tyler. [47], Soon after establishing his Hartford factory, Colt decided to establish a factory in or near Europe and chose London. Despite the reluctance of English officials to issue the patent, no fault could be found with the gun and he was issued his first patent (Number 6909). We encourage you to research and examine these records to . The standard at the time was to have powder and ball contained in a paper or skin envelope or "cartridge" for ease of loading. A new family tree of the world's worst incest clan, the Colts of Australia, reveals the extent of the family's depravity. Jackson approved of the gun and wrote Colt a note saying so. Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut, to Christopher Colt, a farmer who had moved his family to Hartford after he became a businessman, and Sarah Colt ne Caldwell. Although successful at this, for the most part, his preoccupation with marketing strategies and patent protection caused him to miss a great opportunity in firearms development when he dismissed an idea from one of his gunsmiths, Rollin White. We encourage you to research and examine these records to . [46] The wedding was lavish and featured the ceremony on a steamship overlooking the factory as well as fireworks and rifle salutes. Using the ideas and technical knowledge he had acquired earlier from the encyclopedia, Samuel built a homemade galvanic cell and used it to explode a gunpowder charge in the waters of Ware Lake. When he opened the London armory, he posted a 14-foot sign on the roof across from Parliament reading: "Colonel Colt's Pistol Factory" as a publicity stunt, which was noted by the British press. Benjamin Colt (c1698-1754) 9. John Caldwell III 7. [29] Finally, a positive catch was installed at the end of the loading lever to prevent the lever from dropping due to recoil. Although his father died when he was only four years old, the younger Whitney grew up in an atmosphere pervaded with entrepreneurial energy. Lastly, he hired authors to write stories about his guns for magazines and travel guides. His weapons were not only used in the American West, but around the world. His preoccupation with patent infringement suits slowed his own company's transition to the cartridge system and prevented other firms from pursuing revolver designs. The reception was moderate and the army purchased a few thousand rounds for further testing. [50] With help from ICE secretary Charles Manby[51] Colt established his London operation near Vauxhall Bridge on the River Thames and began production on January 1, 1853. [54] Colt's London factory remained in operation for only four years. Throughout history, Samuel Colt has played a crucial role in providing weapons to the United States Armed Forces. Referencing the encyclopedia, Samuel built a homemade galvanic cell and advertised as a Fourth of July event during that year that he would explode a raft on Ware Pond using underwater explosives; although the raft was missed, the explosion was still impressive. However, the unit was never sent to the field and Colt was discharged on June 20, 1861. [71], Colt felt that bad press was just as important as good press, provided that his name and his revolvers received mention. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. It differed from other pepperbox revolvers at the time in that it allowed the shooter to rotate the cylinder by the action of cocking the hammer, with an attached pawl turning the cylinder, which was then locked firmly in alignment with one of the barrels by a bolt, a great improvement over the pepperbox designs, which required rotating the barrels by hand and hoping for proper indexing and alignment. Only one gun fitting White's design was ever made, and it was not considered practical for the ammunition of the time. Research genealogy for Samuel Colt of Lyme, New London, Connecticut, United States, as well as other members of the Colt family, on Ancestry. Samuel Colt (/kolt/; July 19, 1814 January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. Demonstrating his gun to people in general stores did not generate the sales volume he needed, so with another loan from his cousin Selden, he went to Washington, D.C., and demonstrated it to President Andrew Jackson. "Unhappy with high cost of hand made guns, and with the knowledge that some parts of guns were currently being made by machine, Colt wanted all the parts on every Colt gun to be interchangeable and made by machine. Later, his firearms were used widely during the settling of the western frontier. His maternal grandfather, Major John Caldwell,[1] had been an officer of the Continental Army; one of Colt's earliest possessions was John's flintlock pistol. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. Later versions contained his entire signature which was used in many of his advertisements as a centerpiece, using his celebrity as a seeming guarantee of the performance of his weapons. The two Sams Colt did not refrain long from manufacturing. The couple had four children: two daughters and a son who died in infancy and a son born during 1858, Caldwell Hart Colt. This encyclopedia contained articles on Robert Fulton and gunpowder, both of which provided motivation and ideas that would influence Colt throughout his life. Source: Connecticut Town Guide, CT State Library. During 1830, a July 4 accident caused a fire that ended his schooling, and his father sent him away to learn the seaman's trade. [6] The Colt Revolver was the most popular handgun used on the Western frontier by gunslingers, Western pioneers, peace officers, outlaws, cowboys, and the military. [64] At the time of his death, Colt's estate, which he willed to his wife and three-year-old son Caldwell Hart Colt, was estimated to be valued at about $15,000,000 (equivalent to US$407,000,000 in 2021). [1] [6], The Colt Single Action Army Model Revolver is most recognized as "The Handgun That Won The West". The large order allowed Colt to establish a new firearm business. Categories: Featured Inventors | United States, Inventors | Inventors | Arms Manufacturers | United States of America, Notables | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. After the Peacemaker was produced in 1873, Samuel Colt designed a different model of the revolver for use in World War I and World War II.