Just a bit of history...
 

Hello all,

Sorry I haven't been around much, hope everyone is doing well. I have some info that I felt compelled to share with all of you. I visited a cousin of mine recently and we had a conversation about our Great-Great Grandfather who's name was George K. Matson. He was a Union Infantry soldier with the 41st PA Volunteer Infantry Regiment (12th PA Reserve Corp). He mustered into service in May 1861 and mustered out in June 1864 and mustered right back in (while still in the field) with the 190th PA and finished out the war. His unit was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox. While I have always been a Civil War buff and know a good bit about George's military history, I decided to climb farther up the family tree. This is what I discovered...
George was the descendant of a man named Thomas Matson who sailed to this continent in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet, which was the next Puritan Voyage after the Mayflower fleet. He was granted land and settled on Pullens Point, now Boston Massachusetts. The neatest thing about this man other than the fact that he was one of my first ancestors to set foot on this continent is the fact that he was a Gunsmith! AND... He built some of the first Flintlock rifled muskets (yes, I said rifled muskets) in what we now proudly call America! He was a very innovative man as well, having employed a safety mechanism on his lock, an adjustable sight, and rifling his barrel, this man was truly way ahead of his time! Here are some links to Thomas Matson's "Doglock Musket" circa 1650...

https://www.nrafamily.org/articles/2...oglock-musket/

http://www.nramuseum.org/guns/the-ga...ck-musket.aspx

If the second link for the NRA museum photos won't show the pics for you, try searching for the "Thomas Matson Doglock Musket" and see if the link will open on your computer or tablet for you. It opens and displays the pics fine on my tablet but I couldn't get it to fully open on my computer for some reason.

All for now...

BPS

Great find and family history.

Cool Barry.....Too bad old Tom didn't pass down the craft through the generations. Who knows....maybe you could have been building custom muzzleloading rifles today.

cool, I was up in Plymouth Ma Friday. i live a hr south of there, the mayflower wasn't there its in drydock there getting it ready for there 400 year birthday 2020....Barry thats some great history. we went up there to see a viking boat that was there.

Really neat BPS. As far as I can tell my great, great grandfather was either a shoemaker or a horse thief, possibly both.

Maybe that's how he got the leather for his shoes?????

That Matson rilfe is in such fine shape for it's age. It's a minor miracle for it to survive so long.
It really deserves to be in such a historic museum.
Thanks for sharing!