Musket
PeriodCirca 1800 - 1810
Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumWalnut, iron, steel, brass
Dimensions52 in. (132.1 cm)
ClassificationsMilitary Artifacts
Credit LineGift of Gregory L. Strobel in Memory of his Mother, Evelyn L. Strobel and her quest of our family ancestry in Monmouth County, 2023
Object number2023.11.2
DescriptionA percussion cap style musket, with a walnut stock, brass butt plate, brass trigger guard and plate with steel trigger, iron and steel percussion hammer and side plate, steel barrel, and brass ramrod.Curatorial RemarksThis musket is one of two which descended within the Hankinson family. The first (accession number 2023.11.1) was owned and used by Captain Kenneth Hankinson during the American Revolution. It was later converted to a percussion cap firing mechanism. This second, and somewhat smaller, musket may have been made in New Jersey either during or in the years immediately after the American Revolution. Gunsmiths were few and far between in colonial America, as Great Britain actively tried to discourage the development of a colonial weapons industry. However, there were some gunsmiths that produced weapons for both the Continental Army as well as many local militia units. An examination of this musket seems to indicate that it, too, may have been converted from a flintlock style firing mechanism to a percussion cap style. Whoever installed the percussion cap assembly installed it in a rough-and-ready fashion, and apparently damaged the top portion of the walnut stock in doing so. Many American-Revolution era weapons were kept after the war and upgraded as needed by their owners. Both Hankinson muskets descended through the family and were donated by a direct descendant of both Captain Hankinson and his son.NotesKenneth Hankinson, Junior, was born in 1772 to parents Captain Kenneth and Eleanor Hankinson. Kenneth Junior grew up in Freehold listening to the tales of his father's extensive involvement in the American Revolution. Kenneth married Catherine Bowne (1780 - 1853) in July 1797. In May of 1793 Hankinson purchased a farm and farmhouse from Freehold resident William Covenhoven Junior. Covenhoven, who had inherited the property from his parents Elizabeth and William Covenhoven experienced serious financial issues and was finally forced to sell the property. Hankinson purchased the house, which had served as temporary headquarters for British General Sir Henry Clinton for two days before the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. The purchase price was 750 pounds. Hankinson himself encountered financial issues and in 1812 had to sell the farm. Hankinson died in 1827 at the age of 55 and was buried at Old Tennent Church.
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