Adam Bogardus
Encyclopedia
Capt. Adam Henry Bogardus, (1834–1913) world champion and United States champion trap shooter, was born in Berne, New York
. There, in 1854, he married Cordelia Dearstyne. (His ancestors and descendants are posted on the Berne Historical Project web site.) They moved to Elkhart, Illinois
where he became the wing shot champion of the world. He is credited with romanticizing trap shooting. Trap shooting
with live pigeons began in the U.S. around 1825, with the first recorded match balls containing feathers, then clay targets. Bogardus invented the first practical glass ball trap in 1877. Glass spheres, filled with feathers, were used as targets, much as clay pigeons are used today. They were called Bogardus balls. One feature of them was ridges which helped ensure that pellets would shatter the sphere, rather than glancing off. In 1883 William Frank Carver
defeated Bogardus 19 times in a series of 25 matches. Bogardus and his sons went on to tour with Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. Captain Bogardus remained with the show for a year. Bogardus is in the National Trapshooting Hall of Fame. He died in 1913 in Lincoln, Logan Co., Illinois and is buried in Elkhart, Illinois.
Trap & Field, December 2000
Berne, New York
Berne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2010 census. The town is at the west border of Albany County.- History :...
. There, in 1854, he married Cordelia Dearstyne. (His ancestors and descendants are posted on the Berne Historical Project web site.) They moved to Elkhart, Illinois
Elkhart, Illinois
Elkhart is a village in Logan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 443 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elkhart is located at ....
where he became the wing shot champion of the world. He is credited with romanticizing trap shooting. Trap shooting
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
with live pigeons began in the U.S. around 1825, with the first recorded match balls containing feathers, then clay targets. Bogardus invented the first practical glass ball trap in 1877. Glass spheres, filled with feathers, were used as targets, much as clay pigeons are used today. They were called Bogardus balls. One feature of them was ridges which helped ensure that pellets would shatter the sphere, rather than glancing off. In 1883 William Frank Carver
William Frank Carver
William Frank "Doc" Carver was a late 19th century sharpshooter and creator of a popular diving horse attraction. He was born at Winslow, Illinois, to William Daniel Carver, a physician, and Deborah Tohapenes Carver . The parents had migrated to Illinois from Pennsylvania in 1849...
defeated Bogardus 19 times in a series of 25 matches. Bogardus and his sons went on to tour with Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. Captain Bogardus remained with the show for a year. Bogardus is in the National Trapshooting Hall of Fame. He died in 1913 in Lincoln, Logan Co., Illinois and is buried in Elkhart, Illinois.
External links
- Capt. A. H. Bogardus at www.traphof.org Capt. A. H. Bogardus
Trap & Field, December 2000