Eliphalet Remington
Encyclopedia
Eliphalet Remington designed the Remington rifle.
He was born in 1793 in the town of Suffield, Connecticut
, to parents whose origins lay in Yorkshire
, England
. He was a blacksmith
, and at 23, he hand-made a revolutionary sporting rifle
using a firing mechanism bought from a dealer, producing the barrel
himself.
The gun received such an enthusiastic response that Remington decided to manufacture it in quantity, and formed the firm of E. Remington and Sons
, which he headed until his death in 1861. By the mid-19th century the gun had become immensely popular with American sportsmen and was one of the standard guns used in what has been called "the winning of the West".
The company continued to grow and to develop its product and gradually began the manufacture of other sporting goods, such as bicycle
s. At the present time, the company is known as the Remington Arms Co., Inc.
What began as a one-man enterprise has become one of the world's leading manufacturers of sporting arms. Before the Remington Company was formed, American sportsmen relied upon foreign sources for the majority of the sporting guns they used. The production of a rifle within the reach of men who wanted and needed a good gun changed the picture permanently.
Eliphalet and Elizabeth Remington's second child was a son, Eliphalet II, named for his father. As the couple's only son of their four children who survived childhood, Eliphalet II followed in his father's footsteps and entered the blacksmith trade at the family's rural forge
in Herkimer County, New York
. The original family home at Kinne Corners, New York
, built about 1810 and known as Remington House
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1997.
Situated in the Mohawk River Valley
— the eastern gateway to the expanding Northwest Territory
and in the path of the still-to-be-constructed Erie Canal
— the fieldstone Remington forge was astride a trade route that would bring prosperity to the family and the other inhabitants of the region. The expansion of population and wealth along that conduit of commerce would cause Eliphalet Remington to enter the arms making business.
He was born in 1793 in the town of Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the...
, to parents whose origins lay in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, and at 23, he hand-made a revolutionary sporting rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
using a firing mechanism bought from a dealer, producing the barrel
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
himself.
The gun received such an enthusiastic response that Remington decided to manufacture it in quantity, and formed the firm of E. Remington and Sons
E. Remington and Sons
E. Remington and Sons was a manufacturer of firearms and typewriters. Founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, on March 1, 1873 it started manufacturing the first commercial typewriter.-Becoming "E. Remington & Sons":...
, which he headed until his death in 1861. By the mid-19th century the gun had become immensely popular with American sportsmen and was one of the standard guns used in what has been called "the winning of the West".
The company continued to grow and to develop its product and gradually began the manufacture of other sporting goods, such as bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s. At the present time, the company is known as the Remington Arms Co., Inc.
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
What began as a one-man enterprise has become one of the world's leading manufacturers of sporting arms. Before the Remington Company was formed, American sportsmen relied upon foreign sources for the majority of the sporting guns they used. The production of a rifle within the reach of men who wanted and needed a good gun changed the picture permanently.
Eliphalet and Elizabeth Remington's second child was a son, Eliphalet II, named for his father. As the couple's only son of their four children who survived childhood, Eliphalet II followed in his father's footsteps and entered the blacksmith trade at the family's rural forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
in Herkimer County, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The original family home at Kinne Corners, New York
Frankfort (town), New York
Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 7,478 at the 2000 census. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village also called Frankfort. The town is east of Utica...
, built about 1810 and known as Remington House
Remington House (Kinne Corners, New York)
Remington House is a historic home located at Kinne Corners in Herkimer County, New York. It is a -story, rectangular, gable-roofed dwelling constructed of locally quarried fieldstone...
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1997.
Situated in the Mohawk River Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
— the eastern gateway to the expanding Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
and in the path of the still-to-be-constructed Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
— the fieldstone Remington forge was astride a trade route that would bring prosperity to the family and the other inhabitants of the region. The expansion of population and wealth along that conduit of commerce would cause Eliphalet Remington to enter the arms making business.