Mid-19th Century Half-Stock Percussion Rifle Made by Mansfield, Ohio Gunsmith John Rickets

Mid-19^th Century Half-Stock Percussion Rifle Made by Mansfield, Ohio Gunsmith John Rickets – This attractively appointed, half-stock, percussion plains rifle was made by Mansfield, Ohio gunsmith, John Rickets; stamped on the top flat of the heavy octagonal barrel, just behind the rear sight, is the following:

“J RICKETS

MANSFIELD”

Comparable to other extant examples of Rickets’ work, this rifle, which is .44 caliber, has an engraved, brass patch box and a brass trigger guard; there are two oval, silver decorative inlays in both sides of the forestock and a silver dove in flight, on the cheek side of the buttstock; the crescent-shaped buttplate is brass; the trigger has a decorative, curled tail end; the stock is made of a finely striped, tiger maple; the front sight is a mortised, silver blade and the rear sight is an early, V-shaped hunting type sight; the wooden ramrod is old, but is probably an early replacement for the original. The rifle remains in overall excellent condition; the hammer goes to half and full cock, although the full cock position appears to catch in a shorter position than its original position; the barrel is 33” in length. There is some extensive information on John Rickets that we have enumerated below.

RICKETS, John— Mansfield, Ohio, 1859-74. Half-stock perc. target rifle.
Rickets, John—Riflemaker of Mansfield, Ohio, 1859-83.
RICKETS, T.— Mansfield, Ohio.

John Rickets (often spelled Ricketts) was a prominent 19th-century gunsmith based in Mansfield, Ohio.

Life and Career

• Background: Born on January 4, 1817, in Franklin County, Ohio, Rickets moved to Columbus at age 13, where he served a four-year apprenticeship under gunsmith Samuel Thompson.
• Career: He worked as a gunsmith for most of his life, operating a shop on North Main Street in Mansfield.
• Local Impact: Known as a “veteran gunsmith” in local media, he was a member of the Mansfield artillery company and was well-known in the community.
• Death: He passed away on March 18, 1895, and is buried in the Mansfield Cemetery.

Firearms

• Style: He is known for producing 19th-century firearms, including half-stock plains rifles.
• Markings: His rifles are sometimes marked “J. Rickets Mansfield O”.

Personal Life

• He married Catherine Cairns on November 26, 1840, in Richland County.
• He lived on West Fourth Street in Mansfield.

Mansfield Semi-Weekly News – 22 April 1894

Everybody knows John Rickets, the veteran gunsmith, and this is the modest autobiography he gave a NEWS reporter in response to a request:

“I was born Jan. 4, 1817, in Franklin County, Ohio about seven miles from Columbus, on what we used to call Elm Creek. People then, that is about four-fifths of them, lived in log cabins. Columbus was not a very big place then, about three or four thousand. We lived on a farm until I was 13 years old and then my folks moved to Columbus.

I went to learn the trade of a gunsmith with Samuel Thompson and after an apprenticeship of four years, went to Lancaster and worked for George W. Classpil for the best part of a year. The next thing I did was to start out afoot. I walked to Chillicothe, then went across to Xenia, from there to Springfield and back home to Columbus. Didn’t get work anywhere.

I came to Mansfield in 1835, footed it all the way and all I had was $10, the suit of clothes I wore and an extra shirt. I didn’t know anybody, nor did anybody know me. I got work with John M. Holmes who kept a shop in a little one-story building on North Main Street, about where Sorg’s jewelry store is.

He left here in about a year, and I went to work for Henry Maize who had a shop at the northwest corner of Main and Bloom (ed. now Fifth Street) streets. A good many people will remember him. After I worked for him three or four years, I started up for myself and had my little shop about where my shop was of late years.

Next, I moved over to the lot north of the Masonic Temple and from there I went over on East Fourth Street about half-way between Main and Diamond, way bought a lot and had my shop there several years, then traded for a property on North Main next to the Straub lot, which I afterwards sold and then I bought my present property on North Main.

Hugh McCalif once lived there but the house has burned down. McCalif died and I bought the property of his widow. That must have been about 32 years ago. I had my shop there and worked at my trade ever since until recently.

I sold out to Gibbons four years ago and quit. When he was elected County commissioner, he concluded to quit so I took the shop back again. But my old legs couldn’t stand it, so I sold out again and now I intend to stay quit.

I was a member of the first fire company which McFall told you about last Sunday and I was also a member of the Mansfield artillery company. Joseph Newman was its first captain; Joseph N. Snyder was first lieutenant; and John Meredith second lieutenant. There were 100 in the company, and we mustered for seven years. That was fifty-odd years ago. We never had any actual service more than to be called out about twice a year for drill and on holidays, especially the Fourth of July. We were always out on the Fourth for dress parade.

Yes, I’m better off than when I came here. I still own that lot on North Main Street and the property where I live, on West Fourth Street.”

Born: Jan. 4, 1817, in Franklin County, Ohio

Died: 18 Mar 1895 in Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio

Buried: Mansfield Cemetery

Married Catherine Cairns 26 Nov 1840 in Richland County, Ohio
Children include Mary Rickets born about 1843, George Rickets 1846-1933, John Rickets 1857- 1890