A. H. Fox's DH

[Mark Conrad]

There has been allot of attention on this forum about A. H. Fox and his DH. The records we have indicate the gun, serial number 88807 was ordered on August 9, 1898 by H.P. Collins in Baltimore. The gun is a 12/30 Titanic, with a straight grip and no safety. The gun was returned to Parker Bros. on September 18, 1900 by A. H. Fox to clean and rebrown the barrels and repair the action. There was no charge. The work was completed October 5, 1900. There is also an order on August 9, 1898 for a BH with 32 inch Titanic barrels that was cancelled. This order has consigned on the bottom which indicates he would not have paid for the gun. A serial number was not assigned to this gun. Note that the address is the same for both orders from Ansley. I have attached copies of the orders.

Mark

[Ed Blake]

I Googled that address, 421 N. Carey Street, and its in a tough West Baltimore neighborhood now. It appears to be a boarded up brick rowhouse.

[Bill Murphy]

Thanks to our researcher, Mark Conrad, for providing our membership with information on Ansley Fox's Parker pigeon gun. Compare the repair order date with the documented last date of Ansley's use of the Parker in competition. The comparison of the dates gives us added proof that "This is the gun." Thanks again, Mark.

[David Holes]

Thanks Mark, I feel like part of the secret society now. What are stock dims. ? thanks again, Dave

[Dean Romig]

Thanks for sharing that information Mark - great stuff indeed!

[Bill Murphy]

David, the stock dimensions of Ansley's gun seem to be 1 5/8 X 2 X 14, but I may have read the drop at comb incorrectly. Ansley must have thought it was not straight enough because the BH was ordered at 1 3/8 X 2 X 14. Notice the other famous names on those pages, J.A. Prechtell, the famous gunmaker, and Frank Novotny, an even more famous gunmaker. H.P. Collins was a popular Baltimore gun dealer and a prolific competition shooter who often shot with Ansley and other known shooters of the day. Thanks also to Dave Noreen who provided Michael McIntosh with the research material that, in turn, provided us with the addresses of the homes of Ansley and his father in West Baltimore.

[Larry Frey]

Thanks Mark,
It's amazing to me how you read and interpret the information from these books. I'm sure it gets easier with practice but it is in no way easy.:bowdown:

[George Lander]

Thanks Mark: Fo doing your usual superior job. Now we have the answer as to the gun. Now where does it reside?

Best Regards, George

[Dave Noreen]

Mark,

Thank you for publishing the A.H. Fox entries in the Parker Bros. records. It appears to me that he sent his Parker in for refurbishing after the Big W got him shucking their Model 1897 in August of 1900.

Was H.P Collins any relation to J.S. Collins who had Collins Gun Co. in Omaha, Nebraska, in the same time period. Well Known shooter Frank Parmalee worked for/with J.S. Collins and Collins Gun Co.

Back in the day I looked around on N. Carey Street and it appeared to me at that time that the 400 block was taken up by the limited access section of U.S. 40.

Dave

[Dean Romig]

Back in the day I looked around on N. Carey Street and it appeared to me at that time that the 400 block was taken up by the limited access section of U.S. 40.

Dave

That's what I found earlier today when I went on Mapquest to look for that address. Just about all of the 400 numbers do not exist anymore.

[Ed Blake]

You're right Dean. What I thought was 421 N. Carey was actually in the 300 block. The 400 block is now the bridge over Rt. 40.

[Bill Murphy]

Ansley's father lived in the 300 block of South Carey Street. Maybe his home still exists.

[Christopher Lien]

Does anyone have a photo of Ansley with his Parker, or a photo likeness of Ansley during the 1899-1900's time period?...

Best, CSL
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[Drew Hause]

A.H. was at the 1900 GAH at Live Birds
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_35_NO_03/SL3503012.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_35_NO_03/SL3503013.pdf
Won by 25 year old H. D. Bates, of Ridgetown, Ontario after 8 men tied at 25: J. L. Smith, C. F. Ayling, J. R. Malone – 2nd, Col. A. G. Courtney, Dr. A. A. Webber, Tom A. Marshall, and Phil Daly – 3rd.

"The Parker gun which Phil Daly Jr. shot in the Grand American Carnival and won third prize, was one which he borrowed from A. W. Du Bray, the Parker representative. Daly never saw the gun until the day before the big event, when he killed 15 out of 16. In the big event be was shot out on the 32d bird."

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_35_NO_04/SL3504011.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_35_NO_04/SL3504012.pdf
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1900/VOL_35_NO_04/SL3504016.pdf
Guns—Parker- 73, Smith- 34, Greener- 19, Francotte- 19, Daly- 12, Remington- 10, Lefever- 7, Scott- 7, Winchester- 5, Cashrnore- 5, Purdey- 3, Baker- 2, Colt- 2, Richards- 2, Marlin, Prechtel, Grant, Webley, Stannard, Forehand, Syracuse, Churchill, Claybrough- 1 each.

Parker Shooters: A.W. Money, J.D. Gay, H.E. Buckwalter, A.H. Fox, F.S. Parmelee, Wilbur F. Parker, A.W. DuBray, R.O. Heikes, and Annie Oakley.

[Dave Suponski]

Mark, Thank You very much for putting this out for all to enjoy!

[Dave Noreen]

Ansley's Father, Addison C. Fox and his family with his second Wife (he was 53 and she was 26 when they married in 1890) lived at 313 North Carey Street in Baltimore from 1899 until Addison died January 23, 1911.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/AHFCA%20Inc/AddisonCFoxCertificateofDeath.jpg

Ansley's younger brother, Harry Hunter Fox, also lived there until his death in 1910.

The only picture I've found of Ansley from his Parker gun years is this one --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/AHFCA%20Inc/AnsleyasoilcanHarry.png

but, no gun.

[Drew Hause]

Thank you Dave! I posted this image on the Fox site a year or two ago. It was taken at the 1901 Sportsmen's Exposition. From station 5 (near post) to one I'm pretty sure they are R.O. Heikes (Remington Hammerless), possibly Ed Banks (Winchester Repeater), W.R. Crosby (Smith), Jack Fanning (Smith), and possibly B. LeRoy (Remington.) Could post 4 with the Winchester be A.H.??

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL1373/6511424/19974446/389753803.jpg

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1901/VOL_36_NO_25/SL3625013.pdf

On the Roof Garden the experts had their inning, and all devotees of this sport had an opportunity of witnessing the best shots in America in open competition. Never before has there been such an aggregation in the National Sportsmen's contests.

Fred Gilbert, R. O. Heikes, J. S. Fanning, W. R. Crosby, Frank Parmelee, J. J. Hallowell, Edward Banks, J. R. Hull, B. Le Roy, Phil Daly, A. H. Fox, Ed. Rike, Colonel Courtney, E. C. Griffith, S. Van Allen and others made a warm combination, and a man who won a medal knew that he earned it.

On the first day, March 2 Heikes won the championship medal, with 94 out of 100. Gilbert was next, with 91, although this was in his second trial, in which he broke but 19 out of his first 25. W. R. Crosby broke 90 in his first trial, and Gilbert 84. A. H. Fox was third, with 89 on his third chance. Parmelee had 86, Fanning 83, Le Roy 78.

[Dave Noreen]

I can't see it. Looks too short for Ansley to me.

[Christopher Lien]

The only picture I've found of Ansley from his Parker gun years is this one -- but, no gun.
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Came across this image in an original early live-bird shoot group photo at the Ephrata Pa Gun Club... Although the hats are different, this fella's mug bares a resemblance to the AH Fox image Dave provided earlier... Ephrata is about 70 miles west of Philadelphia, I wonder if Ansley ever traveled in that area to shoot competitively?...

Best, CSL
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/AHFCA%20Inc/AnsleyasoilcanHarry.png . http://www.webpak.net/~cslien/1EphrataFox.jpg
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[Dave Noreen]

The top hat picture of Ansley is from, I believe 1898. I found a "trade note" about Ansley and Mrs. Fox starting out from Philadelphia by automobile to drive to the Pennsylvania State Shoot at somewhere like Chambersburg and they had to eventually put the car on a train to get there. This was in the 1904 to 1906 time frame. I'm at our place in Kodiak, AK, right now. Will find the article and specifics when I'm back in Washington State. Ansley was at the last Grand American Handicap at live birds at Kansas City in 1902, but didn't shoot as well as he had at Interstate Park in 1900 and 1901.

[Jared Valeski]

The stache is different but the lower jaw line looks the same. Perhaps an older AH in the second picture?

[Dean Romig]

Notice the other famous names on those pages, J.A. Prechtell, the famous gunmaker, and Frank Novotny, an even more famous gunmaker. H.P. Collins was a popular Baltimore gun dealer and a prolific competition shooter who often shot with Ansley and other known shooters of the day.



Prechtell was a very accomplished gunmaker in Cleveland. He had studied under and worked for Frank LeFever.





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