Interesting Provenance
 

I recently bought a VH 20 straight grip stock that had been refinished. It is serial number 120123. I bought it as it has the perfect dimensions for me for a grouse and woodcock gun. I plan to use it to hunt and eventually hand it down to my son. The seller had a PGCA letter which he sent to me today. The gun was made as a straight grip 20 choked RH Cyl and LH Mod. 28 inch barrels. It was sold to T.H. Keller in 1903 for $50.00 who apparently was the CEO of Peters Cartridge company. He was a big duck hunter and competitive shooter. He lived in NY. I am guessing from the way he ordered the gun he intended to use it on grouse just like me. No idea how much he hunted with it but I was fascinated to read about Mr Keller. Can't wait for October to get it in the woods.:)

T.H. Keller was the manager of the New York office of Peters Cartridge Company. He was a prolific competition shooter as well as a way more than serious hunter. He had a rather large "motor launch", whatever that is, where he and his co-owners entertained waterfowl hunters. I own Keller's DH Grade hammerless eight gauge that apparently was his gun for volume waterfowl slaughter. It is the only 30" hammerless eight Parker ever made, according to The Parker Story. It is a lightweight at about ten pounds, maybe the lightest Parker eight out there. It handles like a bird gun. Go on la84.com to search for many mentions of Keller's exploits.

Keller in 1898
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL3026024.pdf

Image of Keller with Tom Marshall in 1913
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL6120034.PDF

Report of his death in 1916
http://books.google.com/books?id=VN1...J&pg=PA876&lpg

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%...20-%200567.pdf

His son 'Haze' was a Hunter Arms rep
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL5216013.pdf
THE Hunter Arms Company has again "hit" the "shining mark" of enterprise in taking on two new salesmen Haze Keller, Jr., a son of Thomas Keller famous as the best-natured man who "travels the road” and Neale Moore, son of Harvey McMurchy, long in the service of the same company. These two young men give every promise of "bringing down the game" and a "rapid fire" of orders for Smith guns that will break all records, is expected from their trips in 1909. Keller will "hunt" for business in the Eastern States and Canada, and Moore in the West under the able guidance of his father.

A motor launch is simply a place from which one may launch a motor boat. It is often a covered 'boathouse' but not always.

Beg to differ... A "motor launch" is a powerboat large enough to be generally kept on a mooring or at a slip. A synonym would pe a "power yacht" as opposed to a "sailing yacht".

This is a motor launch.

Dean and Edgar beat me to it!
Beautiful launch Edgar, can you share a few details?

Having spent several college years fishing the rivers in Eastern Georgia, I can also say that some of the locals often referred to places where one could launch a boat as a "Launch". When referring to where one either found or didn't find fish, an answer might be "couple miles up river from Thompsons Launch"

Thanks,
John

John,
Rather than the risk of raising the moderator's breech pressure by hijacking the thread, I'll answer you in the off topic forum.

Very pretty little boat Edgar.

If the registration numbers were not there I would still know it is a Maine boat by the snow tires on the trailer... :cheers:

Point well taken,
Thank you!

They're just trailer tires, but, come to think of it, I did buy them in Maine.
First pic was the last day out, last fall. The next pic was the next morning.

The vessel "Iolanthe" that Keller, Harvey McMurchey, and John Parker shared ownership in was referred to in several ways, but in the description of the wreck of the boat in 1895, it was described as a schooner with five smaller duck boats tied to her, breaking loose from the anchor chain with 250 fowl and 135 decoys aboard. The vessel and guns were saved, but the five boats and fowl and decoys were lost. I don't know whether the "fowl" were live decoys or dead ducks. John Parker was in charge of the boat at the time. Maybe Drew would link the account described in the December 14, 1895 edition of Sporting Life. I used "keller, decoys" as search words.

Perhaps Keller's sporting launch was much like this one.


.

That boat and big bore are both impressive. Them other shotguns look dainty, compared.

The only Iolanthe listed in the 1894 Lloyds Register was 255' and homeported in Liverpool. That same vessel is still listed in 1896, so it's not that one.
The term 'Schooner' evokes images or large coastal ships, and yachts, but the term refers to the rigging, the foremast being shorter than the main. There are plenty of small (under 30') schooner rigged boats.
Iolanthe must have been a popular name, because there are three listed in the 1938 Lloyds.

Iolanthe was/is a Gilbert and Sullivan satirical opera of the time. In fact, it is still popular, being played in my home town of Rockville, Maryland as late as last month. There is more than one spelling of the word, apparently causing the word search on la84foundation to not hit on the spelling used in the 1895 account of the wreck. There is suspicion on my part that "Iolanthe" was the nom de plume of one of the owners of the rig when writing for the gun rags of the time. I don't know which one that would be.

How about some pictures of the gun?

1st column
http://www.la84foundation.org/Sports.../SL2614012.pdf

IIRC, Iolanthe comes from Greek mythology. Something to do with fairies (the little ones with wings)

Here are a couple pictures.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psaf7b710c.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps1f75fe1b.jpg

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps15d1122f.jpg

Steve, nice looking gun. You'll have a lot of fun with this on birds and I couldn't think of a nicer gun to leave to your son. all the best. do you know who did the restoration on it?

Steve, nice looking 20 gauge. Keller's 20 gauge is a bit fresher looking than his 30" DH eight gauge. The eight gauge, although rare and all original, shows the effects of many days on the water. Maybe this fall, I'll give it another try on tame mallards.

I do not know who did the restoration. I know who ordered the letter and have reached out to him to see if I can gather any more info on the gun.

i m glad this fellows 20 ga and 8 ga are in good hands..they do need hunting...this is a good thread... charlie

Good looking 20. If I recall correctly I have one of Keller's Parkers as well. I tried looking in the archive for my thread on it but since I can't recall my password and I have a different email address I can't do a search for it. It is a 1 1/2 frame DH damascus 12 gauge with full choke in the right barrel and cylinder in the left. The letter confirmed the chokes were factory. Nice handling 7 lb. Parker. I'll have to find that letter.

now we got 3 of KELLERS GUNS IN GOOD HANDS..wonder if he had all the gauges...we know he had a 8 ga a 12 ga and a20 ga...gotta be a 10 ga and a 16 ga some where...how bout it bill do you think he had other guns... charlie

Now we have 4 discovered T.H. Keller guns---looks like a trap gun
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps54946929.jpg

Interesting that he got the trap gun and my 20 at nearly the same time.

Craig, Do you have any pictures of your DH?

Craig, what I didn't include in our email exchange is that Keller won a Parker gun in a shoot about the time of the manufacture of these guns. Unfortunately, I don't know what gun it was that he won. I have done some research, but have come up with nothing. I initially thought the eight gauge DH lightweight was a frivolous gun to choose as a prize, until I read about his monster duck boat. I guess the eight may still come up as the prize gun.

Bill: My guess would be if the gun was a prize someone other than Keller would be listed as the consignee.

Good point.

For those that asked for pictures---here you go--
T.H. Keller DH 119817 no safety and factory 2 3/4" chambers.
Just an old honest Parker well used and taken care ----fits in nicely with my other well used Parkers.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps608383af.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps2ef60614.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...psacfa3690.jpg

That's a real nice original pigeon gun. Show us the top tang with no safety. Is there a doll's head?

Here ya go with a top tag picture.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps224b7631.jpg

nice gun... charlie

I shot this gun today and boy does it smoke targets like nothing I have seen---even compared to a Super Fox!, .735 bores. The chokes are .042 which seems very tight for a 12ga Parker. The old girl is a killing machine----still smok'en targets after 110 years---ya gotta love it!