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Originally Posted by Dave Suponski
John, Wonderful research. We had a John Lovell hardware store in the center of my town(Stratford,CT) for many many years. Could there be a connection?
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I've come to be under the impression that the outfit John P. Lovell and Sons, so commonly encountered when researching in the late 19th century, was very much like the business built by E.T. Allen, only it was based up east in or around Boston and underwent many name changes due to changing partnerships over the years. Hard to say if there's any direct connection, as in your local store being owned by a descendant, for instance. I would guess the original business ceased operations upon the sale to Iver Johnson in 1900, but I've seen no documentation to support that theory.
Here's a brief history of the outfit, as near as I've been able to determine it: 1840-Began operations as Grover & Lovell at 145 Washington Street, Boston, MA.; 1850-Name changed to Fairbanks & Lovell; Name changed to JP Lovell & Sons. Name changed to John P. Lovell Arms Co. (may have been bought by Charles J Godfrey Stores). 1894-Opened branch in Portland ME, may have made some shotguns there. 1900-Sold to Iver Johnson's Arms and Cycle Works. John P. Lovell died on July 29th, 1897.