Parker Bros. Employee Burt Becker??

[Dean Romig]

In reading “The Best of Nash Buckingham” edited and annotated by George Bird Evans, I have read several references of Burt Becker (of “Bo-Whoop” fame) having worked at or for Parker Bros. before going to Philadelphia to work for Ansley. But, in reading the Workers section of The Parker Story I find not one reference to Becker anywhere.

I would have suspect he would have done chamber, barrel boring, or choke work, but I find nothing.

Does anyone have information on Becker working for Parker Brothers??





.

[Researcher]

As bad as the information GBE published on Harold B. Money, De Shootinest Gent'man, in that book, I wouldn't trust anything he wrote.

[Dean Romig]

Thanks Dave!

Actually those references to Becker having worked for PB were quoted directly from NB’s own writings, not GBE’s annotations.





.

[Researcher]

Burt (Bert) is in an 1895 picture of the Remington Arms Co. Shotgun Department I have, and has stated that he made their guns for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Louis in 1904. Becker first appears in the Philadelphia City Directory for 1909. Burt was born in 1871, so would have been pretty young to be working on those Parker Bros. guns for the Columbian Exposition?!?

Mike McIntosh writes on page 213 of his Fox book that Burt apprenticed at Lefever Arms Co. and then in 1889 went to Batavia (Baker Gun & Forging Co.?). Mike writes he went to Remington in 1900, but my 1895 picture says otherwise. Then again, the January 22, 1940, Utica Observer Dispatch that published the picture and said it was from 1895 could have been wrong?!?

[Dean Romig]

From a doublegunshop forum post.....

"Here's the sketch Burt Becker gave to Nash Buckingham of Becker's career making guns: Buckingham asked Becker was “Where and under whom did you learn the gun trade?” Becker, who was born in 1871, replied that after going to school in New York’s Oswego County until he was 14 years old, he started to work in Syracuse, New York and “went to work for Dan Lefever and worked for him for 4 years & learnt my trade.” Becker went on to Batavia Gun works (1889), Remington (1900), where he made six “fine” doubles for exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Finally, he went to work for Fox “and made some good guns for him”. (As reported in the Lefever Arms Collectors Association March-April '08 Newsletter, quoting papers of Nash Buckingham in the collection of an LACA member)"





.

[Kevin McCormack]

It's no wonder such confusion and conflicting information survives regarding the life stories of these guys; sort of revisionist history with a "Muderlakian twist", if you will. Consider this excerpt from the book "Mr. Buck", The Autobiography of Nash Buckingham edited by Dr. Dyrk Halstead and Steve Smith, who did in fact edit Nash's box of documents accumulated by him with the intention of writing his autobiography, which never happened.

I quote verbatim from p. 145: "Nash sent a series of questions to Burt Becker some time in 1956. Nash planned an article based upon Becker's answers, but no such article appeared in Gun Digest where Nash indicated he wanted to publish it. Becker's handwritten responses are nearly illegible in places, and certain questions were unanswered. Further research by Fox Gun Company expert Michael McIntosh reveals that Becker was never listed as an employee of the Fox Gun Company, and was probably an independent, doing contract work, most likely custom barrel-boring, starting in 1915."

With this kind of piecemeal and conflicting documentation, its no wonder Becker's name doesn't appear as having been listed as a Parker employee. It would be most interesting to "discover" a list of outsourced "contractors" used by Parker and Fox; a kind of "work from home" arrangement from yesteryear.

[Dean Romig]

I agree Kevin, that one would expect to be able to refer to a list of contract workers who would have been independent contractors who might have done work for various gunmakers.
It is no secret that a number of the very best engravers of the day did contract work (presumably at their homes) for various gunmakers and we’ve seen this in print. But still there is no list.





.

[Researcher]

As I recall an article by one of the gun writers of the day on a tour A.H. Fox Gun Co. stated that Billy Gough was engraving a Savage pistol the day he was there.

[Bill Murphy]

Although George Bird Evans wrote of Nash Buckingham, maybe some would say extensively, it is known that Evans met Nash once, if ever.

[Dean Romig]

I wonder if GBE actually ever met Dr. Charles Norris more than once?





.