Knight of the Trigger- Fact or Fiction??

[Old and Reliable]

In the order of O.P. books I received from Florida was included a new sealed copy of the 2002 book by Ed Muderlak, which I have been reading. I do not know him personally, and this is the first of his books on Parkers I have read. I believe he has a disclaimer in the frontis- "This is a work of fact-based historical fiction"--

I read and carefully re-read pages 146-149 and the letter dated Sept 17, 1926 to Parker West Coast Sales Rep. Mr. DuBray from Walter A. King- If this is indeed a true letter, then after Dexter Parker died (a bachelor perhaps, according to page 146) then my first question is "Major Lyon-- as proxy for his daughter and niece, who now hold controlling shares (over 50% voting rights?)- If Dexter Parker was indeed a bachelor, hoiw could he have a daughter? A niece of course, as he had brothers who also were involved in the management of Parker Brothers Company, but a daughter??

Next, 1926 is not that far away from the Suffragette movement that allowed ladies to vote (not all did, however) in 1920 and afterward, but their right to stocks and management of a "Old Boy Networked" family business might have been questioned, even in Courts of Law.

Third, who was this gentleman from New York who was then running the factory? The author mentions his religion clearly, was this the fabled Max Fleischman who owned a A-1 Special 20 bore with extra set of factory fitted barrels? Seems strange to me.

The book is interesting, but I would have liked to seen actual pictures of not only Mr. DuBray but the other famed shooters of that day, including Fred Kimble.

[Bill Murphy]

I did not reread the passage you mention, but, as I remember, Lyon married Charles Parker's daughter. Lyon was also factory superintendent or some such. I don't know which came first, the relationship or the big job. The company interest passed to the daughter, not based on suffrage, but on Lyon's excellent management of the company, in my opinion. All of this family business is in TPS. TPS is available today as inexpensively as at any time since its original publication. Go gitcha one.

[Old and Reliable]

Thanks indeed- I plan to buy my reference copies of TPS as soon as I have sold the dup.o.p. books I have listed (Thanks John Dunkle for the forebearance- they aren't really 'gun parts") on our for sale site. I just received the LC Smith books by Brophy- the Brownell's 1981 book on Specifications is worth a small fortune, IMO- so we shall see!!

[Bill Murphy]

I have a letter from Charles Parker's thirteen year old daughter, Annie Dryden Parker, to a family friend, discussing her 1867 summer vacation plans. One of her chores for the summer was to visit "Decky" at the USMA where he was most likely a member of the freshman class. The only surviving daughter of Charles Parker would marry William H. Lyon in 1880 at age 26. Lyon was a "Snow", a family that had been involved with Charles Parker in the gun business during the Civil War. I assume Annie knew Mr. Lyon from her very early childhood. They were the same age. Lyon held various positions with the company from 1886, becoming president when Dexter Parker died in 1925. Since William Lyon was so close to the family Parker, maybe he accompanied Annie on her trip to West Point in the summer of 1867.

[Don Kaas]

Females could inherit and own property in the US even in colonial times (viz. Martha Custis) long,long before they were allowed to vote by Constitutional Amendment. Max Fleischman was a second generation multi-millionaire business man, aviation pioneer and philantropist (Fleischman's Yeast and Whiskey and and General Foods). The man referred to in Walter King's anti-Semetic reference was "Paul Schwartz". Pity Ed isn't around to defend himself. He is the only person who could out type Mr. M.