Description:
Naval officer's dress sword with scabbard and canvas cover (69.0188.2-.3), which Captain Edgar Miller Williams (1889-1986) thought was bought in 1930. Edgar Miller Williams was the son of Admiral Clarence Stewart Williams (1863-1951) who married Anna M. Miller (1860-1955), the daughter of Dr. J. M. Miller of Springfield, Ohio, in 1888; his grandfather was Orson Bennet Williams (1834-1912), who was born in Ashfield and married Pamelia L. Floyd of Springfield, Ohio, in 1862; his great-grandfather was Samuel Barnard Williams (1803-1884) of Deerfield who married Mary A. Bennet (d. 1839) of Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 1834, and Caroline Johnson (d. 1885) in 1844; his great-great grandfather was Elijah Williams (1767-1832) who married Hannah Barnard (1772-1853), daughter of Samuel Barnard (1721-1788) of Deerfield, in 1803; and his great-great-great grandfather was Dr. Thomas Williams (1718-1775) of Deerfield. This branch of the Williams family is also related to Elizabeth Williams Champney (1850-1922), a well-known writer of her period, who was the half-sister of Orson Bennet Williams and the wife of the artist, James Wells Champney (1843-1903). The blade is marked on one side of the top of the blade, "WM. H. HORSTMANN COMPANY * PHILADELPHIA *" in a circle, and on the other, "PROVED" in a pentacon with fleur-d-lis in each corner. The blade is engraved on one side with "Edgar M. Williams" and a flag with "USN", oval of stars, anchor, and shield between decorative scrolling designs; the other side has an American eagle, anchor, coiled rope, and "U.S.N." in a scroll between scrolling designs. The brass pommel has a spread eagle in an oval of stars; the grip is wrapped in cord and brass; and the guard is stamped "USN" on the underside and ends in a dophin head. The Horstmann firm was founded by William H. Horstmann (1785-1850), who emigrated to Philadelphia from Germany in 1816 and started weaving for Frederick Hoeckly, a Philadelphia lace and fringe maker from 1799-1820. Horstmann took over and rapidly expanded the business, importing the first Jacquard loom used in the United States in 1825, buying out a local swordmaker in 1828, and thereafter entering the military goods field. The firm benefited from the Civil War, becoming the largest American military equipment dealer by 1864, with an estimated worth of over one million dollars; the company was dissolved in 1939. The company name was changed from "William H. Horstmann & Co." to "Wm. H. Horstmann and Sons" in 1843, and to "Wm. H. Horstmann Company" in 1893.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Brass Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+69.0188.1 |
