John Small (1759 – 1821) was an American

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very h ...

, frontiersman, soldier, and public official. An Irish immigrant to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, he served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. After the war, he served as sheriff of Knox County, Indiana, as a territorial legislator, and as Indiana Territory's first Adjutant General.

Biography

Small immigrated to Pennsylvania with his family and began an apprenticeship as a gunsmith. He served as an armorer during Lord Dunmore's War. During the

, he served as a private in the

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

militia. He apprenticed with Richard Butler and William Butler while at Fort Pitt. After the war, in 1785, Small relocated to Vincennes, Indiana. He became an officer in the local militia, and participated in the 1786 Battle of the Embarras River. Small also corresponded with

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American surveyor, soldier, and militia officer from Virginia who became the highest-ranking American patriot military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Ame ...

that same year, and petitioned for military aid from Kentucky. Small worked as a gunsmith, merchant, and tavern owner. He was appointed sheriff on 4 July 1790, and the tavern was used as the first Knox County Courthouse. Small was a representative for Knox County to the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

Legislature in 1799. In 1800, Small was appointed as Indiana Territory's first adjutant general under territorial Governor

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, and given the rank of lieutenant colonel. He held this office for over a decade, including the Battle of Tippecanoe, but stepped down with Governor Harrison during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. John Small's tavern temporarily housed the Indiana Territorial Legislature in 1813.

Rifles and tomahawks

* The Indiana State Museum houses a John Small

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

rifle owned by

James Girty James Girty (1743–1817) was taken prisoner by the Shawnees and afterwards was an interpreter and trader. Biography James Girty was the son of, an Irish immigrant, Simon Girty (died 1751) and the younger brother of Simon Girty (1741–1818). The ...

(1743–1817), and another believed to be owned by

Francis Vigo Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

. The state museum collection also includes a tomahawk pipe made by John Small. * One of Small's rifles is on display at William Henry Harrison's territorial governor's home,

Grouseland Grouseland, the William Henry Harrison Mansion and Museum, is a National Historic Landmark important for its Federal-style architecture and role in American history. The two-story, red brick home was built between 1802 and 1804 in Vincennes, I ...

. This "Grouseland Rifle" was later converted to a percussion cap, and was designated as the official state rifle of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. * It is believed that William Clark carried a John Small rifle during his expedition to the Pacific. This rifle is currently owned by the

Missouri State Museum The Missouri State Museum is Missouri's showpiece museum. It was founded in 1919 and is located in Jefferson City, Missouri, inside the state capitol on the ground floor of the building. The museum's mission is to explore Missouri's history and ...

. * The

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

has a tomahawk owned by

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

which has been attributed to John Small.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, John 1759 births 1821 deaths Adjutants General of Indiana Gunsmiths Indiana Territory Irish emigrants to the United States Northwest Territory officials Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution People from Knox County, Indiana People in Dunmore's War