Martin Meylin (

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, then

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

– ,

West Lampeter Township West Lampeter Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,365 at the 2020 census. History The Johannes Harnish Farmstead, Christian and Emma Herr Farm, Hans Herr House, Lime Valley Cov ...

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the south central part of Pennsylvania. ...

) was a

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 ...

best known for inventing

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

's Gun, the " Kentucky Long Rifle".

Personal life

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin b ...

, Martin Meylin left Zurich for Pequea in what is now

together with a group of other Mennonites. He received 265 acres of land from the 10,000-acre plot granted by William Penn to settlers from the Palatinate.Shirk, 1993; 77: Groff, 1971; 107: Brackbill, 1935; 76 Local histories state that Martin Meylin was either a gunsmith or blacksmith, and that Martin Meylin's son, Martin Meylin (II) also practiced these professions. As a result, the historical record is hard to parse, as it is not always clear which Meylin is being referred to in any given document.

The American rifle

Martin Mylin of Lancaster County is credited with the invention of the

long rifle The long rifle, also known as the longrifle, Kentucky rifle, Pennsylvania rifle, or American longrifle, a muzzle-loading firearm used for hunting and warfare, was one of the first commonly-used rifles. The American rifle was characterized by a ...

which later on became known as the "Pennsylvania Rifle" and also the "Kentucky Rifle" of pioneer fame. The "

" is considered to be an important development by gun collectors, as it combined features of British rifling, Germanic style mechanisms, and included a particularly long barrel for great accuracy. The result was an effective, "distinctly American" weapon.

References

External links

Martin Meylin
(dgatx.com)
Martin Meylin
(ancestry.com)

(american-firearms.com)
Martin Meylin’s Gunshop

Martin Meylin : a progenitor of the Pennsylvania rifle

Historical Papers and Addresses of the Lancaster County Historical Society, Volume 14

Historic Background and Annals of The Swiss and German Pioneer Settlers of Southeastern Pennsylvania

FAMOUS VERY EARLY LANCASTER KENTUCKY GUN SIGNED “MARTIN MEILLIN IN GERMANTAUN 1705” POSSIBLY THE EARLIEST SIGNED AND DATED KENTUCKY.

History of Lancaster County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meylin, Martin 1665 births 1749 deaths Gunsmiths 17th-century inventors 18th-century inventors