A third brother, John C. Colt, a man of many occupations, was convicted of an 1841 murder and committed suicide on the day he was to be executed. However, Colt's lawyers doubted that this suit would be successful and the case was resolved with a settlement of $15,000. The pair had seven children: Rhonda, Betty, Cherry, Frank, Charlie, Paula and Martha. Research genealogy for Samuel Colt of Pennsylvania, as well as other members of the Colt family, on Ancestry. During 1848, Colt introduced smaller versions of his pistols known as Baby Dragoons that were made for civilian use. [70] Colt's firearms did not always fare well in standardized military tests; he preferred written testimonials from individual soldiers who used his weapons and these were what he most relied on to secure government contracts. "Unhappy with high cost of hand made guns, and with the knowledge that some parts of guns were currently being made by machine, Colt wanted all the parts on every Colt gun to be interchangeable and made by machine. He began promoting the telegraph companies so he could create a greater market for his cable, for which he was to be paid $50 per mile. His revolving-breech pistol became so popular that the word "Colt" was sometimes used as a generic term for the revolver. [25], When tensions with the British prompted Congress to appropriate funds for Colt's project toward the end of 1841, he demonstrated his underwater mines to the US government. This left Colt time to improve his earlier revolver design and have a prototype built by a gunsmith in New York for his "New and improved revolver". During 1841 he made samples of these cartridges for the army. During late 1843, after the loss of payment for the Florida pistols, the Paterson plant closed and a public auction was held in New York City to sell the company's most liquid assets. [18] This act prevented state militias from allocating funds towards the purchase of experimental weapons or foreign weapons. Enter a grandparent's name. Among the pistols, we saw Colt's revolver; and we compared it with the best English revolver. [14], Colt never claimed to have invented revolvers; his design was a more practical adaption of Collier's earlier revolving flintlock incorporating a locking bolt to keep the cylinder aligned with the barrel. Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt never saw the completed memorial, as she passed in late 1905. The large order allowed Colt to re-establish his firearm business. We encourage you to research and examine these records . [62], Samuel Colt died of complications of gout in Hartford on January 10, 1862. He designed this special revolver at the start of the Mexican-American War, which spanned from 1846-1848; with Army Captain Samuel Walker. However, if the paper got wet it would ruin the powder. Ellsworth was now the superintendent of the U.S. Patent Office and advised Colt to file for foreign patents first, as a prior U.S. patent would keep Colt from filing a patent in the United Kingdom. Root has been credited as "the first to build special purpose machinery and apply it to the manufacture of a commercial product". The family tree for Samuel Colt is still in progress. Colt was given a royalty for each gun sold in exchange for his patent rights and stipulated the return of the rights if the company disbanded. Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut, to Christopher Colt, a farmer who had moved his family to Hartford after he became a businessman, and Sarah Colt ne Caldwell. This Catholic commentary on the New Testament, following the Douay-Rheims Bible text, was originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. Samuel Colt passed away aged 47 years, at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1862,[1] and his estate was worth around $15 million dollars, which is $350 million by 2009 comparison standards. When Martin Van Buren assumed the Presidency in 1837, the ensuing economic crash almost ruined Colt's company. Research genealogy for Samuel Colt, as well as other members of the Colt family, on Ancestry. He then traveled to France to promote his invention, and there he heard about the emerging conflict between the United States and Germany. Please try again. [3] Sent to boarding school, he amused his classmates with pyrotechnics. After the testimony by Houston and Rusk, the next issue became how quickly Colt could supply the military. Although successful at this, for the most part, his preoccupation with marketing strategies and patent protection caused him to miss a great opportunity in firearms development when he dismissed an idea from one of his gunsmiths, Rollin White. [61] Although trade with the South had not been restricted at that time, newspapers such as the New York Daily Tribune, The New York Times and the Hartford Daily Courant termed him a Southern sympathizer and traitor to the Union. [50] With help from ICE secretary Charles Manby[51] Colt established his London operation near Vauxhall Bridge on the River Thames and began production on January 1, 1853. Two of the sisters died in childhood and the other committed suicide later in life, but Samuel's brothers were a huge part of his professional life. John Caldwell III 7. This webpage takes you to Benjamin Colt Jr. who appears as ahnentafel #4 in the chart. Many proponents said that "Colt won the West". The Family. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now known as Colt's Manufacturing Company), and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. With this letter, Colt got a bill approved by Congress endorsing a demonstration for the military, but failed to obtain an appropriation for military purchase of the weapon. He did, however, greatly contribute to the use of interchangeable parts. [45] The idea was not new but was never successful in industry at the time because of the lack of interchangeable parts. Colt's revolvers were a major tool used during the westward expansion. The advantage of Colt's over the English is, that the user can take a sight; and the disadvantage is, that the weapon requires both hands to fire. During this period Colt received an extension on his patent because he did not collect on it in the early years. Colt Co. [42], On June 5, 1856, Colt married Elizabeth Jarvis, the daughter of the Rev. Historians such as Edwards and Harold Schechter have said this was the elder Colt's way of letting the world know that the boy was his own son without saying so directly. The reception was moderate and the army purchased a few thousand rounds for further testing. [38] For each one of these cases, Colt's lawyer, Edward N. Dickerson, deftly exploited the patent system and successfully ended the competition. The gun became the standard sidearm for U.S. military officers and proved popular among civilian buyers. He found an enthusiastic potential buyer. Colt soon reworked his design to leave the firing hammer exposed, but problems continued and in late 1843, after numerous setbacks including loss of payment for the Florida pistols, the Paterson, New Jersey plant closed. They became friends and they both lobbied the U.S. government for funds. [67], Colt historian William Edwards wrote that Samuel Colt had married Caroline Henshaw (who later married his brother, John) in Scotland during 1838, and that the son she bore later was Samuel Colt's and not his brother John's. Free Samuel Colt genealogy charts and reports. Zenas had 4 siblings: James D. Colt and 3 other siblings. [2] [3] The Colt revolver had a astronomical impact around the world. [40], Colt knew he had to make his revolvers affordable, as the doom of many great inventions was a high retail price. Later, after hearing soldiers talk about the success of the double-barreled rifle and the impossibility of a gun that could shoot five or six times without reloading, Colt decided that he would create the "impossible gun". His mother's father had been an officer in the Continental Army and one of Samuel's earliest possessions was his maternal grandfather's flintlock pistol. Lastly, he hired authors to write stories about his guns for magazines and travel guides. Skip Ancestry navigation Main . Colt's mother died from tuberculosis when Colt was six years old, and his father married Olivia Sargeant two years later. From his experience in haggling with government officials, he knew what numbers he would have to generate to make enough profit to invest money in improving his machinery, thereby limiting imitators' ability to produce a comparable weapon at a lesser price. His weapons were not only used in the American West, but around the world. These models were based on the Walker Colts, and during three generations slight changes to each model showed the evolution of the design. Through the political connections of the subscribers, the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company of Paterson, New Jersey, was chartered by the New Jersey legislature on March 5, 1837. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. His brother, James, became a lawyer and his brother, Christopher, a textile merchant. In 1829, Colt began working in his father's textile plant in Ware, Massachusetts, where he had access to tools, materials, and the factory workers' expertise. [8] However, Samuel Colt's legacy extends beyond his contributions to the firearms industry. Skip Ancestry navigation Main Menu. [42] One of Colt's biggest acts of self-promotion was the payment to the publishers of United States Magazine $1,120 ($61,439 by 1999 standards) to publish a 29-page fully illustrated story showing the inner workings of his factory. Colt and Captain Walker drew up a new improved model from which Whitney produced the first thousand-piece order. Miriam Harris (1699-1765) 12. In 2006, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. [1] [6], The Colt Single Action Army Model Revolver is most recognized as "The Handgun That Won The West". Source citations are included at the bottom of the page. [9] His public speaking skills were so prized that he was thought to be a doctor and was obligated to cure an apparent cholera epidemic aboard a riverboat by giving his patients a dose of nitrous oxide. The family moved often, possibly to keep their disturbing family activities hidden from society. Colt sued the companies and the court ordered that Warner and Massachusetts Arms cease revolver production. Skip Ancestry navigation . Later, his firearms were used widely during the settling of the western frontier. [21] Colt soon reworked his design to leave the firing hammer exposed, but problems continued. Documents of Elizabeth Hart Colt (born Jarvis) Elizabeth Hart Colt (born Jarvis) in History of the Mormon Church, Americana Magazine, 1909-1915