Interesting read Waterman! Farrow always seems to be rather boisterous in any  comments he made or was quoted saying.

I HAVE KNOWN SOME WITH THAT SAME TRAIT, AND AT TIMES I FELT THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE THAT THEY CAME ACROSS IN THAT MANNER. OTHERS NOT SO MUCH. I RATHER FELT THAT IF THE PERSON IS THAT GOOD, EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THE FACT. FROM ALL I GATHER, HE WAS THAT GOOD.

BullardShooter wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2024 at 1:57pm:


Without going back and re-reading the Bullard history, I suspect that Farrow went on tour with at least samples of whatever models had been produced before his tour. Had Bullard made samples of everything in their catalog?

WMF was selling rifles. The only mass-market advertising was newspapers.  His tour went from one bigger city gun club near the RR tracks to another.  If they had ranges, they were probably 200 yards or so.  He had to have his demo models set up & sighted in. The public didn't get to mess with those.

But there had to be samples for the potential customers to handle, maybe even to shoot.  This was an expensive undertaking, traveling for 3 or 4 months during the summer.  Telegraphing orders to be filled & shipped cross-country wouldn't bring in cash. He had to sell some rifles to get the product into the hands & minds of potential customers. How many would you take?

waterman wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2024 at 4:02pm:


Thanks so much for sharing your extensive knowledge of Farrow! Very interesting reading to me!

The next part of Farrow’s career requires a look at his family, his fears, and his character:

Farrow was born into a big family; the 16th (and youngest) child in a “his, hers, and theirs” family living in Belfast, Maine.  His father was a master mariner, a sea captain in the days of sail.  Most of the family trades were associated with the sea.  Sailors and masters, sailmakers, builders of wooden ships and even brokers of marine insurance were family occupations.  Part of Belfast caught fire & the shipyards and business section burned down in 1865, when WMF was 17.  The fire, the Civil War and the coming of steam engines, both afloat & ashore, changed all that.  Family members were killed or came home crippled.  All that destroyed the Farrow family finances.  

No money for college, so WMF became an apprentice watchmaker.  His alternative was going to sea.  Once a journeyman, WMF went to Boston for employment, living with an uncle.  Unknown to WMF, he had just moved into ground zero of a tuberculosis epidemic.  His aunt, then 2 cousins, and then his uncle died.  Back in Belfast, WMF’s father died and his mother needed his support.  Farrow gladly went back to Belfast, but had no job.  In April, 1871, he found a job as a watchmaker in Newport, Rhode Island. 
 
Business in Newport was booming.  WMF went from being a watchmaker to owning the jewelry store.  That expanded into eyeglasses and sporting goods, everything from tennis rackets and fishing gear to shotguns and ammunition.  The family had a long history of working together and supporting each other.  The Farrow household in Newport soon housed his brother Tom (child #15), Tom’s wife and her daughter, his sister Abbie (child # 13) and her husband Tom Carter, and Farrow’s widowed mother Jerusha. 
 
In September, 1874, young WMF (age 24) and his girlfriend Abbie Greene (age 18) took the train from Newport, Rhode Island to Creedmoor, New York, to see what this Creedmoor target shooting was all about. They booked a room for the duration of the match at the brand new Creedmoor Hotel.  

WMF reckoned he could profit from the general interest by selling some rifles and ammunition.  He also paid attention to Abbie.  They were married the following January and Abbie moved into the Farrow household.  Their first child was born nine months to the day from the first day of the first International match at Creedmoor.

Parker Shotguns were often sold through traveling celebrity shooters. Excepting the basic Trojan models all Parker’s were built to order and factory records survived for most. Today a documented Parker used by one of the exhibition or competition shooters is among the most valuable. All were higher grade wood and engraving guns. 

No doubt the situation with Farrow the same 

Boats

BullardShooter wrote on Apr 24^th, 2024 at 1:25pm:


WMF started working as the assistant manager (of sales) on Jan 1, 1884. How long had Bullard been in production?  They only made Large-Frame rifles for most of 1884.  I think he only took demonstration Large Frame rifles (several) and took orders. Probably made deals for distributorship with dealers, sent orders by mail, or maybe telegraph.  Didn't hand over any rifles.

Took Small Frame rifles to New Orleans in December, but described the show as a disaster.

marlinguy wrote on Apr 24^th, 2024 at 10:53pm:


All were repeaters. The Single Shots did not appear until 1885 or 1886, after WMF had departed.