Forehand and Wadsworth
In late 19th century New England, manufacturing was expanding rapidly as newly invented machinery simplified the tasks usually undertaken by skilled workers. Textile mills, in particular, began to take advantage of equipment powered by water rushing down rivers and streams around New England. Boston financiers, however, weren’t interested in moving major textile mills to Worcester because of limited waterpower there.
With recent improvements in transportation (rail, roads, etc.), however, raw materials could easily be shipped in to take advantage of the skilled labor force in Worcester, while finished goods found their way back into major markets for eventual sale. Worcester ended up being a major transportation hub, and the manufacturing boom there had begun.
One product in high demand was firearms. Two notable companies founded there were H&R Firearms, (Harrison and Richardson), which started out as Wesson and Richardson. Yes, that’s the Wesson of Smith & Wesson, one of the most popular weapons manufacturers still today.
The other was a company called Forehand & Wadsworth (F&W). In 1871, Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth, a former officer in the Union Army, founded Forehand & Wadsworth from their partnership with their common father-in-law in the Ethan Allen Co. F&W guns are mostly forgotten today, but at the time F&W was considered one of the best manufacturers of small revolvers.
Wadsworth retired in 1883 and supposedly died in Brazil a few years later. F&W then became Forehand Arms Co. and was run by Sullivan Forehand’s two sons after Forehand’s death in 1898. Forehand Arms Co. was eventually sold to a competitor, ending the relatively short run of the business that had connections to the Wadsworth family.
Check out this YouTube video. https://youtu.be/5kMWC8dHY_Q
Hello. Per Flayderman book, Forehand & Wadsworth in the 1870s made an “old model army” single action revolver in 44 Russian. (about 1000)in an attempt to secure a U.S. Govt. contract, competing with Colt & S&W. Some of these had a bear stamped on the left side of the frame under the cylinder. So far, the reason for the mark is conjecture. Suggested are California Militia, a California dealer, or even no more than an indication of caliber (44 Russian) thus the Russian Bear. I Googled California Militia for 2 days, from 1870 up, scanning for Forehand & Wadsworth in online museum records & newspaper articles, to no avail. If anyone has seen verifiable documentation of the reason for the bear, an old mystery would be solved. THANKS!