American & Southern | March 26, 2026
Thu, Mar 26, 2026 10:00AM EDT
Lot 174
Soloman H. Ward North Carolina Jamestown School Longrifle
Estimate: $800 - $1,200
Sold for
$1,000
Sold Price excludes BP
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
(Randolph / Guilford County, NC, 1838-1905) circa 1870s, percussion halfstock, 40-3/4 in. octagonal barrel, 3/8 in bore, 5-3/4 in. four screw rounded barrel tang, stamped on top of barrel "S.H. WARD" adjacent to what appears to be a small faint "JAMES...", double brass dovetail blade front sight, stamped "VII" behind split rear sight, pitted lock plate, brass side plate, maple stock, carved cheekrest, mounted 7 in. silver wear plate under forestock, extended 7 in. silver toe plate, both with engraved edge stitching, double set triggers, brass trigger guard, forend cap, ramrod guides, thimble and butt plate, 56-3/4 in. overall
Provenance: From The Collections of Dr. George Waynick and Dr. Edward G. Hill Jr., Old Salem, North Carolina
Note: Soloman Ward moved to Jamestown circa 1860 and married Anderson Lamb's daughter Eleanor, he is listed as a gunsmith at age 31 in the 1870 census with his wife aged 27 and son Harper 2, by 1890 he had moved several times and built a house and gun shop on Friendly Ave., Ward was a large man weighing over 300 lbs. according to oral history and didn't produce most of the rifles with his name on them, others including his son Harper, Ed Thornton, and Duck White were known to have worked for him as gunsmiths, Ward is second only to Anderson Lamb in known surviving signed rifles from the Jamestown School, see The Longrifle Makers of Guilford County,19 by C. Michael Briggs, pgs. 19, and 114-116, also North Carolina Schools of Longrifles 1765 - 1865, by William Ivey and Kenneth Orr, pg. 116
Available payment options
Purchased items will be available for pick up or shipping from our Asheville, North Carolina auction facility within ten business days of the auction, or will be assessed a storage fee of $5.00 per day, per item. Purchaser agrees that packing and shipping is done at the purchaser's risk and that the purchaser will pay in advance all packing expenses, materials, carrier fees and insurance charges. At our discretion, items will either be packed by an agent such as a packaging store or Brunk Auctions. Please allow two weeks for shipping after payment is received. Shipment of large items is the responsibility of the purchaser. We are happy to provide names of carriers and shippers if a purchaser so requests. Brunk Auctions will have no liability for any loss or damage to shipped items.
From The Collections of Dr. George Waynick and Dr. Edward G. Hill Jr., Old Salem, North Carolina
handling wear consistent with age and use, exterior barrel with patina, oxidation, and common pitting at ignition, wear and small loss to edge of stock at lock plate, pitted lock plate, split and possible repair to stock corner behind cock, split with eight tack repair around wrist of gun, small losses to both corners of toe stock, re soldering of one guide, small split in stock at side plate screw, trigger spring is tight but will set and release, good surviving half stock example
Note - Brunk Auctions makes every effort to offer accurate and thorough information, but encourages prospective bidders to inspect items in person whenever possible. Condition statements are provided as a courtesy for general guidance and should not be considered complete or definitive. They do not represent a warranty or assumption of liability by Brunk Auctions. Certain condition issues may not be specifically noted in the report but may be visible in the accompanying photographs, which are considered part of the overall condition report. Please refer to our Terms of Sale for complete information and contact us for additional photos or information as needed.
