Powder Horn

Edmund Ruffin Beckwith (1890-1949) was a New York City lawyer who conducted extensive research on his ancestor John Wright Stanly (1742-1789), the merchant and Revolutionary patriot of New Bern, N.C. Beckwith likely acquired the powder horn under the belief that it was used by Stanly during the Revolutionary War. As a means of commemorating his ancestor Beckwith had the ends of the powder horn plated in silver and engraved with John Wright Stanly’s birth and death dates. After Beckwith’s passing one of his descendants would have added Edmund Beckwith’s birth and death dates as a testament to his familial connection with Stanly.

Collection ID: TP.1979.006.002