A. R. MENDENHALL
#259 Mendenhall of the little town of DesArc, Arkansas produced derringers that had no characteristics of either the Mississippi derringer makers, those of Nashville or of Memphis. His were entirely different. Notice the heavy walnut stock, the long slender hammer, and the pewter nosecap. Has provision for the ramrod in the nosecap. The trigger guard is of steel and all other furniture is of German silver held in place with pins. There is a screw through the trigger guard that attaches to the barrel along with a wedge to hold the barrel in place. The barrel has two bands of gold and silver at the breech and the front sight is dovetailed German silver. The lockplate is plain with no engraving whatsoever as is the hammer. The grips are checkered with a bird head style. The caliber is .500.
The only markings are on the barrel with a one piece machine made hand stamp in two lines as follows:
A. R. Mendenhall
DesArc, Ark.
From Charles Elias, North Little Rock, Arkansas comes certain information on this deringer maker that he has dug out of the U.S. Census files of Arkansas taken every decade.
In 1836, the year Arkansas became a state in the Union, the present location of the town of DesArc was known as McNulty’s Bluff and was nothing more than a ferry crossing the White River at this point—the most eastern edge of what was then Pulaski County. It wasn’t until the early 1840’s that the townsite was laid out and became known as DesArc. Today the population is about 500.
A R. Mendenhall was born in 1836. It is realistic to assume that at the age of 25, in 1860, this young man could have had the capabilities of fashioning this type of weapon.
In the year 1860, this man, along with a wagonmaker named John Langford, resided with the family of William H. Harvey whose occupation was listed in the U.S. Census of that year as a “grocery keeper.” Mendenhall was 24 years old and single. His native state was Michigan; his occupation, gunsmith. He owned no real property, but assessed $200.00 in personal property.
Mendenhall’s name appears again in the U.S. Census of 1870. By this time, he had married a young Tennessee woman and gave his native state as Ohio. In both real and personal property, he listed his net worth as a little less than $1,000.00. Residing with him was another man whose occupation was listed as “grocery keeper.” William H. Harvey had disappeared from the scene.
Other sources state that a Mendenhall worked in the “Confederate States Ordnance Works” at Tyler, Texas which operated from 1862 to 1865. According to this book in my library, Mendenhall was the best workman in the armoury and was engaged in some capacity with pistol making. Could this be the same man?
It is reasonable to assume that any Mendenhall Derringer was produced in 1860 or later.