Browning, The Mormon Gunsmith

 Browning is a famous name in firearms.  Jonathan Browning, the father of John Browning ("arguably the most important figure in the development of modern automatic and semi-automatic weapons"), had a gunsmith shop in the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Illinois.  In Nauvoo one can discover Browning roots.


Historic Illinois: the romance of the earlier days, by Randall Parrish, included a chapter about the Mormons at Nauvoo:

Also from "Historic Illinois":

Jim's photo of Jonathan Browning's gunsmith shop  from our visit to Nauvoo, Illinois

When Jonathan Browning (1805-1879) was living in Quincy, Illinois, he was a Justice of the Peace in whose home Abraham Lincon stayed on at least two occasions.  Muzzle Blasts Online has more information about Jonathan Browning.


Tullidge's histories, by Edward William Tullidge, included this biography of Jonathan Browning: