Forehand & Wadsworth
Forehand & Wadsworth was an American firearms manufacturing company based in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was formed in 1871 by Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen of Ethan Allen & Company, and was acquired in 1902 by Hopkins & Allen, a firearms company based in Connecticut.
History
In 1871, Sullivan Forehand and Henry C. Wadsworth founded Forehand & Wadsworth from the remnants of Ethan Allen & Company after the death of their father-in-law, Ethan Allen. Wadsworth sold his share of the company to Forehand in 1890 in order to retire, and the company was rebranded as Forehand Arms.From 1871-1890, the firm was known as Forehand and Wadsworth. In 1890, Henry Wadsworth retired, and the company name was changed to Forehand Arms Company. It operated under the name Forehand Arms Company until the death of Sullivan Forehand in 1898. In 1902, the company was acquired by Hopkins and Allen.
The company manufactured a variety of black powder and cartridge revolvers, including several versions of the British Bull Dog revolver. Other offerings included derringers, rifles, and shotguns.
Forehand's sons ran the business for several years following the death of their father, then sold it in 1902 to Hopkins & Allen, who had been making Forehand Arms' revolvers under contract.