School: Lebanon/Dauphin (Pennsylvania/PA)
Martin Shell, Jr., (1763-1817) was taxed as a gunsmith in Paxton Twp. Dauphin County, PA from 1790 to the time of his death. He was the father of John, Jacob and Daniel Shell, all gunsmiths. While some sources list only one Martin Shell, it is most likely that there was Martin Sr., a maker of muskets and a few fine rifles in the earliest period, and that his son, Martin Jr., was the maker of many of the golden-age specimens which reflect the Dauphin school at its finest. Rifles signed “Martin Shell” are rare. A few specimens can be seen in Kindig’s 1960 text, Thoughts on the Kentucky Rifle in Its Golden Age, G. Shumway, Publisher.
