A little Texas historical story - A. W. Brill Holsters

[arabensburg]

Hot Toddies at Christmas Did the Trick

How does one get two grandfathers together at Christmas. I should have remembered this story a month ago. These two except for age and birth century had little in common.

N J Rabensburg was of German ancestry, language and cultural and the other, Arthur Rives Buck, was Scots-Irish and English. Both could boast ancestry back to Texas under Spain and Mexico, the Republic of Texas and early Statehood. No contest there, and, unfortunately, this common link was not discussed back in those days.

"Those days" were the Christmas Holidays of 1953 through 1956. My maternal grandparents arrived in Houston either by train or by automobile via other west Texas friends or relatives on their way to Houston as well. N J Rabensburg and Lillian in 1953 drove from Austin in their brand new silver blue Ford coupe with radio and heat and stick shift transmission with overdrive. Life was good in 1953.

Winter in Houston was freezing cold that first year with all of the grandparents under one roof with temperatures hovering just above the ice mark. It was also a great time to be snuggled with family crammed into the front and back seats of our new Cadillac for a tour of Christmas yard and light displays. My parents had a large holiday party in 1953 for friends and relatives and lots of kids. I remember Christmas 1953 with fondness.

Back to the grandfathers. The cure or the link, which bound these two guys together at Christmas time, was not business talk or sports but rather drinking pleasure in the form of hot toddies. Hot toddies were a special brew of bourbon, honey, citrus and spices. It was heated in a metal pitcher and poured into shot glasses time and time again in the privacy of the formal living room. No one else was invited.

This gathering by these two gentlemen continued for more than an hour and probably closer to two hours to the chagrin of the grandmothers, whose urgings went unnoticed. These two guys found something to talk about because the conversation, which was elevated at times, continued with occasional laughter and could be heard even with the doors closed. Also, the grandfathers found a cure for colds or sinus problems during the Holidays.

Submitted by: Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

The "N J Rabensburg" leather goods company in Austin

The lease history of 300 E 6th Street and 302 E 6th and perhaps the even earlier 218 E. 6th Street in downtown Austin for the A W Brill Company needs to be explored to a greater degree. The information, which I have obtained with the help of others or available online have concluded that N J Rabensburg continued to use the A W Brill name as his company name from 1935 forward. We do know that the "Brill" holsters carried on with the A W Brill maker name following purchase. Please correct me if you think otherwise or have something to add now with regards to the company name.

The incorrect history of the A W Brill Company as touted in recent years by others certainly says the A W Brill Company survived well into the mid-20th Century as a retail establishment making the "Brill" holsters. One vintage leather company on the west coast, which has written a history of the A W Brill Company, continues to quote the following: "The A. W. Brill Company remained successful into the 1960s…..".

The A W Brill Company may have continued to survive after 1935 but not as a retail establishment as it had been formerly and not as the maker of custom leather products, which would include the "Brill" holster. Please remember the newspaper public notices in 1935 and again in 1937 saying "N J Rabensburg" as the "Successor to A W Brill".

The Brill family may have retained the A W Brill Company name and used it some other capacity following the acquisition in 1935. It would be helpful for an A W Brill direct descendant to step in now and clarify this point.

N J Rabensburg may have, thus, not acquired the A W Brill Company and its name but rather its reputation, the inventory, its customers, and the lease location on E. 6th Street. Why am I saying this now? The reason is because of the following:

Two photographs have surfaced in my collection, which clearly show the name of the company located on 300 E 6th Street as "N J Rabensburg" and not "A W Brill". Both photos are dated 1942 and one of these has N J Rabensburg and his son Aubrey standing on the sidewalk in front of building with "N J Rabensburg" clearly labeled on the glass window.

The two colored photos are recent photos taken of the intersection at E 6th and San Jacinto Streets. The buildings at 300 E 6th Street and the adjacent 302 E 6th Street are clearly in view at the northeast corner of this intersection. Both were built during the 1880s, however, the first level entry and windows of particularly 300 E 6th Street have changed back and forth over the years as either windows or doorways. The window in the 1942 photo is presently a doorway. The San Jacinto outside staircase to the second floor level is shown in all three photos.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

The Start Meets the End in Anita Brewer's Interview with N J Rabensburg

I located another cache of vintage and historical photographs of the N J Rabensburg family, friends and associates, who played a role in his life during his formative years, his adult life and, for a select few, a part of both.

I thought these might be helpful for the collectors of the "Brill" holster to have a visual of some of the people surrounding N J Rabensburg during his seventy-one year life span. A picture does speak a thousand words and does help to make the story more real and beneficial.

On this post, I want to talk briefly about one person, namely, Anita Brewer (Howard), who was a columnist for the Austin American newspaper. She chose N J Rabensburg in April 1959 for a featured article on his holster making career.

Anita Brewer was an important person in her own right. She was also the only reporter in this country to have secured a private interview with Judge Sarah T. Hughes in Dallas, Texas following the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Judge Hughes was aboard Air Force One and swore in Lyndon Baines Johnston as the new President of the United States.

In our great population of millions of people, it is interesting how there are connections within this big picture on a more minuscule level of just one person to another. Relationships of people to people, who might be seemingly unrelated, are actually connected and do have a story to tell.

In the case of Anita Brewer, the connections might be placed on the circumference of a circle where the start meets the end after traveling the full arc of 360 degrees. A piece of Brewer's story goes like this, and it starts with N J Rabensburg:

1. N J Rabensburg is interviewed by Anita Brewer of the Austin American newspaper in April 1959, and her article is about his holster making career.

2. Brewer, a few years later, is the only reporter in this country to have secured a private interview with Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes of Dallas, Texas following the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

3. Judge Sarah T. Hughes, a short time earlier aboard Air Force One, had sworn in Lyndon Baines Johnson as the new President of the United States.

4. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a mentor to John Connally, the Governor of Texas, who was also shot in the Presidential limousine in Dallas.

5. Governor John Connally was married to Nellie Connally, who was also sitting next to her husband in the Presidential limousine on that fateful day in November 1963.

6. Nellie Connally nee Brill was the daughter of Arno W. Brill of Austin and Kathleen Inks of Llano County, Texas.

7. Arno Brill and the Inks family played a major role with N J Rabensburg's move to Austin and the A W Brill Company.

8. N J Rabensburg becomes the successor to A W Brill in 1935 and has a rewarding leather career in Austin making "Brill" holsters for thousands of customers over the course of 29 years.

9. In April of 1959, Anita Brewer contacts N J Rabensburg for a personal interview about his holster making career, and, thus, the start meets the end.

After reading the above, some of you are probably saying "So what!" When I learned of Anita Brewer and some aspects of her life and career, I got goose bumps thinking about the above interconnections and the summary of her story where the start finally meets the end.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

Charles W Kluge may have been connected with the Rabensburg family since his youth

Okay, I have been doing some homework as well on Charles W Kluge. Kluge, pronounced Klu'-guh, the German way, was not only a person with leather artistic talents, but he had connections most likely with the Rabensburg family since his youth.

Wow, did anyone know that? Well, it has not been proven, yet. The evidence at this stage is circumstantial. However, if he was indeed connected, then there may be one more persons besides a member or two of the Inks family and Arno W. Brill, who pushed or pulled N J Rabensburg to Austin and the A W Brill Company in 1932.

If the preponderance of the evidence goes in favor of Charles W Kluge, then Kluge must be added to the "Important List" of shapers and supporters of N J Rabensburg. However, we may have to wait a little longer to see if Kluge qualifies for that noted position.

What I do know and speculate so far about Charles W Kluge is as follows:

1. Charles W. Kluge was born in Bastrop, Texas on June 22, 1862. (If he grew up within that community, then the plot really begins to thicken.)

2. Henry B Rabensburg, the father of N J Rabensburg, was also born and raised in Bastrop, Texas. His birth year was 1864.

3. The population of Bastrop during the 1880s is about 1500 to 1600 people.

4. Charles W. Kluge and Henry B Rabensburg are contemporaries and from German stock.

5. Charles and Henry both become saddle and harness makers.

6. Charles and Henry may have apprenticed together while living and working in Bastrop.

7. Charles and Henry both leave Bastrop about the same time during the mid-1880s to find a new business climate and love.

8. Charles W Kluge moves west to Austin, marries and has five boys.

9. Henry B Rabensburg moves east to Fayette County (and later Wilson County), marries and has two sons and one daughter. N J Rabensburg, however, is the youngest and only surviving child.

10. Henry B Rabensburg establishes a saddlery on the town square in Floresville, Wilson County, and is credited by that community as one its leading citizens.

11. Henry B Rabensburg is, unfortunately, killed on November 26, 1890 when his son N J Rabensburg is only 15 months old.

12. N J Rabensburg as a youthful teenager picks up where his father left off and develops his own style and artistic skills in custom leather products including saddles, harness, chaps, belts and holsters.

13. While working as an apprentice for La Grange Saddle and Buggies, N J Rabensburg may have contacted the Kluge Brothers in Austin, Texas during one or more business trips between 1907 and 1910 and, thus, renewed an old Bastrop family relationship.

14. Three of Charles W Kluge's sons were about the same age as N J Rabensburg. It would have been hospitable for Charles to befriend the young N J Rabensburg and introduce him to his family during his Austin visit(s).

15. Charles W Kluge was a generation apart from N J Rabensburg, but the two apparently shared many of the same artistic skills in the tooling of custom leather products.

16. Since the parents of Charles W Kluge in Bastrop were probably well acquainted with Jacob and Theresa Rabensburg, who were the grandparents of N J Rabensburg, it is reasonable to assume that Charles W Kluge and N J Rabensburg maintained a friendship and a probable business relationship over the course of many years.

17. Could Charles W Kluge have been a mentor to N J Rabensburg?

Please note there is more to follow about Charles W Kluge.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[StrawHat]

I am told that this holster may be a Kluge.

Kevin

 

[Kansasgunner]

My early Brill attributed to Charles Kluge by Red. LH for 4" N frame.

 

[rednichols]

I am told that this holster may be a Kluge.

Kevin

It is not a Brill by anyone, but a Sunday scabbard made by the likes of Robert and/or Bedell Rogers. Only their Sunday scabbards for L.A. Sessums, and with their own marks, used that particular sewing on the backside of the fender, to hold the ends of the cuff in place. They may even have used a sewing machine to do this, unlike both makers of the Brill and nearly all makers of Brillalikes who used hand sewing, and even rivets, instead.

I think I posted these images already, but:

Brill by Kluge

Brill by Rabensburg

Sessums by Rogers

Rogers after Sessums

Voss who was one of two dozen copyists

And by 'copyist' I mean no offense here; it's clear that Captain Hughes played Johnny Appleseed with his new design and visited every saddler in Austin and a huge circle around that city which was his HQ until 1908.

 

[arabensburg]

The "Mystery Man" Makes Holsters and Belts at the A W Brill Company

The Austin Statesman newspaper on May 18, 1924 came out with an article on the history of the A W Brill Company, the people working in it and their roles played. It also touted the products sold, the noted successes and details about the Company's wholesale outreach efforts. The title of the article was as follows:

"A W Brill Leather Goods Store is Most Popular in Texas
​

Local Business Made Famous by High Grade Work
On Specialties in Leather Goods"​

Charles (Charlie) W and Henry Kluge (Klu'-gah) are noted in the article both as the former owners of the Company from 1885 to 1912 (the Kluge Brothers) and then as current employees (1924) of the A W Brill Company. Charlie serves as a custom leather maker and Henry, as a financial adviser/accountant.

The article gets more specific about Charlie's role as an accomplished "saddle" maker and notes the following:

"In 1912 Mr. Brill (August) bought the saddle and harness business of Henry and Charlie Kluge. The business had been founded twenty-seven years before---in 1885 to be exact. The Kluge brothers both work for Brill at the present. Henry Kluge is the bookkeeper, while Charlie Kluge is one of the most famous saddle-makers in the country. His saddles are works of art for he works with the artist instinct to achieve the perfect, if possible."

In May 1924, Charlie Kluge is 61 years of age and getting ready to turn 62 years of age the following month. He has reached fulfillment and was in the countdown for retirement or at least a noticeable slowdown. Like N J Rabensburg many years later, he would probably continue making custom leather products in retirement but on a limited basis and with fewer choices.

The Austin Statesman may have exaggerated the truth about the number of products sold by the A W Brill Company but the sheer numbers, even discounted, are overwhelming. The staff necessary to accomplish such goals would be many. The newspaper offers these amazing sale numbers:

1. "More than 200 saddles were sold by this thriving wholesale company, as well as hundreds of sets of harness and pieces of harness (in 1923)."

2. "One of the A W Brill products has made the Austin company famous the country over among peace officers. During the past 12 years, one expert leatherworker has been kept busy supplying Texas Rangers and other peace officers with belt and scabbard for their guns. Thousands of these scabbards and belts have been made. All of which have been made to special order and sell at $5.50 a set delivered to the buyer."

(Please Note: The above reference to "scabbard" appears to be a misnomer, and the reporter/writer meant to use the word "holster". A scabbard by my understanding is a protective cover for a rifle and is not carried on a belt but rather secured to a saddle or across the shoulder by attached straps. Correct me if there is another interpretation for scabbard).

My guess is the A W Brill Company under the in-house, artistic direction of Charles (Charlie) W Kluge coupled with the shrewd business tactics of a young Arno W Brill made every effort to use available contract labor in the Austin and surrounding central Texas area. By doing so, the Company experienced little overhead and received a finished product on a wholesale basis. The number of sale items at the Company would, thus, increases substantially, and match the touted sale numbers as noted in the article of May 18, 1924.

The "Mystery Man", who is identified as the maker of thousands of "holsters" and belts for guns for the Company remains an unnamed source with the title limited to "expert leatherworker". Charlie Kluge, unfortunately, is not the named source even though he is obviously a person of importance and noted a number of times within the article. He was given credit but limited to the category of saddle making.

August and Arno Brill, in my opinion, intentionally kept the maker of holsters and belts unnamed in the newspaper article because the "Mystery Man" was actually a group of "Mystery Men", who were mostly contract labor. Charles W Kluge is, of course, an exception and the only one of the group able to carry the A W Brill maker mark.

The "expert leatherworker" in the article is rather a contingent of early Brill-a-likes, who were selling their unmarked holsters and belts through a central clearing house, which was the A W Brill Company of Austin. Captain Hughes may have seeded the crop, but it was the A W Brill Company of Austin that reaped the rewards and sold many early Brill-a-likes made outside the Company. I am sure that Charlie Kluge's holster, however, was considered to be top-of-the-line.

Sideline businesses at the A W Brill Company noted in the Austin Statesman newspaper article are quoted as follows:

"Shortly after Mr. Brill bought the business, he added as a sideline, VEHICLES, shoe findings and shoe machinery. Just at the present his shoe finding business is a most profitable sideline. One product of A W Brill is an "All-Texas product in every sense of the word. This product is a sturdy brown shoe. The cows, from which the hides going into the shoes were taken, were native cows. The hides were tanned in Texas: the shoe was made in New Braunfels, Texas, by Texas workman, and are being sold in Texas by the Brill Company."

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

A Kodak Moment Circa: 1951/1952 Before the N J Rabensburg Home Workshop

Some Kodak moments taken on the driveway landing before the N J Rabensburg garage and home workshop located at 1903 N Lamar Blvd in Austin, Texas. My grandparents, N J and Lillian Rabensburg, are looking over and up to the business sign, which has recently been installed. The signage facing Lamar was placed in the south yard garden area and hung from a limb from a nearby tree

Lillian is leaning up against Newt, Jr's 1950 or 1951 Chevrolet Hardtop convertible. I believe the family has gathered for a family portrait to be taken on Saturday morning by a local photographer. The day of this Kodak moment is either Friday or Saturday morning.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

Two Grandfathers and the 19th Century Texas Cattle Drives

I would like to reminisce a little more about Christmas 1953, when both sets of grandparents came to stay in my parents' new home in Houston. This was the first occasion when everyone was under one roof for an extended stay. The grandfathers, N J Rabensburg and Arthur Rives Buck, as a mentioned in a previous post, came from different backgrounds. Rabensburg was urbane, polished, and smooth while Buck was rural, earthy, and reserved. However, they managed to communicate quite well in several discussions in the privacy of our home living room. These discussions were often enhanced by an accompanying and stimulating brew of hot toddies.

I was probably wrong in my previous post when I said that the early Texas backgrounds of these two grandfathers, were probably not discussed during their Christmas fireside chats in the living room.

N J Rabensburg was obviously not a cowboy, but both he and his father, Henry B Rabensburg, were saddle and harness makers and, thus, associated from a business standpoint with cowboys and the ranching and farming worlds.

Arthur Rives Buck was a retired farmer, but his father and grandfather were cattlemen and rode the Western and Eastern Trails north out of Texas across the Red River to the cattle markets located in the railway centers of Kansas.

N J Rabensburg did not have much in common with Arthur Buck, but Rabensburg did share a great interest in the ranching world of Arthur's father and grandfather. Arthur, who was normally a good listener, was not so when it came to storytelling about life on the cattle trails during the 1870s and 1880s between central Texas and Kansas and even as far north as Montana.

These stories, which were passed on to Arthur by his father, Emmett Julian Buck, who had also received stories from his father, Augustus (Gus) Richard Buck, were told often in the first person and kept those, who were within hearing range, totally captivated and teetering on the edge of their seats.

Think "Lonesome Dove". These were the experiences of the drivers and life along the trail including encounters with Indians, storms and stampedes, entertainment, friendly companions, dances, and music.

These cowboy drivers packed black patent leather shoes and formal attire, violins, and guitars along with the expected guns, rifles, scabbards, rope, spurs, boots, belts, canteens, blankets, saddles and other leather paraphernalia. Cargo wagons had to accompany for the overflow.

The attached photo was taken in 1881 of the cowboys, who were associated with the D & O Ranch located in Concho County, Texas at the crossing of the Goodnight Loving Trail with the Western Trail. The free range for this ranch in the late 1870s covered over 400 square miles. Cattle drives north from D & O Ranch used the Western Trail, which passed to the east of Abilene, Texas. The Western Trail continued north to Fort Griffin and then crossed the Red River at Doans Crossing into Oklahoma.

I relate to one or more of these seated four gentleman in the photo. The eighteen year old young man, who is seated second from the right, is my great granduncle, Austin Monroe Buck. He is the uncle to my grandfather, Arthur Rives Buck, and the younger brother to Emmett Julian Buck, who road both the Eastern and Western Trails and played a Russian violin (modified as a fiddle) made in St Petersburg during the early 1850s.

I think N J Rabensburg embraced these Texas cattle drive stories, and it could have been the connecting link that tied these two grandfathers together during the Christmas Holidays of 1953.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

I have seen the photos of two holsters recently on the Smith and Wesson Forum, which are "Brill" look-a-likes. One holster was actually posted several years ago, and the other more recently in 2021. Both are floral designs and unmarked and are considered by the experts to be very vintage or "early Brills". I would consider them both to be ultimate "Brill" designs by either Charles W Kluge and/or N J Rabensburg and not Kluge alone.

Before I get jumped on, I would like to explain why. "Early" Brill holsters by Charles W Kluge should bear the A W Brill maker mark. His holster was the calling card for the A W Brill Company up until his departure in 1932 or thereabouts. The subject two holsters above are not marked and the cuff is totally decorated, which might suggest they are both "Brill" look-a-likes" and not made by Kluge.

If the two subject holsters are early "Brill" look-a-likes, then they should bear no maker mark if they are marketed through the A W Brill Company, and these two fit the bill. The A W Brill Company would have to be selling multiple "Brill" look-a-likes along with Charles W Kluge's in-house holster to meet the "thousands" of sale figures as noted in the Austin Statesman article of May 18, 1924. Since the above two designs are close in appearance to an N J Rabensburg "Brill", I want to include both as possible Rabensburg holster candidates.

Differences and similarities of the two subject holsters are as follows:

1. The stitching pattern on one of the above two holsters is not a close match to N J Rabensburg's 1932 to 1961 holsters. But does it have to be? Since the time period is earlier and probably in the 1920s, then the stitching pattern may have remained dynamic and continued to evolve for Rabensburg.

2. I have not seen the back of the other holster even though a request was made.

3. One of the floral patterns of the two subject "Brills" is a close match to one of the leather templates in the Rabensburg Collection.

N J Rabensburg could, thus, be one of the "Brill look-a-likes" and marketed by the A W Brill Company. As I have stated previously, I think Rabensburg decided to specialize his leather business in about 1929 to holsters and belts. Since he was already in the wholesale exchange with the A W Brill Company, he may have struck a deal with Arno W Brill and with the consent of the Company's artistic director, Charles W Kluge, for the retail sale of Rabensburg's unmarked holsters and belts in Austin starting around 1930.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[arabensburg]

For the Moment, I Continue to Hang My Hat on "Brill" Look-Alikes On or After 1912

Charles W Kluge may have made the two unmarked subject holsters (see Post #100), that is, between 1906 and 1912 and prior to his employment at the A W Brill Company; however, I speculated the same, but discounted that thought since Kluge would be making a "Brill" look-alike at the moment N J Rabensburg was introducing his original holster design to Captain Hughes. I thought any copy "Brills" including any made by Kluge would have followed a few years later and perhaps after N J Rabensburg left Texas for New Mexico around 1911.

Captain Hughes and other peace officers, who wore N J Rabensburg made holsters during those early years, should have remained loyal to Rabensburg, at least, until 1911.

There was a one or two year hiatus in the leather making world for N J Rabensburg while he was learning the wholesale business in Dallas starting in 1909. There, he probably made no holsters or belts. However, I would guess occasional train rides to La Grange might satisfy any holster or belt backup orders for the Texas Rangers and other peace officers. I speculated in a previous post that N J Rabensburg may have had his first home workshop in an out-building on one of the properties of his Ehlinger uncles in La Grange.

If Charles W Kluge did make the two subject unmarked holsters between 1906 and 1912, then they were both made at his Kluge Bros Company. Since this Company was a significant downtown Austin leather enterprise with more than 20 years in business by 1906, then I would expect identification on the back of these holsters, and there was none. This is why I continue to hang my hat on a slightly later time period. These two subject unmarked holsters, in my opinion, were made on or after 1912 and would have been sold on a retail basis from the shelves of the A W Brill Company.

Also, if I were in the shoes of N J Rabensburg and knew that my holster design was being copied and sold to my very own customers during those early years, then, I would have stepped up to the plate and raised some threatening objections. Also, if the demand were great for my holsters and belts, then I would have made every effort to satisfy those demands. I think Rabensburg was very conscientious and kept the supply and demand in balance for his holsters and belts until his departure for New Mexico in about 1911.

Unfortunately for N J Rabensburg, he apparently lost some of his former and potential new customer base when he made the decision to leave Texas in order to further his educational experience in New Mexico and Utah. I believe that Captain Hughes and other peace officers were loyal to N J Rabensburg but up to a point.

During the four year absence from Texas by N J Rabensburg starting in 1911, Captain Hughes and other peace officers may have found it necessary to shop elsewhere and approach other holster makers to copy the design of their N J Rabensburg made holsters so as to meet a growing demand by other fellow peace officers. Thus, the "Brill" look-alikes were born, in my opinion, probably on or after 1912, when the doors of the A W Brill Company first opened.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[StrawHat]

… Likely this will all be explained best in a second edition of Holstory the Book; but that will depend on Witty and me getting interested in taking up the tools again …

Looking forward to reading it!

Kevin

 

[arabensburg]

An enhanced photo of N J Rabensburg holding his first grandchild, Barbara Gayle Rabensburg. The picture was taken during the World War II years in Houston on June 4, 1944. The granddaughter, Barbara Gayle, is just shy of her first birthday.

Rabensburg is standing in the side yard of his son's home in the Houston Heights Addition located in the 1500 block of Oxford Street.

N J Rabensburg is also standing in front of a shiny black four-door sedan. The car has my interest. It was my Dad's company car. His boss probably thought it unbecoming for his chief petroleum geologist to be bicycling his way everyday to and from downtown Houston. It was the War and gasoline rationing.

My Dad (Aubrey Henry Rabensburg) tried to enlist but was turned down for military service during the War. The Military wanted him to continue with the discovery of oil and gas reserves, which he did in earnest. Unfortunately, he suffered a nervous breakdown after the War due to his attempts to overcompensate.

Back to the car. Most of the new cars in the US during the WWII years were 1941 vehicles. Some 1942 models were made, but production was stopped for conversion to the manufacture of war machinery.

The car behind Rabensburg and grandchild is a classic Lincoln Zephyr 1941, which sported a powerful V-12 engine with an oversized search light and rear view mirror mounted outside to the driver side's door.

This car had been my father's boss's personal car in 1941, which was replaced for a new model of one of the early production and rare 1942 models (make unknown).

My father's boss of 29 years was John W. Mecom, Sr. of Houston and Liberty, Texas. He was an independent oil man with some fame attached.

I have been sick since Friday with high fever, chills and fatigue due to a reaction from my Moderna booster shot. Fever left within 24 hours, but the fatigue remains, and I have been sleeping for three days.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[bmcgilvray]

Love the Lincoln.

Thanks for the photographs!

Hoping you'll feel better soon.

 

[arabensburg]

Is the word "scabbard" another name for a handgun "holster"? No, it is not. According to present-day reference material, a "scabbard" is defined as a protective sheathing for a sword, knife, or a rifle firearm. It is not used as a holder for handguns.

On the contrary, written documentation during the first half of the 20th Century, at least in Texas, supports the term "scabbards" as a holder for handguns, which means there was a change of terminology starting after the end of World War II.

My grandfather, N J Rabensburg, uses the word "holster" on his outdoor sign for his home workshop located at 1903 (N) Lamar Blvd in Austin. This sign, which hung from a tree limb, was placed on his south lawn and garden in about 1951 or 1952.

Historians for leather-made products might find it helpful if the reference gurus would expand their word definition and include the word "scabbard" for handguns as well, at least, up until the mid-20th Century, when the word "holster" came into fashion. Unfortunately, the word "scabbard" did not remain as a possible synonym but rather got deleted entirely. This omission only adds to the confusion of those reading historical data.

Two examples using the word "scabbard" as a holder for handguns are as follows:

1. The reporter for the Austin Statesman newspaper article released on May 18, 1924, concerning the A W Brill Company in Austin, continues to use the word "scabbard" throughout the article with regards to a handgun holder. One part of the article says the following:

"One of the A W Brill products has made the Austin company famous the country over among peace officers. During the past twelve years, one expert leatherworker has been kept busy supplying Texas Rangers and other peace officers with belt and SCABBARD for their guns. Thousands of these SCABBARDS and belts have been made."

2. The obituary for Charles W Kluge (died in January 1944), which was sent to me recently by Red Nichols, says in part the following:

"Kluge designed a SCABBARD and belt for a six-shooter that was worn by practically every peace officer in Texas and filled orders all over the world."

The surviving family of Charles W Kluge chose to use the word "scabbard" in 1944 as a description for handgun holder. Apparently, during the World War II years, the fashionable word "holster" was not yet chiseled in stone.

In summary, the word "scabbard" was apparently the correct word to use as a holder for a handgun during the first half of the 20th Century. The word "holster" came into fashion after World War II. It appears to have been adopted almost immediately. "Scabbard" as defined later was only applicable to swords, knives, and rifles. Unfortunately, nothing is mentioned historically in today's reference material about the previous definition for the word "scabbard".

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[boykinlp]

RARE! Floral pattern leather holster by "A.W. Brill/Austin, TEX," for Colt O.P. | eBay

Anybody here pick this one up? I have been watching it, and since the auction is over, I can post it. Is this a N J Rabensburg holster or a much later one? It sure is pretty!
Larry

 

[arabensburg]

A nice N J Rabensburg made floral pattern holster

I have been watching it as well. Yes, it is an N J Rabensburg made holster with some wear and tear but, otherwise, a nice floral pattern. I bought one, which was very similar, on New Years Eve 2021.

Submitted by Neale Rabensburg

 

[bmcgilvray]

My dad always called 'em scabbards.

 

[Onomea]

A rose by any other name...?