I purchased a ceremonial sword at an auction and need help identifying it. I was told by the owner that his father brought it home from Europe at the end of WWII. I found that it was manufactured by AMES Manufacturing Co., Chicopee, Mass. The inscription on the scabbard is "Be thou faithful unto death / give thee a crown of life" which surrounds a crown with a Red colored Cross inside of it tilted to the right. The name on reverse side of the plate on the scabbard is M V Follett.

I tried to upload a picture of the sword and scabbard but it was too large for this site. Please email me at deonk69@netscape.net and I'll send you the picture (less than 800KB).

I'll appreciate any assistance you can offer.

Don,

Why not shrink the image and then attach it? You can even do this in MS Paint if you have no other photo editing software.

For help in resizing photos including links to online tools to do it for you, visit our INFO pages linked in the forum nav bar above.

Here is the photo of the sword I wanted to post, minus the end of the handle which had a Knight's helmet on it. I hope this helps. I will upload other photos of the scabbards distinctive characteristics tomorrow as I am short on time today to do so.

Lewis A. Thanks for the information based on my description. Appreciate your help.

Craig Peters, thanks for the tip on shrinking the image.

Don

---

 Attachment: 320.58 KB

Hi Lewis, all.

Not to seem pendantic but the Ames information is incorrect "Cpt John Ames", operated in Bridgewater. The Ames Shovel Co. had nothing to do with. the Ames Sword Co. aside from a familial relationship generations removed.

Nathan Ames senior of Chelmsford/Lowell was the man leading to the Ames Manufacturing Company not realized until Nathan Junior and James moved to Chicopee in 1829. A brief paragraph of Sr here. There is bad info even in that article about the fire(s).
http://lowelllandtrust.org/greenwayclassroom/...erMill.pdf

A nice Sunday morning coffee read here
http://newenglandtravels.blogspot.com/2009/03...l-war.html

I have some titles on my Googlebooks shelf that go further into the Lowell/Chelmsford area and genealogical research on the Ames families but John Hamilton's history of the Ames Sword Co will also show the same timeline of Sr and Jr. There was another John, as father of Nathan senior.

Not at all surprising is that there was another of Ames kin processing iron in Connecticut. The Ames arrival in America is a interesting story of growth from the early 17th century.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometines it is easier to date the sword by the owner's name but this one more likely to be the 1900s, up to about 1925 when Ames was bought by Lilley. It appears to be a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Templar sword but I'll check in the Hamilton. Marino and Kaplan fraternal sword book. I am not quickly finding an obit for M V Follet

Cheers

GC

Looking at the latest bible for these, it is a style more often associated with Royal Arch than Scottish Rite. I am assuming the obverse with the folding guard will show a Maltese type cross. From the book examples, more of this grip type were white eminent commanders, with the black grip example a captain general. At any rate and in either Freemason faction, up in the rankings.

Here is another photo of the scabbard's adornment. I'll post two more.

---

 Attachment: 344.33 KB
This figure is below the Crown with tilted cross on the scabbard.. [ Download ]

Here is a photo of the Guard and shoulder detail

---

 Attachment: 272.3 KB
Guard and Shoulder detail [ Download ]

Lastly, detail of the blade etching.

---

 Attachment: 301.29 KB
Detail of the blade's etching on both sides [ Download ]