Probably a rookie question but...snake collector did your great grand fathers make traps, were they blacksmiths? And did the Hart trap proceed the Newhouse traps? I see lots of similarities...thanks ahead of time.
MChewk, Chauncey Hart was a general Blacksmith in Unionville, CT, he and his sons made all sorts of things and according to Richard Gerstells book, he made traps from 1845 to 1875. Sewell Newhouse was making traps in the 1840's before he joined the Oneida Community in 1948 and then started making traps for the Oneida Community around 1850. I would say that the Newhouse style influenced the Hart traps but in 1864, Oneida Community said that it had come to their attention that Hart had started making trap springs from sheet steel rather than forging them. So, at that point, Newhouse traps were influenced by hart trap springs.
I have a large collection of Hart traps, I will start a new post and share some photos. Dean