Eliphalet Remington was born in 1793 in Suffield, Connecticut, the son of a blacksmith. He took to building firearms at an early age and developed his famous factory at Illion, New York with his three sons. Large contracts for weapons came with the Mexican War in 1846 and the firm was engaged in producing 5000 Harpers Ferry rifles for the Union Army at the time of Remington's death. His sons continued the company, which is now the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. (By John Osborne)