Johann Samuel KoenigSamuel was born illegitimate in Mehlis, Saxe Coburg Gotha, Germany in 1815 to a mother from a family of gunsmiths extending back to the 16th century. It was a time of increasing inflation, joblessnes and famine. Even after his mother married before his 10th birthday, Samuel's lot in life did not improve much. Like his family before him, he learned the gunsmithing and engraving trade before setting out on his journeyman travels that extended all the