captchee, with all due respect, "likelihood" is no more than an educated guess, based on theoretical circumstances. it is not proof positive. the only sole facts the op has to go by at this juncture would be historical records that reference his ancestry. it's all amusing guess work.
. agreed but the simple fact is that we have non of that to go on . what we do have is predominance of a give type and commonality of firearms during that time frame.
We also know that while some folks are said to have shown up for militia duty snap hence type guns . I don’t recall but maybe 1 account of a fuse lock or wheel lock showing up .. But as you say , that doesn’t preclude the possibility of them owning one .
And yes its all guess work .
many many many things could have occurred 300 or so years ago. firearms are important personal and family assets that could be from most any logical creator/location. they could be had from anywhere, most any time prior or at the year/decade in question, and be or have been many decades old or "brandy new". without at least anecdotal support records, it is all pure "i think" rather than "i know". therefore, the op just needs to make a best guess, move on, and be happy. as expected, ymmv, sir.
There is no given way to say “I know “ in this case .. I think I said that many times already . All we could do is go by the greatest probability . Which in no way completely removes the lesser probability .
Yes guns are were and often still are passed down . My uncle still owns rifles that my great ,great grandfather used to fight the US Calvary . Hell,, as far as that goes in the same old trunk were a couple scalps from his father . My other uncle owns weapons used by our family during the removals. I remember my grandfather showing me all of it as a boy .
But that doesn’t mean that any of that was still used . Factually it wasn’t past being family heirlooms and history . Were the weapons still usable , well minus the bow , maybe .
But then a quick turn to my grandfathers gun cabinet, showed more modern guns a couple Winchesters and Remington rolling blocks . Later he owned a bolt action.
Today if I look at my own cabinet and compare what my father owned there isn’t 1 American made rifle or shotgun . No muzzleloaders and no BP cartridge, even though I have both and own both European and US made . Do I use his guns , well one of them now and then .
While this would seem to prove your point , im not sure it factually does as if I were to have to chose one of the guns in the context of what the folks in this subject mater would have used them for one might be very surprised at what I chose . But be assured it wouldn’t be one of the family heirlooms .
So yes the possibility is there that they could have owned most anything . But Imo there is a greater probability that there would have been only a few that would fit .
Still makes it a guess . No doubt about it . but i think i said that more then once as well