Eli Whitney died in 1825. Although he had a son destined to take over the family business, Eli Whitney Jr. was only 5 years old when his father passed away and could not assume legal possession until he turned 21 in 1842. In the interim, company was administered by senior Whitney's trustees, Henry Edwards and James Goodrich, while the plant itself was run by Whitney's nephews, Philo and Eli Whitney Blake. During their control of the factory, three contracts were fulfilled for the U.S. government: one awarded in August, 1822 for 15,000 muskets (delivered between 1826 and 1830); second awarded in March, 1830 for 8,750 muskets (delivered between 1831 and 1836); final contract in January, 1840 for 3,000 muskets (delivered between 1840 and 1842). An additional 6,750 were delivered under annual allotments granted by the War Department between 1835 and 1839, over and above contracts for distribution to states under the 1808 Militia Act. Although the 1840 contract had originally called for U.S. M1840 muskets, in April of that year, the contract was altered so that Whitney's plant could continue to deliver what it had delivered consistently from 1824, the U.S. M1816/1822 flintlock musket.