1901 Arling Shaeffer Patent 674618 1917 Louis C Schermerhorn Patent 1244549 1919 Charles Graiver Patent 1339953 Otto Mueller and Ladislav K...
The Evolution of the Guitar String
Alvin B. Clark c.1906 About Alvin Billings Clark was born on June 8th, 1822 to Elizabeth and Newton Clark in the small town of West Turin in...
Alvin B. Clark - Richmond, Indiana
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Alvin B. Clark c.1906 |
About
Around 1902, Alvin and Mary moved into 426 Main Street. In 1905, the address was listed as 430 Main. Sadly, Mary died in 1905 and Alvin left the hustle of Main Street for a home on South 5th Street where he continued his work in house number fourteen.
The Guitar
The Richmond Item May 4th, 1883 |
The Richmond Item May 19th, 1883 |
The Richmond Item April 7th, 1883 |
The Richmond Item August 31st, 1883 |
Patents
- 60,833- January 1867 - A magnetic tool to flip sheet music
- 74,502 - February 1868 - Washing machine
- 80,600- August 1868 - A post driver attached to a wagon
- 120,493 - October 1871 - Improved tack for fastening curtains on carriages
- 267,151 - November 1882 - A device for planting corn with efficiency
- 301,676 - July 1884 - Roller skates with elastic tires and with a set of swivel wheels positioned between the front and rear wheels
- 302,984 - August 1884 - A self-closing hinge for gates
- 305,793 - September 1884 - A tensioned piece of metal used to secure the bolts holding railroads together
- 411,374 - September 1889 - Harmonica holder
- 579,042 - March 1897 - A bicycle
Sources
The Schireson Brothers Nathaniel Wise Schireson was born June 15th, 1887 in Tauroggen, Russia (now Lithuania). He travelled to Bremen, Germa...
Schireson Brothers - Los Angeles, CA
The Schireson Brothers
Nathaniel Wise Schireson was born June 15th, 1887 in Tauroggen, Russia (now Lithuania). He travelled to Bremen, Germany to board the Kronprinz Wilhelm and arrived in New York on November 11th, 1902 [1]. Jacob Schireson was born September 3rd, 1883 also in Tauroggen. He left for the United States from Hamburg, Germany aboard the Hamburg American Line and arrived October 14th, 1904 [2]. They had seven other siblings.In 1907, Nathan and Jacob went into business together and opened a jewelry store on 108 Commercial Street in Los Angeles, California. They lived with their two other brothers, Max and Bernard, at 330 Buena Vista [3]. A year later, all four brothers were in business together with Max having experience as a jeweler and Bernard having worked as a bank clerk previously [4]. By 1910, Nathan and Jacob had moved out and found board in the house of Abraham Finkelstein on California Street [5]. They continued to operate a jewelry store.
Spanish advertisement in La Prensa in Texas c.1919 Image Credit: Newspapers.com |
1929 ad in the Los Angeles Evening Express Image Credit: Newspapers.com |
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Schireson Brothers advertisement (left) behind the St Elmo Hotel C.1930 Image Credit: University of Southern California Digital Library |
The Resonator Patents
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Schireson cone on a Kay-made tenor resonator The patent number stamped on the cover plate |
Legal Trouble
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Image Credit: Google Patents |
"The only claims that remain in issue in this suit that have not been discussed in relation to the structures of the defendants are claims 1, 3, and 4 of the patent in suit. In view of the findings and conclusions of infringement by defendants of claims 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the Beauchamp patent, No. 1,808,756, it is considered unnecessary to discuss these three remaining claims. Suffice it to state that each of these claims contains obscure verbiage that may render these claims too uncertain upon which to predicate infringement thereof by the defendants under the record here presented. We conclude that it is not necessary for this court to pass upon any of these three claims at this time, other than to say that neither a "cover plate" feature in claim 3 nor a "transverse guard member" mentioned in claim 4 amount to invention." [10]
Instruments
Kay
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S. S. Maxwell tenor resonator made by Kay and using a Schireson cone |
Hollywood
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"Curly Brooks" labelled Schireson resonator Image Credit: Reverb.com - antique fretted instruments |
Sources
"4/8" Beading Plane sold by Julius Morisse & Co True manufacturer unknown About Julius Morisse was born on July 19th, 1821 i...
Julius Morisse & Co - St. Louis, MO
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"4/8" Beading Plane sold by Julius Morisse & Co True manufacturer unknown |
About
1850 Advertisement from St Louis Business Directory [8] |
Locations
- 1850 - 179 Third Street [8]
- 1852 - 171 and 179 Third St (between Green/Christie St and Morgan St) [13][14]
- 1860 - 164 and 285 Broadway [10]
- 1864 - 165 and 285 Broadway [3]
- 1870 - 706 Broadway [9]
- 1872 - 708 Broadway [2]
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700 Block of Broadway/Third Street Bounded by Morgan and Green/Christie 1870 Whipple Map - Block 67 [16] |
- 1882 - 813 North 4th adjacent to the St Nicholas Hotel [5]
- 1884 - St Nicholas Hotel destroyed by fire, Morisse suffers losses due to fire and water damage
- 1891 - 811 North 4th [4]
800 Block of Fourth Street Bounded by Morgan and Franklin 1870 Whipple Map of Block 94 [16] |
Schroeter Bros and Death
Sources
Manufactured in Hudson, N.C. U.S.A Administrative Office: Palco Products 15 W. 20th St. N.Y. 10011 Image Source: Ebay - lilmels About Palc...
Palco Products Co - New York
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Manufactured in Hudson, N.C. U.S.A Administrative Office: Palco Products 15 W. 20th St. N.Y. 10011 Image Source: Ebay - lilmels |
About
Up for bids is this VERY rare Palco all hickory "Blues Box" acoustic Parlor guitar. This guitar was made in Hudson N.C.. The company lasted only about a year and produced very few guitars. Their aim was obviously to compete with the big Chicago manufacturers of the day; Harmony/Stella and Kay, that pretty much had the market sewn up. Unlike the Harmonys, Stellas and Kays that were made of birch with maple necks, this guitar is hickory including the neck and the original finish still shines. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this an 8.5. Very few nicks and scratches for its age and the neck is straight as an arrow with a very comfortable grip...unlike the Stella "tree trunks". Zero fret wear. Original tuners have been replaced with brand new Ping machines. {The old originals will be shipped along.} I think much of its life has been spent put away. Dimensions are: 37" Length X 13" Width Lower Bout X 3 5/8" Depth. 19 frets; 12 clear of the body. Many more photos available upon request.....guitar will be pro-packed with original gig bag and shipped UPS insured. Lower 48 states only. Thanks for viewing.
They also filed for a trademark on "Toys-A-Poppin" which was a novelty toy involving caramel corn, honestly [5].
Instruments
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Common Palco guitar model Image Source: Ebay - lilmels |
Image Source: Imgur.com - CBL88 |
The neck is an anonymous hardwood painted opaque brown with no visible pores. I suspect the timber to be poplar or sweet gum as they were very common budget neck woods and required no expensive pore filling. Regarding the claim of a hickory neck, I don't see how that would be economical or even be the best choice for the job. A hickory neck would be heavy, require a pore filling step, is notoriously tough on machinery, and a billet large enough for a neck would be pricy. All that work just to paint it brown just doesn't make sense. The tuners are typical mid to late 60s import units from Japan
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Image Source: Ebay - lilmels |
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Image Source: Ebay - lilmels |
The back is also sprayed opaque brown with some color variation added. The neck heel is distinctive from other manufacturers of the era and left quite blocky.
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Image Source: Ebay - lilmels |
Source
Lion Banjo Ad from The Cadenza from 1895 [2] About The Lion Banjo Manufacturing Company was incorporated in March of 1893 and settled in th...
Lion Banjo Mfg Co - Rock Rapids, Iowa
Lion Banjo Ad from The Cadenza from 1895 [2] |
About
The Factory
The factory appears on page 2 of the 1899 Sanborn Map Situated on Boone St between 7th and 8th streets Image Credit: Library of Congress |
Now to find out where the factory was situated. 7th and 8th Streets both run through a neighborhood about a half dozen blocks south of the main strip which can't be right. So I overlaid the Sanborn map onto a satellite photo of Rock Rapids and figured that the East-West streets were renumbered. Boone and Greene are still there but 7th and 8th Streets have been renumbered First and N 2nd. Using that, I saw that the lot is currently home to a strip mall and the present location of the factory is parking lot.
Fate
1913 Sanborn Map |
Instruments
Guitars
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Image Credit: Invaluable.com - Guernsey's Auction |
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Red ink stamp for the Lion Banjo Mfg Co Image Credit: Invaluable.com - Guernsey's Auction |
Banjos
Patents
463,952
463,954
487,879
495,823
519,409
Sources
Image Source: Ebay - wcmcsea About The seller, wcmcsea, began by pointing out that the label inside the instrument was difficult to read bu...
John E Person - Jamestown, NY
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Image Source: Ebay - wcmcsea |
About
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Image Source: Ebay - wcmcsea |
Who is this man?
His Address
1896 Sanborn Map Vega Street is not mapped (lot 79 is marked with an X) Library of Congress |
Occupants of 79 Vega Street
- 1900
- Andrew J Peterson
- Charles A Carlson
- Arvid H. L. Johnson
- 1902
- Andrew J Peterson
- 1904
- Andrew J Peterson
- John Malm
- 1906
- Charles F. Danielson
- John Malm
- 1908
- Charles Danielson
- Mrs Adeline Malm
- 1910
- Elof G. Almeer
- Mrs Adeline Malm
- 1912
- Charles F. Danielson
- Mrs Adeline Malm
- 1914
- Same
- 1916
- Same
His Name
Johns of Jamestown
- 1922
- John E Pearson - Carpenter - Lived at 101 Johnson Street
- 1924
- John Person - 'lab' - 315 W 8th
- John E Pearson - Carpenter - 101 Johnson St
- John Pearson - Polisher at Crescent Tool Co - 200 E 2nd St
- 1926
- John Person - Furniture Worker - 315 W 8th
- John Pearson - Finisher at Dalhstrom Metallic Door Co - 315 W 8th
- John Pearson - Clerk - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Carpenter/Contractor - 101 Johnson
- John E Pearson - Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Sheet Metalworker at Dalhstrom Metallic Door Co - 107 E 2nd
- 1928
- John Person - Furniture Worker - 315 W 8th
- John Peason [sic] -Metal Worker - 107 E 2nd
- John E Peason [sic] - Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Junior Clerk - 27 Anderson
- 1930
- John Pearson - Metal Worker DMD Co - 45 S Main
- John E Pearson - Machine Operator at Crescent Tool Co - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson -Metal Worker DMD Co - 112 W 7th
- 1932
- John Pearson - Toolmaker - 38 Chapman
- John E Pearson - 73 Johnson
- John E Pearson - Cabinetmaker - 206-1/2 Chandler
- John E Pearson - DMD Co - 7 Beechview Avenue
- John E Pearson - Machine Operator - 27 Anderson
- 1934
- John Pearson - Sander at DMD Co - 30 Anderson
- John Pearson - Woodworker - 73 Johnson
- John E Pearson - Carpenter - 73 Johnson
- John E Pearson - Machinist - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Welder - 129 Johnson
- John L Pearson - Cabinet Maker - 74 Forest Avenue
- 1936
- John Pearson - Carpenter - 73 Johnson
- John Pearson - Sander - 59 Vega
- John E Pearson - DMD Co - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Welder - 70 Sturges Apt 4
- John L Pearson - Carpenter -74 Forest Avenue
- 1937
- John Pearson - 586 E 2nd
- John Pearson - Polisher - 207 Prendergast Ave
- John Pearson - Sander DMD Co - 59 Vega
- John E Pearson - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Assembler - 70 Sturges Apt 4
- John L Pearson - Carpenter -74 Forest Avenue
- 1939
- John Pearson - Lab - 120 E 2nd
- John Pearson - DMD Co - 59 Vega
- John E Pearson - 27 Anderson
- John E Pearson - Lab - 337 Willard
- John E Pearson - 74 Forest Ave
- 1944
- John Pearson - 207 Spring
- John E Pearson - City Fireman - 1101 Ensign
- John E Pearson - Inspector - 27 Anderson
- John L Pearson - Die Maker - 16 Broadhead Ave
- John L Pearson - Furniture Worker -74 Forest Ave
- 1946
- John E Pearson - Inspector - 27 Anderson
- John L Pearson - Furniture Worker - 74 Forest Avenue
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