Your Machine's Original Owner

[Ampico66]

Do you know where your phonograph was first taken home to?

A few years ago I purchased an Electrola 7-26 that was in mint condition. The daughter-in-law of the original owner took it from its first home in 1980 when the original owner died and the estate was being cleared out. She told me where that house was. Last weekend I knocked on the front door and the owner of the home gave me a tour. The family built the house in 1907 and owned it until 1992, clearly spanning 2 generations.

In 1927 (I'm guessing) they bought an Electrola 7-26. It was really neat being in the living room that my machine called home for decades. The home owner has it preserved as it was when it was new, including original unpainted wood work and an impressive mural around the dining room celling that is dated 1908. Being in that house was really a neat experience because of its connection to my phonograph.

I know the original address of my Victrola 230 in Minneapolis as well as its owner's name. I also knew the fist owner's name of the spider leg Victrola X that I purchased a few years back. I bought my Victrola XVII from the great-niece of the original owner and know the city it came from in Pennsylvania.

Damon
St. Louis (City), MO

[Nat]

My VV-IX was originally bought by my grandfather in Youngstown, Ohio. My Credenza belonged to the grandmother of the person I bought it from. All others are mongrels.

[FloridaClay]

I have a spring-motor VV 9-15 I bought from the original owner's grandson, who had fallen on hard times after losing his job in the economic downturn. That's it that you see on the left.

A very nice family. They seemed relieved that it was going to someone who knew what it was and would give it a good home.

Clay

[Lenoirstreetguy]

I know the owner of my first machine and here's a pic. I've posted this before on the old board but here it is again. His name was Frank Young and he's the one at the back without a hat. The schoolteacher,Emily Shillinglaw,....upon whom he was "sweet"....is sitting on his lap. This picture was taken in 1907. About ten years later he bought an Edison C250 Diamond Disc. It became my first machine which I was about 9 years old. It was a wreck and still is, but I still have it storage, sentiment n'all that. It came with about 150 Diamond Discs all of which I still own.
But back to this pic...the building to the right is the Methodist Church. The story was that they were having a " cleaning bee" and the boys came to pick up the girls afterwards...and pose for the photographer. You will note that the girls are wearing aprons.
The building in the rear is the school where I did all my primary education: eight grades..one room. This is beginning to sound like am episode of Little House on the Prairie so I'll stop now.

[Bruce]

Stories like these always add value to the machines in my mind. I hope that everyone who has a great story for their machine type out the story and tuck it away in the cabinet for future generations to appreciate.

My story involves a Victrola 4-3 Alvava which was purchased in 1927 by my grandfather and grandmother for his mother and father. Very interesting and thought provoking to listen to records which my grand and great grand parents (now all deceased) enjoyed.

Bruce

[barnettrp21122]

My best story is the one posted earlier as a featured phonograph: My Edison Army-Navy Diamond Disc machine.
It was owned by Chandler Zehner, after his return from the Navy in World War One. There's a box "dot" net link to his biography and personal pictures.
For those who are interested here's the link to the earlier post:
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =army+navy

Bob B.

[chem_jv]

Elsie Bryant, at the time living in Brentwood, MO bought my Victrola X spider leg in 1912. She loved opera and religious music, and paid extra for the Improved Concert Reproducer. He daughter received the machine in 1940 and kept it in Brentwood. Her daughter passed in 2004. It's a bit distressing to think her great-grandson had it in the garage in Webster Groves and dumped it on Craigslist for $100. He couldn't care less. A friend and fellow collector acquired the machine in March 2010, and had it in his collection until March 2012 when it passed into my hand.

[Nat]

Stories like these always add value to the machines in my mind. I hope that everyone who has a great story for their machine type out the story and tuck it away in the cabinet for future generations to appreciate.

I write up notes and leave them inside any machine I work on. Ditto my 100+ year-old cabin, where I've put a two-page history of the place inside the wall where I insulated & panelled it.
(There's another that's not hidden, but someday such a thing might be fun for someone to find.)

[Alpine]

The Opera I just purchased came from Maidstone Ontario, Canada. This community is about 20 minutes from Windsor. It had been in the same family since new, it had been through 3 generations. The machine is Mahogany and is 100% original and in extremely good condition.