Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-09
VERMONT ORGAN BUILDER.
Joseph L. Jones Worked for Three
Generations of Esteys.


deems and organs, is now on inmate OF
the Old Peoples home at Brattleboro, VT,
says the Boston Sunday Globe. Without
doubt he was worked longer at organ
in America. This is the judgment of the
cxperts.
He did not know that his friends were
making arrangements to provide a home
for him in his declining years, and II
was a very grateful surprise to him
when they told him. A subscription pa
per was circulated and rich and poor in
Brattleboro contributed generously.
Mr.. Jones tells the story of his life
substantially as follows:
Il was born in Marlboro. n. H., May
%, 1926. There were five girls and four
boys in my parents family. am now
the only one living. I attended the dis
trict school. The only ,ne of my school
mates now living is Mrs. Christina Hol-
man, the widow of Scion Wilkinson,
now residing at Kecne. n. H.,
II lived in Marlboro until I was IS
years old. Then I went to Boston. A
little later I worked at the Hovey tav-
ern in Cambridgcport. There was n toll
~" ""N " r'iN vi tilit
man about the hotel. Much liquor was
sold. I think ! only sold a single drink
while I was there. when the barkeeper
was out for a minute.
July 10. 1874, socn after the opening
Of the Fitchburg railroad to Concord.
returned to Marlboro and the same
week went to Winchester. n. H., and be-
gan work for my brother Samuel, &ho
was then making melodeons for Foster
& Thayer. They were also making
pipe organs. both instruments in a
small way. Joseph Foster then had a
small melodeon which was made as
early as 1881. Where It was made ! do
not know. I nave kept a diary all my
life. and dates are well fixed in my
mind. The melodeons made by Foster
& Thayer were 3 1-3-octave. pressure bel.
lows. worked on the knees by the
elbows. y
The little plant was soon ruycha sed
by my brother Samuel. There was no
machinery, except a small foot lathe.
There was hardly business enough to
keep Walter Jewell, who came from
Wilmington, Vt. my brother and myself
employed Once in a while We would
go to the brass instrument factory of
Graves brothers to do a little work by
power. The ivory which was used for
the melodeon keys was sawed out there
from the tusks.
June Is. 1876, my brother and myself
loaded upon a hayrack all our factory
equipment and personal belongings and
two horses drew us to Brattleboro. Ri
ley Burdctte, who, later cn in life. with
Silas NJ. Waite. had the famous litigA,
zion with Deacon Jacob Estey over
organ features. induced my brother and
TO go to Brattleboro. Mr.. Burdette
mad been teaching a singing school in
Nlnchester. OF course. none OF us then
even dreamed of the litigation which
was to continue for so many years.
which cost several hundred thousand
dollars and ended in the bankruptcy Of
the First national bank OF B]rattleboro
and the flight of Mr.. Waite, its cashier.
I'VE began making melodeons and or
Rans. The firm was s. II. Jones & Co..
The PARTNER of my brother were John
Woodbury. and Riley Burdette. Wood
bury and Burdette were then making
violins and bass viols at another factory
in Brattleboro. This continued only for
La year, and then the firm name was Jones
& Burdette.
MY brother sold his interest in the
business later to r. D.. Carpenter. and
the firm became Carpenter & Burdette.
Two years later Mr.. Burdette sold his
half interest in the business to Jacob
Estey. This partnership continued until
1850. Isaac Hines then went into the
firm.
My brother. Samuel Jones, who had
been in Maryland FOR a time. returned
to Brattl"boro to again engage in manu-
featuring melodeons. organizing the firm
OF Jones. Carpenter & Wood. / worked
for the new firm for four years and
then began work for Estey & Green.
~ have worked for three generations
Of Esteys, Deacon Jacob. Gen. ]. ]. and
his sons. The sons of Col. and Cant
Estey came to the factory many times
while ! was working there. They are
only little fellows. but they make the
fourth generation.
"All the men prominently connected
with organ manufacturing have been
very kind to me.
II have never earned over % cents an
hour. I have worked very many hours
daily. much overtime. sometimes 81
hours n a day.
with the exception of n single year
I worked for the Estcys continuously
from 1859 to January, 1906. / worked on
keys and k~eyboards for some years for
81 years in making bellows and for
about II years on pedal work.
For more than 40 years , was a
member Of the Brattleboro fire depart.
mont. For years | was a foreman of
the hook and ladder company.
Il have never wasted any money
Some might say I wasted some In rife
shooting. but I don't so regard II.
have been n member of three rife shoot
ing organizations. ] liked to hunt, but
! enjoyed roaming over tho hills almost
ms well. I have never used liquor ex-
cept n few times as medicine. have
never used tobacco in any form, but !
sold a lot Of plug tobacco to other men
at the shops. 1t was an accommodation
to them and il gave me little profit.
las things go I have been reasonably
happy.
I'm politics 7 VS. first a whig. then
n republican. / voted for Gen. Zachary
Taylor in 1914.
u was married to Mrs. Harriet =.
Fowler, Sept 8. 1854. by DIR. and Justice
Washburn, at Vernon, VI. We had one
child, but it died. My wife died rs years
after our marriage. Mrs. Mary A. sar-
gent, who was my housekecper for
years, is now one of the inmates of
this home.
81 have never been a musician myself
although I enjoy music and in my time
| was considered something of a singer