Dan Gellert - Posted - 08/02/2009:  16:01:27

A student of mine recently bought an old fiddle here in Dayton OH. While it could easily be dismissed as a piece of junk, it's one of those I think is well worth having just to examine and wonder about where it's been in the last century...

No maker's label, but it's obviously a real cheap-grade Jackson-Guldan-- rims and corners all of one piece, funky wood, painted purfling, etc. It was definitely used as a fiddle, and NOT a violin: Champion pegs, rusted old Black Diamond steel strings, a piece of twine tied around the sound post, and a set of snake rattles in it.

As cheap as this thing was, though, someone loved it enough to put a lot of repair work into it over the years. Not standard-looking luthiery, but quite well done and solid work. The most idiosyncratic bit is the fingerboard: Apparently it had been planed down pretty thin but had become badly worn again. Instead of replacing it, the repairer cut a rectangular piece out of the middle (from the 1st finger to the 3rd finger level in 1st position), and inlaid a piece to replace it!

Anyway, there is a repair label inside; small, squarish, and printed in (ballpoint?) pen, it says:

"REP. 5-59 J.R. Wheeler".

I was just curious if this could be the late Jimmy Wheeler, fiddler (and fiddle repairman) from Portsmouth, Ohio? Anyone know if his middle initial was or wasn't R? I bet there's someone on the Hangout that has and/or has seen fiddles known to have passed through his shop....

thanks

Dan

fubbi2 - Posted - 08/02/2009:  17:06:50

The only listed makers I find by the name "Wheeler"are

Wheeler, A. H. 1925 1925 (?) (?) Instruments
Wheeler, C. C. 1915 1918 USA Janesville, WI Instruments
Wheeler, Gilman 1910 1915 USA Brewer, ME Instruments

"When Good and Evil compromise, Good always loses."

ajisai - Posted - 08/02/2009:  18:47:06

http://www.fieldrecorder.com/docs/n...rmstrong.htm

I believe this website refers to the Jimmy Wheeler you mention in your post and it suggests that he died in 1987. (If this isn't the right Jimmy Wheeler, please let me know.)

Checking the Social Security Death Index at Ancestry.com I find an entry for a James Wheeler, born 5 Apr 1917, died Mar 1987 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio. I think it's the same person.

And checking the 1930 census at Ancestry.com, I find a Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio entry for a James Wheeler, age 13, who seems to have the middle initial "R."

http://www.chicagogenealogy.com/wheeler1930.jpg

My guess is that fiddler Jimmy Wheeler’s middle initial was R but I'm not sure.

Edits:

The 1920 census clearly lists the same child (born in 1917) as James H., Jr.

And the Ohio Death Index gives the middle initial as "A."

James A Wheeler Est. 1918 Scioto, Ohio 3 Mar 1987 Scioto

Both an "H" and an "R" could be accidentally transcribed as "A" in an index.

Genealogical research is rarely easy. (smile) I'll keep digging.

Cynthia

Edited by - ajisai on 08/02/2009 19:12:13

OTJunky - Posted - 08/02/2009:  18:55:18

quote:

---

Originally posted by ajisai

http://www.fieldrecorder.com/docs/n...rmstrong.htm

I believe this website refers to the Jimmy Wheeler you mention in your post and it suggests that he died in 1987.

Checking the Social Security Death Index at Ancestry.com I find an entry for a James Wheeler, born 5 Apr 1917, died Mar 1987 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio. I think it's the same person.

And checking the 1930 census at Ancestry.com, I find a Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio entry for a James Wheeler, age 13, who seems to have the middle initial "R."

http://www.chicagogenealogy.com/wheeler1930.jpg

My guess is that fiddler Jimmy Wheeler’s middle initial was R. But it's just a guess!

---

OTJunky - Posted - 08/02/2009:  19:00:09

quote:

---

Originally posted by ajisai

See my edit above. Searches like this are never easy, it seems . . . C

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Dan Gellert - Posted - 08/02/2009:  19:13:50

quote:

---

Originally posted by ajisai

http://www.fieldrecorder.com/docs/n...rmstrong.htm

I believe this website refers to the Jimmy Wheeler you mention in your post and it suggests that he died in 1987. (If this isn't the right Jimmy Wheeler, please let me know.)

Checking the Social Security Death Index at Ancestry.com I find an entry for a James Wheeler, born 5 Apr 1917, died Mar 1987 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio. I think it's the same person.

And checking the 1930 census at Ancestry.com, I find a Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio entry for a James Wheeler, age 13, who seems to have the middle initial "R."

http://www.chicagogenealogy.com/wheeler1930.jpg

My guess is that fiddler Jimmy Wheeler’s middle initial was R.

Unfortunately, the 1920 census clearly lists the same child (born in 1917) as James H., Jr. Genealogical research is never easy. (smile) I'll dig a little bit more.

Cynthia

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ajisai - Posted - 08/02/2009:  19:30:11

Unfortunately, I'm finding lots of middle initials and I may not be able to answer your question with online resources, but I don't give up easily.

I don't think it's uncommon for individuals to use a variety of names over the course of a lifetime but the H to R to A has me puzzled. In the 1930 census, it really looks like an R to me at quick glance but I suppose it might possibly be "JR."

I'm trying not to let wishful thinking influence my reasoning. (smile)

Cynthia

ajisai - Posted - 08/02/2009:  20:07:53

Okay. One more post this evening.

This is a link to a web page that seems to list the 1935 graduates of a high school in Portsmouth, Ohio and the name "James R. Wheeler" appears on the list. An individual who was born in 1917 would be eighteen in 1935 which makes me think this might be the James Wheeler I found in the 1930 census.

http://www.portsmouth.k12.oh.us/old...935/1935.htm

I'm guessing that there is a picture of James R. Wheeler in this yearbook and I'm thinking the school might be able to provide a scan or a photocopy of it. And I'm also guessing that there is a photo of Jimmy Wheeler available somewhere. If it looks like the two photos match then it's likely that Jimmy Wheeler did use "R" as a middle initial.

If you want me to contact the school to see if someone will check the yearbook, just let me know.

Cynthia

RobBob - Posted - 08/04/2009:  07:44:15

So, unlike Dan, you all don't know the great fiddler Jimmy Wheeler? The Portsmouth trills guy? Dan if this work was done by him, it is a treasure.

RobBob
Music; the best way to count time. It is a journey, not a destination.
www.blueridgerounders.com

ajisai - Posted - 08/05/2009:  08:11:30

There are many wonderful fiddlers that I don't know anything about but, little by little, I'm learning. I think a lot of people pick up a fiddle because they've heard great music and want to give it a try. I ventured into fiddling knowing absolutely nothing about it. Quite honestly, I wanted to play the violin, figured I'd never be able to learn the vibrato I'd need for classical music,, called the local folk music store to see if they had a "fiddle" teacher, and, well, you can probably guess the rest of the story . . .

But that's off topic . . . I'm itching to see if I can get a picture of James R. Wheeler from that yearbook because I'd really like to do what I can to answer the question at hand.. Dan, shall I go ahead and pursue it?

Cynthia