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GEFool - Posted - 08/13/2018: 10:47:17
I have a J. T. Corbin of Asheville, NC fiddle. Dated 1912. Anyone have any information on this maker or leads as to where I might find out more?
Cyndy - Posted - 08/13/2018: 12:56:53
If you're interested in genealogical information, I could probably point you in the right direction and/or give you some help. Let me know if that's of interest.
GEFool - Posted - 08/13/2018: 20:19:44
Well, I guess I'd like to know who he (or she) was if it told me about any musical prowess or violin making prowess. But I'd also like to know if there are any more out there. It's not an expensive fiddle nor a cheap one either. It sounds pretty darn good to my ears.
GEFool - Posted - 08/13/2018: 20:21:00
Oh, and thank you for the offer. I'll take you up on it if it is not too much trouble. A google search revealed little.
Cyndy - Posted - 08/13/2018: 20:51:29
I searched the 1910 Asheville census for "Corbin" using Ancestry.com and the seven matching individuals were all in the household of John T. Corbin. I suspect he's the one connected to the fiddle, but, of course, to be sure would do some serious research and probably have a bit of luck.
Here's what I'd suggest:
1) Go to familysearch.org, create a free account, and log in.
2) Search > RECORDS for "John T" and "Corbin" with "ashville, north carolina" as the place of residence. It will pull up census records for a man who was married to Allie. If you take a look at those, you should be able to learn a little bit about Mr. Corbin. Check 1940, 1930, 1920, 1910, 1900, and, possibly 1880.
2) If you dig around on FamilySearch, you can also pull up this man's death certificate.
familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:...at=639047
3) Using a combination of information from census records, obituaries, maybe Find A Grave, and the like, I think it might be possible to find descendants who might have stories about Mr. Corbin as a fiddle maker. If you can't find obituaries online, try contacting a local library for help.
Maybe others will have some additional suggestions.
Let us know what you find out!
GEFool - Posted - 08/21/2018: 22:01:26
Thanks! I’ve been impressed with the tone of this fiddle.
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