The story about the Edison Standard Model D cylinder phonograph
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Here is a little bit of background about why this archived recording
of Edison black wax Amberol 4 minute record #110, "Choruses of six
popular songs" is linked from this web site.
This phonograph, which can be seen being used on the linked video
titled "Finishing Operations", belonged to my paternal Grandfather.
He purchased it used in about 1910.
At that time, he played it on occasion, for a young woman that he
was courting. Her name was Jenny. He later married her, and she
was my grandmother.
Of the 20 or so records in the original collection are several
that attest to this machine and these records being a part of this
courting.
The original copy in my grandfather's cylinders is in horrible shape.
It has great huge hunks broken out of each end, leaving only about
the middle 45 seconds or so, playable. Even that short playable portion
is very worn out and it has skips. The archived recording is from
a much better copy of Amberol #110.
Listen closely to the song "When the sheep are in the fold" and
see if you can hear them singing about "Jenny dear".
This machine and these records barely escaped destruction.
By around 1934 or so, this machine had fell into disrepair and
disuse, and was no longer valued. My grandfather gave it away to
some local children to play with.
One day, in 1935, while walking through town, my dad spotted some of
these kids playing with this machine and the records, out on the
sidewalk. According to the way my dad told it, he saw the kids
outside with the records, rolling them around on the concrete.
He recognized the machine as his father's. He promptly bought it
all back from those kids for a few dollars. By that time, the
ten-panel horn, the horn crane, most of the recorder, and most of
the model H reproducer were long gone. He saved all that he could.
My dad then took the machine and the box of 20 or so cylinders, and
put them up in the attic of my grandfather's wood working shop.
That was in the summer of 1935.
Later that fall, my dad went off to college attending the University
of Illinois, in Champaign-Urbana. He studied there for 4 years and
got his electrical engineering degree, graduating at the top of his
class. Meanwhile the Edison phonograph was forgotten.
It was not until 1967 that my dad remembered that he had stored that
machine in the shop attic. That was because by that time I was 11 years
old, and had began reading about Edison, and having an avid interest
in all things having to do with those times.
My dad told me about the machine in the attic, and agreed that on
our next visit to see my grandpa and aunt in Illinois, that we would
go up there and get that machine down out of the attic.
At my grandfather's house, right before my dad and I went to fetch
the machine, the conversation went something like this:
My dad and I were talking about that old machine and my grandfather
said that "There's nothing up in that attic, never has been!"
He added that: "I gave that thing away to to them Edwards kids
way back a long time ago"
I recall my dad telling him: "Pop, it's up there because I got it
back from those kids, and I put it up there!"
So, my dad and I took off walking the one block up to the shop.
He climbed up the rickety old wooden 10 foot step ladder and
pushed the attic hatch open and handed me down the machine
and the box of cylinders.
After we got it back to the house, my grandfather was very surprised
to see it again. About all he ever had to say about it was that
"That machine never did work right"
In with the original collection was the seriously worn and broken
copy of black wax Amberol record #110, "Choruses of six popular
songs". This record was played by my grandfather, for my grandmother
before they were married. This was back in the days when:
"Any man of means has an Edison phonograph"
