Nelse Seymour

Comment by Brian Glass on February 4, 2013 at 8:37pm

That's an interesting banjo he's got there.

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 4, 2013 at 8:45pm

Teed Patent, I think.  Bob Winans knows quite a bit about them.

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 4, 2013 at 8:49pm

On second thought, I'm not sure, but it looks familiar to me.

Comment by Rob Morrison on February 5, 2013 at 10:32am

Joel-- I always get Teeds mixed up with Tiltons because they were both made in the 1860's and both had unorthodox patented internal tension systems, but I do believe this is a Teed.  It looks like one of Bob Flesher's banjos which I believe to be a Teed.

Comment by Bob Winans on February 5, 2013 at 12:38pm

Since my name has been mentioned in this discussion, I guess I should join it. The banjo in the Seymour photo does not have an "internal tension system"; it is a "top-tension" style design. So it is not a Tilton (at least not like one I have ever seen). And, although Teeds were top-tension banjos, the structure of the banjo in the photo does not correspond to any Teeds I have seen. But it does look like the design of Baltimore banjo maker Levi Brown's 1869 banjo patent, so I have posted a copy of the 1869 patent drawing. I have never seen an actual banjo corresponding to this patent, but the resemblance between the Seymour photo and the patent drawing is very close (except in number of screw-heads shown, although that is a very common variable in 19th century banjo building). That the Seymour photo might give us evidence of a Brown 1869 banjo in use by a professional performer is exciting. Until about two years ago, we had no evidence for Levi Brown banjos except to the two patents (1869 and an 1865 patent for a guitar banjo with a wooden head). That was when I discovered that an unlabeled banjo I had owned for almost thirty years was a Levi Brown (corresponding to neither of the patents). Stan Werbin has one similar to mine; it was the appearance of his Brown banjo (stamped "L. Brown") that lead to the identity of mine. I believe Bob Flesher also owns one of similar design to mine and Stan's.

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 5, 2013 at 1:29pm

Very cool! Thanks Bob, that is good stuff. The photo is pretty high quality if you click on "view full size."

Comment by Scott Johnson on February 5, 2013 at 3:05pm

Great photo and cool banjo, and thanks Bob for the patent drawings.

The banjo construction looks similar to what we would call today the "mountain banjo" from the old Firefox books from the 1970's. Makes you wonder if they had an old banjo like that and used it as a model for the Appalachian mountain banjo that we know today.

Also I found his obituary from the New York Daily Graphic. Thought you might find it interesting.

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/New%20York%20NY%20Daily%20G...

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 5, 2013 at 6:30pm

Good work on the obit, Scott.

So he died in 1875, but packed in a full life.  Cool that he was a Maryland boy as well.

It is swell that we have this nice tasteful photo of him holding a hi-tec banjo with a nice suit on.

And we can also compare the picture of him in cork with a tub slung on his shoulder.

Fancy banjo, nice suit.  Tub banjo, cork.

Comment by Bob Winans on February 5, 2013 at 9:49pm

Thanks, Scott, for the obit, which is very interesting, not least because it tells us he was a Baltimore native. This gives further credence to the idea that the banjo in the photo was a Levi Brown. Brown first appears on the scene in Baltimore in 1851 as a music teacher (accordeon, banjo, and violin). In succeeding years he was also a performer (mostly on accordeon).  By 1858, he advertises that, aside from giving lessons, he also repairs instruments. He becomes a banjo maker in 1859, advertising a banjo being exhibited at the Mechanics Fair, and calling himself "Manufacturer of Drums, Banjoes, Tamborines, &c." He continued in business until at least 1873. Nice to know that Seymour was playing, at least some of the time, on a "hometown" instrument.

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