Directory lists of Piano Firms

[Bill Kibby]

This item has been updated at
http://pianogen.org/our.html

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

What is this useful for?
Looks interesting. Is it storing historical info about piano manufacturers? Or shops?

[vernon]

Bill
Can we access any of these?
For years in Kent there was "Kelly's Trade directory"( like nearly a 100 years, but I bet you know that!)

[Bill Kibby]

It's piano firms of all kinds, and some musical firms, as well as a huge amount of general history, because one cannot always find things where they are expected to be! Dating is an important part of any historical research, and these records help to narrow down dates of manufacturers, as well as giving us the resources to do research from here that cannot be achieved in any other single place. This includes genealogical research for descendants of piano makers. As for access, without major funding, it is not possible or practical to type over a million entries all up on the net, indeed I have no intention of giving my life's work away for free when I need to make a living! For most people, most of the time, most of the information has no value, it is only in situations such as searching for a particular Smith when his partner Gibson is not shown in the directories. Thousands of piano owners have benefited from this by post or email over the past forty years. Dates of addresses, and of changes of company names and addresses, often provide major clues.

The question is, what can be done to fund further work, most official channels don't seem to apply to piano history, and no generous millionaire piano enthusiasts have popped up yet!