Remembering Dad
We'd like to tell you a little about my (Jo's) father. Dad was known in this area as The String Man because he loved to build stringed instruments. And Dad was very good at this. He built a number of instruments, including violins, guitars, banjos, mandolins, and at least one dulcimer. Dad's handmade instruments are now all over this country from the east to the west and from the north to the south. Some were even for folks who are, or were, out of the country because they were military and transferred from place to place. So folks in many places in this wonderful United States of America know and remember my dad.
The picture to the left was taken of Dad in his shop with one of the mandolins he built. This was in the Daily Press/The Times Herald newspapers in Newport News, VA because of an article they did about my dad on November 29, 1984. Wish I could show you here everything they said about him.
This picture shows Dad in his shop with a string of violins which he made. Each violin he made was equally as beautiful and had the lovliest sound. Many times Dad had made several instruments and had them hanging on this line, some waiting to be strung, or some waiting for their future owners. I wish you could see the lovely 12-string guitar he made for Mother. It is truly a treasure.
Perhaps the best way I can describe my Dad is to share with you a prayer I wrote after Dad's stroke which hospitalized him and which began Dad's long illness. I would also like to share with you some comments written to my Mother by some good friends of Dad's after his passing. You may click on "Dad's Friends Comment", on the table below to read these. Dad had so many great friends it's impossible to count them all. They would come to visit him in his shop and watch him work, or maybe he would take a break from working to chat with them. And sometimes they would have a "jam session" playing instruments there in the shop, some Dad had made and some of their own that were brought along. Dad ministered to, encouraged, and counseled young and old alike in his own quiet way during visits. Many would become interested in learning to build stringed instruments as they watched Dad and listened to him tell them how it was done. So he was a teacher as well as a friend.
Dad presented violins to his twelve grandchildren one Christmas
The music you hear is "Wildwood Flower." I do not know who the artist is that is playing this piece...it is not my Dad and Mother. But this piece is one of my very favorites because among the fondest memories of my childhood include times when I fell asleep in our living room at home while listening to Dad and Mother playing music together, including this piece...Mother playing the guitar, while Dad played the mandolin or the violin. Sometimes family friends came in to join Dad and Mother in playing music.
| Dad Made:
Violins Guitars Banjos Mandolins Dulcimer TOTAL |
68
75
19
15
1
178 |
To see a registry of instruments crafted by Seth M. Summerfield, Jr. please visit the web page of my brother, Bob Summerfield. This has been a labor of love for our family and Dad's friends, and I am very grateful to Bob for undertaking this interesting project.
Registry of Acoustic Musical Instruments built by Seth M. Summerfield, Jr.
To see the story of our family you can go to: SUMMERFIELD & VANDALL FAMILIES
It is a site my brother, Bob Summerfield has done, and covers much of the Summerfield and Vandall families. I'm so thankful Bob decided to do the geneaology search. Please be sure to read
our Mother's memorial to Dad given at his funeral.
