John Russell Coryell ~ 1851-1924

I learned a lot about this guy when researching for the book "Founders and Evolution of Summer Resorts and Kids's Camps on Four Lakes in Central Maine". After Coryell's death his sons started Camp Hirundo for boys on Torsey Pond in Mt. Vernon.

 One slide from the presentation "Local Artists Lost in Time" by Dale Potter-Clark

Mary Neal Richardson ~ 1859-1937

In September of 1934 Mary Neal Richardson, known as Nettie, retired to her summer home in Canton, Maine. She was a daughter of Franklin Richardson mentioned in the two previous slides and a spinster who, at the age of 74 years, had endeared herself to many people who lovingly called her “mother”. Those life circumstances are unremarkable, but the life that Nettie led was far from ordinary.

The photo is of Mary Neal Richardson and the painting is one she created when she was deeply involved in Astrology and Theosophy. 

Shown here are two of the 36 slides from a presentation about "Local Artists Lost in Time" by Dale Potter-Clark. The entire presentation can be viewed on the Readfield Historical Society facebook page, in their Group Page.

Franklin Richardson ~ 1825-1915

Franklin Richardson was born in Mercer in 1825 where he learned to play the fife at a young age from his father. At age 14 Franklin heard the violin played for the first time and became enamored by the instrument. He was offered that violin for $3.00 and his father agreed to buy it if the boy could learn to play within a week. Franklin was able to play “Auld Lang Syne” in less than an hour. He soon learned to make violins as well.

To make a living Franklin became a tailor and set-up shop in Norridgewock at age 21. He continued in that trade for more than two decades except for three years in the Union Army and one other hiatus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

In 1848, Franklin and a brother went to Milwaukee, where Franklin opened a dance studio. He also played in an orchestra on “The Empire State” – the largest steamer on the Great Lakes until it sank in July 1849. Whether Franklin was on board and escaped is not known, but it is known that he returned to Mercer soon afterwards and returned to tailoring.

He married Parthenia Chapman of Mt. Vernon in 1852 and moved to Mt. Vernon village where he continued tailoring and making violins. Parthenia died a year later and he wed Mary P. Neal of Vienna. They had seven children born 1857-1872. All but the youngest two were born in Mt. Vernon, including daughter Mary Neal Richardson in 1859.

Franklin enlisted in the Union Army in 1863 where he organized and led the brass band for the 10^th Maine Regiment under General Ulysses S. Grant. Soon after his discharge he moved his family to Canton, where he bought a farm on Canton Lake and continued his trades.

Following the Civil War, pre-made clothing became popular and Franklin’s tailor business steadily declined so he began a photography business – all the while making violins. He also played his instruments at special events and he gave dance lessons. Franklin was an old time dancing master until age 70. By age 83 he had made more than 200 violins. At the time they fetched a price of anywhere from $25 to $100. In the recent past a Richardson violin sold at auction for $3,375.

Although his children grew up in a creative home it appears that only Mary entered the arts as a profession. She became a nationally renowned artist who painted portraits and landscapes for decades at Fenway Studios in Boston, and at her summer studio in Canton. In 1909 Franklin was interviewed for a Lewiston newspaper article titled “Canton’s Famous Old Violin Maker”.  He was making four violins for his great-grandsons at the time and still farming his homestead on Canton Lake. Six years later the “Who's Who in New England: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men and Women” listed both Franklin and his daughter Mary. He died the same year of senile dementia. His death certificate gives his occupation simply as “violin maker”.

Dale Potter-Clark writes about local history and old families. She recently co-authored “The Founders and Evolution of Summer Resorts and Kids’ Camps on Four Lakes in Central Maine.”