A question for the historical experts:  What is the final letter in the name represented by the second S in SS Stewart?   Most sources represent his name as Samuel Swain Stewart (final letter is "n").  Others, with excellent credentials, give the name as Samuel Swaim Stewart (final letter is "m"). So which is it, "n" or "m"  ? Swain or Swaim? 

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Is "Guru" a simple typo for "Gura" or is it a hidden subtle joke making Subcontinental reference to getting one letter wrong in a spelling? After all "Swaim" is an anagram of "Swami" !

Shawn McSweeny said:

Re : SS Stewart, from Guru & Bollman's "America's Instrument", pg 140 :

"he was the son of Dr. Franklin Stewart, a purveyor of the patent medicine called Swaim's Panacea, developed in the 1820's by his father-in-law, William Swaim  .  .   .

Hi Joel

Finding & fitting  pieces into  a coherent picture is what makes history fun.

Stewart's father did  well financially with Swaim's Panacea, and likely schooled his son in marketing. It is no accident SSS embraced the patent medicine sales approach in the banjo trade.

Hi Jody

Guru/Swami ?!  Clever.

That was simply a late evening typo on my part. At that hour I am often error prone  .  .  .  and seldom witty.

oh well. 

This has turned into quite a lively and informative discussion. I'm glad I got it started.

Speaking of India and banjos, long ago (44 years ago actually) during a rare visit to Los Angeles I met a banjo player from Calcutta. He was descended from Jewish refugees from Baghdad who had settled in India many many centuries ago. He sang ancient Jewish folk songs in Arabic and accompanied himself on a Windsor zither-banjo. I wish I had had the presence of mind to record him. 

I've been told that Windsor zither-banjos still turn up regularly in Kolkotta flea markets.


Shawn McSweeny said:

Hi Jody

Guru/Swami ?!  Clever.

That was simply a late evening typo on my part. At that hour I am often error prone  .  .  .  and seldom witty.

Here's a shot of the 1860 Census page with Dr. Franklin Stewart and family...including 4yr old Swaim...but with the handwriting, it could be "Swain".

And here's the 1870 Census showing "Swaim" quite clearly.

I'm glad you did too Joedie.

Yes Mark Cee,  The census cited above and several Philadelphia "society" articles that I have from the 1880s-90s leads me to believe that his name was Swaim (the reason I always refer to him by it).  I don't know where the "Samuel" and "Sam" comes in but I do know that "SSS"  makes a great trademark and S. S. Stewart looks good on a business card and store sign. (I guess Deering Banjo feels the same way).

BTW, I get "Jole" for some reason.

Jole, you just seem to be a 'silent e' kinda guy. ;-)

Swaim is "Sam'l" in the 1880 census. I wish I could find them in the 1890 census but much of it was involved in a storage warehouse fire way back and is lost.

I tracked down Fred S. up until the 1920 or 1930 census living in NYC. I don't think I ever found a record of Lem past 1900. I wonder if Fred got "Sam" or "Swaim" as a middle name?

 

I used to get mail addressed to Albert Hall.

Jody Stecher said:

Most folks get Jody right. But my surname? Oh my goodness. Some get both wrong. I have been Joe Day Starcher, John D Stecher, John Stretcher, Johnny Sticker, Joel Stetcher, Jody Fletcher. I have even been called Jody Foster. No kidding.

Trapdoor2 said:

Talk to anyone with an "unusual" name spelling. Everyone wants to 'normalize' it (whatever "normal" is). Marc vs Mark. Jody vs Jodie, etc, etc. God preserve those millennial kids named Kaytlyn or Britny or Apple...their parents should be hoarse whypped.

I used "Swain" until I discovered the error. BTW, his son Lemuel is listed in Ancestry.com as something very goofy (I forget exactly what it is) because they couldn't read the census taker's handwriting.

Albert Hall is very funny. How come not any more? It must be because of email. We've lost a lot of High Hilarity with the reduction of the use of the postal service. 

Hal Allert said:

I used to get mail addressed to Albert Hall.


Its the reason I changed my name to Skip .

my original name meant something unspeakably rude in Saami, the aboriginal language of Finland and Lapland

So many names mean something rude in some other language. Something very like "banjo" means toilet in Japanese. Hold fast, I say. No concession. Banjo forever.

skip sail said:

Its the reason I changed my name to Skip .

my original name meant something unspeakably rude in Saami, the aboriginal language of Finland and Lapland

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