POLK'S ELKHART CITY DIRECTORY 1922 (R. L. POLK & CO., Publishers) reveals the following information.
Harry Pedler & Co Inc.
Band Instrument Manufacturers
#430 Baldwin, Elkhart Indiana
Incorporated 1919
Capital $10,000
Harry W. Pedler (Pres.) 1249 Garden Blvd. N. Elkhart Indiana
Harry W. Pedler jr. (V-Pres.)
Margaret E. Pedler secretary & Treasurer
Employees living in Elkhart:
Geneva Boyland - finisher
George E. Cook - mouthpiece maker
Bessie Cristman - finisher
Marjorie Cristman - finisher
Raymond E. Crowl - key maker
George Eberline - screw machine operator
Fred H. Fuller - drill press operator
Hugh A. Hamilton - helper
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Harry Walter Pedler b.21 Jan 1872 at Bethnal Green, London, England. d. 25 Sep 1950 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA. Interred at Rice Cemetery.
Father: Gorge Joseph Pedler (alternate Pidler) father's birthplace:England
Mother's Birthplace: England
wife: Maria Louisa Hughes, born abt 1873 in Cardigan, Wales
married on 4 Apr 1896 in St Alphege, Greenwich, England
Children: 7
Margaret Annie Pedler b.1887
John Edward Pedler b.1888
Harry Walter Pedler Jr. b.1900
Katie M Pedler b.1906
Thomas Pedler b.1909
Sidney Pedler b.1910
Donald L Pedler b.1917
British Military records reflect a Pvt Harry Pedler, Royal Army Serv. Corps sn SS/15667 and Labour Corps sn 305201 who served in France from 12/09/1915.
Arrived Southampton, England on 4 Jul 1920 aboard the Canadian Pacific S.S Grampian out of Montréal, Québec, Canada
Arrived Montréal, Québec, Canada on 22 Aug 1920 aboard the S.S Scandinavian out of Antwerp, Belgium
in 1922 Harry and Louisa lived at 1249 N Garden Elkhart, Indiana, USA. He was President of his Band Instrument. Co.
Departed the U.S the U.K on 15 Aug 1925 aboard the Cunard S.S Franconia out of New York
Arrived back from the U.K on 24 Aug 1925 aboard the Cunard S.S Franconia out of Liverpool with wife Louisa and son Donald from a visit with his sister at 339 High Rd, London.
Arrived Liverpool, England on 8 Jun 1931 aboard the Cunard White Star S.S Laconia out of New York.
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Harry Walter Pedler jr. b. 28 Sep 1899 in London, England to Harry Walter Pedler & Louisa Hughes. d. 23 Dec 1983 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA.
Wife: Helen Courante Lounsberry b. 22 Mar 1900 in Elkhart, Indiana
Wife's Father: Cassius Morton Lounsberry
Wife's Mother: Mary Hough
Married to Helen Courante Lounsberry on 29 May 1926 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA
Son: Harry Walter Pedler 3rd b.1 Jun 1928 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA, d.3 Jun 1928 in Elkhart, Indiana, USA
in 1928 Harry and Helen lived at 316 E Crawford Elkhart, Indiana, USA - he was Vice President of his father's Band Instrument. Co.
in 1930 Harry and Helen lived at 316 E Crawford Elkhart, Indiana, USA - he was Sales Manager of his father's Band Instrument. Co.
in 1933 Harry and Helen lived at 1227 S Central ave. Glendale, Los Angeles, California, USA where he was a Music Instructor/Representative
in 1934 Harry and Helen lived at 1227 S Central ave. Glendale, Los Angeles, California, USA where he was a Music Instructor/Representative
A "Harry W Pedler" with a birth date of 1 Jan 1940 is also reflected as living at #2100 E Bristol St # 13i, Elkhart, Indiana.
Harry Pedler had some interesting ideas - many of which appear to have been incorporated by other manufacturers - most likely as a result of his not obtaining US patent rights to them. (I own a "Pertin" silver clarinet ("German Silver" base metal, plated with sterling and with a gold washed bell) that is identical to a Pedler in every detail except the name engraved on the bell)
From the list of employees Pedler employed in the early days it is unlikely that he manufactured the entire clarinet (wood or metal) from scratch, but probably sub-contracted some of the work out to other band-instrument makers around the area.
His very early metal models are built more along the lines of a flute (with keyword being made separately and then soldered on) and I suspect that the body tubes were made originally as flute tubes, then flared. After the flaring the tube where the bell attaches, the tone holes were added by soldering them on individually before drilling the centres out as the tube material is too thick to draw.
This solder-on tone-hole process produces a very nice sounding flute.
Having a thick walled metal instrument means it is less susceptible to tonal shift due to heating of the metal tube once warmed up.
The thicker tone holes also allow for a good seating on the pad either by chamfering or rounding the edges and as the entire instrument is "Sturdily built" it is robust and less likely to get damaged than an instrument with thinner walls and thin tone holes.
The use of a bright white formulation of German Silver, a hard nickel alloy that doesn't actually contain any silver, resulted in a metal with a very unique harmonic. I own an old 2 litre chalice - part of a Catholic Church service set - made of 4 lbs "German Silver" that rings like a bell when the rim is struck and resonates for a minute or more like a tuning fork!
You assemble a "German Silver" instrument and also make repairs to it using a solder made from the same German silver - and when the instrument is buffed / polished you cannot see any solder joint and the instrument itself it is mistaken for sterling silver by everyone who doesn't know the base material. German silver has a very high melting point and to anyone trying to repair one who is ignorant of what the instrument is made of it would really give them grief !
Plating was and is still done to change the harmonic / resonance of the inner tube - and so the whole thing would get plated. Professional models would not all have been plated, but most were - it depended upon the option the artist was willing to pay for.
Usually the "Gold wash Bell" meant only the inside of the bell was gold plated, again this was for sound quality (but also to show off )
Considering that the best of the "Silver" Clarinets of the day cost as much as or more than a car, you could say they were the equivalent of a hand-made instrument built today costing $15K-$30K or more before embellishment!