The Revolutionary War Conference 250 starts tomorrow Friday, June 9, 2023. Fort Plain Museum https://fortplainmuseum.org/
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Violins and Ginseng
By Bob Cudmore
Arch Kested was a violin maker and ginseng grower from Fonda who was the plaintiff in an assault case that had political overtones.
Born in Broadalbin in 1861 to Henry and Lydia Lansing Kested, Arch Kested married Charlotte Craig in 1891. He became proficient in “hand wood turning,” according to his 1940 obituary.
He was a longtime woodworker at “the old steam mill” in Fonda. His obituary stated, “For many years he was recognized as an expert in the art of violin making and was consulted by many people who possessed violins of various makes.”
Amsterdam native Gail Buchner Breen has a Kested violin made in 1895. There is a crack on the back, which has been repaired. Breen said the violin “has a little bit of a froggy sound when the weather is very humid but is very playable.”
Breen added, “It originally belonged to Charles Rockwell, my maternal grandfather, who lived in Galway. He, along with my grandmother on piano and uncle on accordion, played during the breaks at some of the dances locally around Hagadorn Mills many years ago.”
Another Kested violin from 1893, owned by a collector in the region, is playable but also has a small crack on the back.
The fiddle’s back and sides are maple and the front is spruce. The peg board and other parts are ebony.
GINSENG KING
Kested also was known as the Ginseng King. Ginseng is a root crop that is processed and used as a general health tonic and to treat male sexual dysfunction.
Cornell University has pictures from 1903 posted online showing Kested’s ginseng farm on the Johnstown Road north of Fonda. Kested was shipping ginseng in two tin-lined hardwood barrels to China in 1905. In 1911 Kested and a partner were said to have a $10,000 ginseng crop on hand but were unable to sell it in China because of a war there.
In 1915, Kested reported his ginseng beds were raided twice within a month and about $1000 worth of the roots were stolen. The story reported that Kested sold ginseng in New York City for three to eight dollars a pound. Kested’s ginseng farm was estimated to be the largest in the United States in 1917.
NO VERDICT
Kested was the plaintiff in a politically charged assault case in 1922. Kested alleged that J. Hooker Cross and his son Irving Cross came to his barn and beat him.
The Crosses were upset at stories Kested allegedly was spreading about them and the Crosses contended Kested started the physical fray with his pitchfork. The Crosses left the scene when Kested’s wife suddenly appeared.
A jury in Fonda could not agree on a verdict against the Crosses that June, according to the Recorder. The trial attracted attention as all three men were prominent (the elder Cross was superintendent of horses at the previous year’s Fonda Fair) and involved in Republican politics.
When Kested died, his wife survived as did three sons and three daughters. Kested’s obituary stated, “His genial personality and his kindness endeared him to a large circle of friends and acquaintances.”
ANOTHER VIOLIN MAKER
John S. Hull of Fort Hunter also made violins by hand. The Leader Herald reported that at age eleven Hull started to learn violin-making from his father, John Justin Hull, a violinist and instrument maker in Kingston, Pennsylvania.
The younger Hull trained to be a violinist at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. He ultimately focused on making and especially repairing violins in Fort Hunter. He was especially good at repairing bows. He was relied on by a large clientele of musicians.
Tomorrow the Bob Cudmore conversation with Scott Haefner
Friday, June 9, 2023 – Episode 478 Scott Haefner of Old Fort Johnson historic site explains how this formerly fortified home of British Indian agent Sir William Johnson was preserved by a grass roots organization, the Montgomery County Historical Society.
Old Fort Johnson is the 1749 limestone house built by William Johnson on the Mohawk River in colonial New York. It was fortified for protection during the French & Indian Wars from 1755-63. Johnson convened many Native American conferences on this site as the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Department.
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Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, June 8, 2023
53 degrees in The City of Amsterdam at 5:38AM
...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT THURSDAY NIGHT... The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Albany has issued a Air Quality Health Advisory for Fine Particulates.. until midnight EDT Thursday night. Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an air quality index value of 100 for Fine Particulates. The air quality index...or AQI...was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern. When pollution levels are elevated...the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with pre existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician. For additional information, please visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website at, https://on.ny.gov/nyaqi, or call the Air Quality Hotline at 800-535- 1345. Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Thursday, June 8, 2023 Daily Gazette Support Local Journalism To subscribe https://dailygazette.com/subscribe/ Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition When Credibility Matters Fifty years later, Turcotte still has clear view of Secretariat’s incredible Belmont win When you look back, it’s a matter of perspective. Ron Turcotte took a peek behind him as he rode Secretariat… EDITORIAL: Take more time on bill to seal more criminal records State lawmakers, in their desire to pass a significant piece of legislation before they leave Albany for the next six… https://dailygazette.com/ RecorderNews Amsterdam to replace lead service lines carrying water to 45 homes AMSTERDAM — Lead service lines carrying water to 45 homes in Amsterdam will be replaced this year... https://www.recordernews.com/ Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day
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