Mandolin Orchestras of the Past

This picture was take in 1921, probably in Adams, Massachusetts, and shows my great-grandfather Joseph Ivers (center), great-grandmother Mary Ivers (center holding the Gibson F-4), and several other relatives including my grandfather, and several great-aunts. One of my great-aunts says they called themselves “The Gibsonians,” which I think many other groups at the time called themselves as well. I have also heard reference over the years to the this group as the “Ivers Mandolin Orchestra.” I’m told they performed at a variety of venues and functions in Western Massachusetts. Some of these instruments are still owned and played by my father. For example I believe the F-4 in this picture is the same mandolin my father Robert Ivers plays when he performs with a group called the Summer Strummers at the Chautauqua Institute each summer.

James Ivers
North Miami, FL

(received 10/2008)