Draft:Jesse French Piano and Organ Company

The Jesse French Piano and Organ company began selling instruments in 1873 and was headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and later St. Louis, Missouri and operated chain stores across the Southern United States. The company eventually manufactured their own pianos in New Castle, Indiana under the names Krell-French and Jesse French and Sons.

History
In 1872, Jesse French, Sr. became a partner in the Nashville R. Dorman and Company music dealership. By 1875, French first sold pianos under the name "Dorman, French & Smith" in Nashville, Tennessee. Within a few years, French had bought out his partners. In 1883, French formed "Field, French and Company," which was also known as the "Field-French Piano Company," in St. Louis, Missouri with his brother-in-law Oscar Field, who had married Maria Lumsden in 1882. By 1884, Jesse officially formed the Jesse French Piano & Organ Company with three business partners: Field, his father-in-law, John Lumsden and another brother-in-law Henry Gennett, who had married Alice Lumsden in 1876. By 1885, French had jumped from a meager $3,000 capitol in 1873 to a capitol of $500,000. Between 1889-1890, a 4-story Queen Anne style brick building was constructed at 240 5th Avenue North in downtown Nashville. This store typically had approximately two hundred instruments in stock pianos from makers such as Hardman, Steinway and Sons, New England, Chickering and Sons, Vose and Sons, as well as organs from Story and Clark, Mason and Hamlin, and Packard. Other pianos the French store carried included Weber, Chase, Haines Brothers, Grovesteen and Fuller, Story and Clark, Mason and Hamlin, and even had some stamped with a "Jesse French" label. Pianos typically sold for $200 and were advertised as the cheapest in town.

Jesse French built up a chain of stores throughout the Southern states and became a pioneer in piano merchandising. By 1890, the company also maintained branches in Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock and Birmingham, Alabama. By this time, the company maintained 75 employees and 35 traveling salesmen. Eventually, the company became a retailer for the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana, which was known as the James Starr & Co. at the time. In 1891, Henry became the Vice President of the company and moved his family to St. Louis, Missouri. John Lumsden stayed in Nashville but expressed concern over Jesse French's high retail prices for some of the lower budget pianos sold such as Mozarts, Waverlys, and Majestics. In 1893, Henry Gennett and John Lumsden had become partial owners of roughly half of the reorganized Starr Piano Company, which French had invested in. By 1894, Henry Gennett had sold his interests in the Jesse French Company. An 1895 photo of the Starr Piano Company leadership includes Jesse French, who served on the Board of Directors for a few years.

In 1896, the Jesse French Piano Company became a direct competitor to the Starr Piano Company when it merged with Alfred Krell and became "Krell-French." They first operated out of Springfield, Ohio until a fire destroyed their factory. The company moved to New Castle, Indiana and manufactured pianos in a large, ten acre factory which had three four-story buildings each 60 by 1000 feet. In 1902, Krell-French had a capitol of $550,000 in 1902. Krell resigned as president in 1905 and started the Auto Grand Company in Connersville, Indiana causing the firm to became "Jesse French & Sons."

On May 7, 1927, Jesse French died at the age of 80 at his New Castle, Indiana home. The piano company was continued by Jesse's sons. In the 1930 census, Horace E. French is listed as the President while Jesse French, Jr. is the Vice President. Horace had experience in piano sales and construction, having worked for a year at the Starr Piano Company. Jesse Jr. also had sales experience and some office administration experience.

Jesse French and Sons sometimes used the name "La Gonda Piano Company." By 1950, Jesse French and Sons were among the four remaining piano manufacturers in Indiana: Hobart M. Cable, the Estey Piano Corporation, and the Janssen Piano Company. In 1955, the P. A. Stark Piano Company bought the Jesse French Piano Company, and built pianos under both the names of P. A. Stark and Jesse French & Sons until about 1965.

Early life of Jesse French, Sr.
Jesse French, Sr. was born on 23 July 1846 in Devon, England. By 1850, Jesse was living in New York City with his parents Jacob and Mary Ann French, and older sisters Julia and Henrietta. By 1860, Jesse had moved to Nashville, Tennessee with his parents, sisters, and a younger brother Henry. Jesse worked at the Nashville Post Office and studied law for several years in Peoria, Illinois before entering the music industry in 1873. In 1872, Jesse married Callie Lumsden, the daughter of his future business partner John Lumsden.