1889 College Band
How's this for a great photo?
The three men in this picture
all attended college in the late 1880's and early 1890's, at the Northern
Indiana Normal School and Business Institute.........now known as Valparaiso
University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Besides being a business school, Valparaiso
was also then a school for musicians. Attending college in the 1800's
was somewhat of a rare thing back then....a real feat. These three men formed an
unusual college band. This picture was taken in 1889.
The man in the middle, is J. J. WILLIAMS from Cross Timbers, Hickory County,
Missouri. He was a violin player.
The guitar player on the left is W. P. MILLIKEN from Bolivar, Polk County,
Missouri. And the zither player on the right is my great-grandfather, Louis "Big
Louie" MAURATH, from Millstadt, St. Clairy County, Illinois. His family had
originally moved to Millstadt from St. Louis, Missouri. His father was from the
Black Forest, Germany and his mother was from Lorraine, France. He lived to be
97 years old and died in 1962. He wrote detailed information on the back of the
picture, and that's how we know the identity of his two friends.
For more information on Louie MAURATH and his family, click here.
Submitted by John Maurath
Posted June 2008; revised July 2008
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