Mellie Dunham |
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Birth name | Alanson Mellen Dunham |
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Born | (1853-07-29)July 29, 1853 |
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Died | September 28, 1931(1931-09-28) (aged 78) |
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Genres | Country |
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Occupation | Snowshoe maker |
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Instrument | Fiddle |
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Musical artist
Mellie Dunham (July 29, 1853 - September 27, 1931) was an American fiddler during the early twentieth century. Dunham was born in Norway, Maine,[1] the son of Alanson Mellen Dunham and Christiana Bent. He came to prominence after he was invited to play for Henry Ford at his house in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford sent a Pullman car for Dunham and his wife, Emma "Gram" Dunham (née Richardson), because of Ford's love of country music.[2] While Ford had invited 38 other fiddlers before Dunham, none received as much attention as Dunham did.[1]
He was also a snowshoe maker, supplying 60 pairs of snowshoes to Commodore Robert Peary for an Arctic expedition.[3]
Dunham died on September 27, 1931, in Lewiston, Maine, after a two-week illness,[4] and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, South Paris, Maine.
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