I am trying to help a friend get some info on her piano #39588 made by the Barmore piano company in NY. She thinks it is over 200 years old...Does that sound right....can anyone point me in the right direction to get any info on this piano?

thanks in advance for your help,
rada
www.pianopassions.com

Hey Rada, New York piano building reached its peak in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you said "more than 100 years old," that would be a much better bet right off, because from 1880-1910 all kinds of people in New York were cranking out pianos left and right. 200 years is too big a reach. But 100+ might be right.

Here, Rada, I did a Google search and found this discussion in, of all places, a genealogy forum:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/barmore/messages/118.html

Here is an excerpt of that conversation that might help get us started:

"I dont know the exact dates they were manufactured, but I know they were made in Fredonia New York by L. Avery Barmore around the 1870's. I have several receipts from his furniture store and they list several other piano brands but not a Barmore. L.A. Barmore had a store on main street that burnt and he helped spearhead the rebuilding of the entire block. His building (3 stories) is still standing and being used as an Odd Fellows hall. I first learned of the pianos when I discovered a book at the library entitled 'Historic Pianos' published in 1915. It has rather lengthy biographies on the more well known brands, but the Barmore had a picture of a "grand" and a 'square' with no other information."

Hi Ross, thanks for your help. I'm pretty sure this particular piano lives in Kingman, Az.I'll pass along the info to the owner...
rada