Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Adams, Frederick Whiting

ADAMS, Frederick Whiting, musician, b. in Pawlet, Vt., in 1786; d. in Montpelier, Vt., 17 Dec., 1858. He was a good performer on the violin, and early turned his attention to violin-making. He conceived the opinion that the superior tones of the Amati and Stradivarius instruments were due to their having been made of old and seasoned wood, and accordingly he searched the forests of northern Vermont and Canada for maple and pine, taking his wood from partially decayed trees, and constructed 140 violins, some of which were remarkable for their powerful and sweet tones. He was the author of “Theological Criticisms” (Montpelier, 1843).