A visit to the Dossenbachs
James G. Averell and Hermann Dossenbach at 11 Prince Street
On April 12, 1891, J. G. Averell visited his violin teacher, Hermann Dossenbach, and his new wife, Daisy. He reports in a letter to his mother the next day, "Mr. Dossenbach asked me to come to his house last night, I went and they seemed very happy, he got lots of presents, she seems very nice, we played duets."
The Dossenbachs had married on April 8, 1891, just two days after J.G.'s mother's wedding to James Sibley Watson.
Hermann Dossenbach was a central figure in the development of music in Rochester. In 1900 he founded the Rochester Orchestra, a forerunner of today's Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and later founded the DKG Institute, which would eventually be incorporated into the Eastman School of Music.
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April 13th, 1891 letter from J. G. Averell to his mother. Click on the letter to view transcription.