James P. Aykroyd

James P. Aykroyd (1810-1835[1]) was an early American composer, arranger, and music educator of piano, organ, and voice in New Bern, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee.[2][3] He also owned a general store — first in New Bern, then in Nashville — selling dry goods, groceries, sheet music, and musical instruments – including pianos. In New Bern, Aykroyd was the organist and choir director at the 1824 dedication of the then newly constructed Christ Episcopal Church.[4]

Contents

Music in North Carolina

In nearly every North Carolina village where there was an academy there was also a music teacher, an art teacher, and sometimes a dancing teacher. In some of these towns, such as New Bern, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Wilmington, there were music teachers independent of academy patronage. Aykroyd's general store was "One door North of the Bank of Newbern."[5]

Aykroyd, as early as August 11, 1821, advertised in the Newbern Sentinel:

The inhabitants of Newbern are respectfully informed that JAMES AYKROYD, Professor of Instrumental and Vocal Music, contemplates establishing himself in Newbern, the ensuing November, as a Teacher of those Sciences, and respectfully solicits a portion of publick patronage. His terms will be moderate.
Piano Fortes and other musical instruments, warranted to be of the best quality, together with every description of Music, can be had by leaving orders with John W. Guion, Esq. N.B. Piano Fortes, &c. tuned and repaired by J.A.
July 28—eow t1st Nov.—175

In 1823, Aykroyd, then of New Bern, "respectfully informed the citizens of Hillsboro and its vicinity that he intended giving lessons in music there during the summer months." His terms were "for the Piano, twelve dollars a quarter, for lessons every other week; and three dollars for vocal music, two lessons every other week."[6][7]

In 1826, Aykroyd posted an announcement in the Raleigh Register:

J. AYKROYD,
PROFESSOR OF MUSIC,
From Newbern
RESPECTFULLY informs the inhabitants of Raleigh, that, agreeably to the purpose which he made known in a former advertisement, he has arrived here and will commence the duties of his profession as soon as a sufficient number of pupils shall be obtained.
A subscription paper is left in the hands of Gen. B. Daniel.
June 7, 1826
— Raleigh Register, June 13, 1826[8]

In Nashville, until his death in 1835, Aykroyd had a large music store on Union Street, near the Union Bank.[9]

Selected compositions

Poetry by Stephen M. Chester, Esq., composed for and dedicated to Miss Mary Taylor[10]
Composed for and dedicated to Miss Henrietta B. Smith, by J. Aykroyd; the poetry is original[11]
Composed & respectfully dedicated to Miss Caroline Chapman, by J. Aykroyd[12]

From the Thomas Alva Edison Collection of American Sheet Music

Poetry by James Gates Percival, music composed and respectfully inscribed to Mrs. J. A. Brown by J. Aykroyd[14]

Sample sheet music that Aykroyd sold

Aykroyd used an ink stamp to identify himself as a music dealer on the sheet music he sold. It read:

Sold by JAMES AYKROYD, Teacher of Music, New Bern. Where are sold, Music and Instruments of every description.

A sample of the sheet music sold and stamp he used is at the Music Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; viz:

Musical family

James married Elizabeth Bettner (d. Mar. 12, 1869).[17][18] James and Elizabeth were married on July 12, 1824, in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina.[19][20] Elizabeth was a music teacher in both New Bern and Nashville.[21] Elizabeth's will was filed July 10, 1869, in Will Book 21, Page 345, Davidson County, Tennessee.

James and Elizabeth Aykroyd had four children, all born in New Bern:

  1. Julia Blake Aykroyd, (b. 21 July 1825; d. 28 July 1825 New Bern)
  2. William James Aykroyd (b. 28 July 1827; d. 5 Nov. 1832, Nashville) photo of grave marker
  3. Eliza Jones Aykroyd (b. 11 December 1828)
  4. Maria Caroline Aykroyd (b. 20 June 1831)

Eliza Jane McKissack and Maria Caroline Cauthorn (b. June 20, 1831, New Bern, North Carolina[22]; d. Sep. 17, 1894) taught music.

Maria had married Benjamin F. Cauthorn[23] (b. July 20, 1836, Virginia; d. June 1, 1902); both were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee (tombstone image for Maria); (tombstone image for Benjamin). Maria was a music teacher in Nashville.[24] Maria's will was filed September 1894 in Will Book 32, Page 438, Davidson County, Tennessee.

Eliza Jane McKissack was the founding head of music (1890) at what now is the University of North Texas College of Music.

Miscellany

Aykroyd is listed as an 1823 member of the Dialectic Society.[25]

Death

Aykroyd died in early July 1935 in Nashville "from the effects of laudanum" and was buried July 5, 1935.[26] The community held a benefit for his children, for which the following announcement was posted in the Nashville Banner and Nashville Whig, Oct. 12, 1835:

ORATORIO
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE
Orphan Children of the Late J. Aykroyd
MR. MAREK, with the aid of professional gentlemen and amateurs, proposes to give a Concert of Sacred Music, or Oratorio, for the benefit of the orphan children of the late JAMES AYKROYD, under patronage of the gentlemen named below, who have kindly volunteered to act as managers, on Wednesday evening next, the 13th inst, at 7 o'clock, in the EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Tickets to be had at the several Bookstores.
MANAGERS
Thomas Crutcher[27]
John Summerville,
H. L. Douglass,
H. R. W. Hill,
E. H. Foster,
J. P. Erwin,
G. M. Fogg,
E. D. Hicks,
Alexander M'Intosh,
A. A. Cassady,
A. H. Litton,
Thomas J. Read,
Hugh Kirkman,
John M. Hill,
Thomas H. Fletcher,[28]
David Craighead,
Washington Barrow,
W. Hasell Hunt,
Benj. Litton,
Joseph Henning,
R. C. K. Martin,
E. B. Littlefield,
William Armstrong,
Henry Ewing,
S. B. Marshall,
S. Nye.

Notes

  1. ^ List of Burials (James Aykroyd), Tri-Weekly Banner (Nashville), July 8, 1835
  2. ^ Candace Bailey (1963– ), Music and the Southern Belle: From Accomplished Lady to Confederate Composer, Southern Illinois University Press (April 7, 2010)
  3. ^ Advertisement, Hillsborough Recorder, June 25, 1823
  4. ^ Stephen F. Miller, Recollections of Newbern Fifty Years Ago, Columbus Georgia (Sept. 1873)
  5. ^ Advertisement, Newbern Sentinel, Aug 4, 1827
  6. ^ Hillsborough Recorder (North Carolina), June 25, 1823
  7. ^ Guion Griffis Johnson (1900-1989) Ante-Bellum North Carolina: A Social History, Chapter X, pg. 290, University of North Carolina Press (1937); electronic edition; transcribed by Apex Data Services, Inc., Melissa Meeks, and Natalia Smith; Images scanned by Andrew Leiter; First ed., Academic Affairs Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2002)
  8. ^ Charles Lee Coon, North Carolina schools and academies, 1790-1840; a documentary history, pg. 529, Edward & Broughton Printing Company, Raleigh (1915)
  9. ^ Advertisement of John B. West, Nashville Banner and Nashville Whig, July 24, 1835
  10. ^ 19th-Century American Sheet Music, Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Music Library
  11. ^ 19th-Century American Sheet Music, Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Music Library
  12. ^ 19th-Century American Sheet Music, Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Music Library
  13. ^ Wolfe, pg. 374
  14. ^ Wolfe, pg. 377
  15. ^ Wolfe, pg. 379
  16. ^ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Music Library, Digital Collection, 19th-Century American Sheet Music
  17. ^ Elizabeth Aykroyd was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee (tombstone image)
  18. ^ Elizabeth's brother, James S. Bettner (d. testate, 1858, Westchester County, New York), acquired a patent of land in Kendall County, Texas, the survey for which bears his name
  19. ^ Parish Register Marriage Entries: Christ Episcopal Church, New Bern, NC
  20. ^ North Carolina Marriage Records 1799-1867, North Carolina State Archives
  21. ^ 1860 US Census, Davidson County, Tennessee, pg. 402b, line 40, house number 971
  22. ^ Christ Church Parish Baptism Records, New Bern, North Carolia
  23. ^ Marriages Recorded in Nashville, 1864-1905, online, Metro Archives, Nashville Public Library
  24. ^ George H. Rogers (compiler), Nashville Directory, Vol XVIII, Marshall & Bruce, Nashville (1882)
  25. ^ Catalogue of the Members of the Dialectic Society, Instituted in the University of North Carolina, June 3rd, 1795, Electronic Edition, University of North Carolina (1793-1962), Dialectic Society OCLC 4761249192
  26. ^ Obituary: Jas. Aykroyd, Nashville Banner and Nashville Whig, July 8, 1835
  27. ^ Thomas Crutcher (b. 18 Feb 1760, Spotsylvania, Virginia; d 8 Mar 1844, Nashville, Tennessee): W. Woodford Clayton (1844–1924), History of Davidson County, Tennessee, J. W. Lewis, Philadelphia (1880)
  28. ^ Thomas Hamilton Fletcher (b. 15 Sept 1792 Albermarle County, Virginia; d. 12 Jan. 1845, Nashville, Tennessee), Times-Picayune, Jan. 24, 1845

References