Orlando's Pioneer "Music Man" Rockstar

by Alec Newell 

 

Parlor music group in the Newell home, early 1900's
Son Alex (seated far left) Gertrude (standing far right)
Professor Harry Newell (seated far right)

 

 Harry A. Newell with baritone horn from frontice piece of Orlando the City Beautiful,
(no caption or date) identified by Bonnie Newell Greaves.



Harry Newell (seated center) with the Orlando Bicycle Club, c.1892
(Alex Newell, boy left foreground?)
 





 Inside the Newell Home at 215 East Robinson Ave.

Orlando, Florida

Across from Lake Eola 

 

 

 

 Jacob Summerlin (1820-1893)
"King of the Crackers"
 

The lot where the Newell house sat had once been part of a large tract of land that surrounded Lake Eola, owned by Orange County cattle baron, Jacob Summerlin, who had originally paid 25 cents an acre for the whole parcel.  Summerlin had children and grandchildren; and if any of them had had an interest in music, Harry may have bartered music lessons, in part or whole, for his lot.  He could have literally bought it for a song.  The site of Harry and Gertrude's house is now occupied by a modern, glass, high rise insurance building in what is now Downtown Orlando.  (For a current street view, Google the address above)

Postcard showing East Robinson Avenue (looking West) in 1911

 

Orlando Music Class with Gertrude at the piano
Alex, seated center with flute
Harry, far right, conducting

  

Prof. Mc Fadden Alexander NEWELL (1824 - 1893)	SWEET
Susannah RIPPARD (1828 - 1883)

m. 13 Feb 1883, Orlando, Florida [331]

Henry (Harry) Alexander NEWELL

Gertrude SWEET

b. 10 Aug 1862, Baltimore, Baltimore Co., MD [328, Belle Newell Pratt's diary "9 Aug" H. A. Newell], [332] d. 15 May 1940, Orlando, Orange Co., FL [8] bur. occ. bp. God P.. Re. "H.A. Newell's birthday 9 Aug. (per Belle's Diary) Re. lmoved to Orland FL in 1881

b. 17 Jul 1862, New Orleans, LA [8] d. 1947 [331] bur. occ. bp. God P.. Re. Re.

Children

Agnes NEWELL Mac Fadden Alexander NEWELL Mildred NEWELL