Henry John Distin

Music was Henry’s life as he grew up in England, as it was with his entire family. His father, John Henry Distin, got his start as a bugle player in the Battle of Waterloo and joined the band of King George IV. 

John and a woman named Ann Matilda Loder had four sons before they got married in 1829. Each was born in an odd-numbered year, starting with George in 1817, Henry in 1819, William in 1821 and Theodore in 1823. After the parents married they had Louisa Rose in 1831. Ann was a dancer, composer and pianist from a musical family. Each of their sons learned to play horns while they lived in Scotland in the 1830s.

Accompanied by Ann, the boys and their father began performing as a brass quintet The family was on a concert tour in 1844 when they met Adolph Sax in Paris. The inventor of the saxophone also created the saxhorn family of instruments, and the Distins were so excited to hear them they ordered five and played them before Queen Victoria and her family in 1845. When they then played before King Louis Phillipe in Paris he had five silver sax horns produced and sent to them as a gift.

That same year, John and Henry set up shop in London to sell musical instruments and sheet music, like the one shown below. Their popularity as performers helped promote their retail business as well as the brass band movement in Britain in the years to come.

The family would soon experience the highs and lows of show business. They performed before other royal courts in Europe but in 1848 both George and Ann died. The store was closed but the group became a quartet and played on, booking their first (and only) tour across the pond. 

They played 40 concerts in New York City in 1849 with a tour of Canada later in the year. While in rehearsal, a wealthy Philadelphian didn’t want to travel to hear them so he paid them $400 to come to his city and play for him. They performed one selection, received their fee plus travel expenses, and returned to New York. Some sources say the American tour was a financial success but others mentioned problems that hampered ticket sales. 

After returning to London, Henry settled down with his bride, Jane Baynes, to set up their home. He also set up his own factory to manufacture instruments, including sax horns. Three little ones completed their family: Mary (1855-1924), William (1857-1907) and Eleanor (1865-1915). Musical ability was developed in at least one of them; his son polished his skills on the cornet. 

The company did well, particularly in military sales, as advertised here. In 1864 Henry patented the “Light Piston Valve” which set the standard for all future valves. He even won an award at the Paris World’s Fair in 1867 for the quality of his craftsmanship. But then he decided to sell the business in 1868, lost money on business ventures over the next few years, and had to declare bankruptcy.

The year 1876 marked 100 years of U.S. independence from England. It was also the year Henry moved his allegiance and his family to this country. He was the only brother to do so since, even before their father’s death in 1863, the other two had gone their separate ways. 

His plan was to manufacture cornets in New York. The plan changed in 1882 when he moved to Philadelphia and arranged a partnership to make a full line of brass instruments. He received a patent for a new cornet design with better flow through the valves. Seven years later the other investors bought his share, kept the name as the Henry Distin Manufacturing Company, and moved the business to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He retired in 1890 on a pension that continued after his death to his heirs.

The company did very well, thanks to government contracts, running 24-hours a day to supply military instruments in 1898. By 1908 the company claimed to be the top producer of high grade band instruments in the country.

Meanwhile, Henry occasionally performed, sometimes with his son, shown here. William became a popular cornet soloist in his own right. He was listed as a musician on the 1900 census, single, age 42, and living with his parents and sister Eleanor at 831 Dickinson Street. In that same report, Jane revealed she had given birth to eight children but only three survived.

Henry took his last breath in 1903 due to heart disease. It was the same cause of death for Jane in June of 1907, followed quickly by William one month later from an esophageal rupture. All three share this same stone, while the girls were buried elsewhere with their husbands. The company changed its name when it changed hands in 1909 and went out of business in 1941.