Ven Smith was widely known in the 1930’s – 1970’s, not only in Parsonsfield and Porter, but all over southern Maine for his home-grown music and especially for his home-made instruments.
Raymond Ven Smith was born June 17, 1896, in Burlington, MA to Robert and Julia (Coffin) Smith. His parents died not long after he was born and he was moved to South Parsonsfield, Maine to live on the farm of James Row, a blacksmith and farmer who raised him. He attended Parsonsfield and Newfield schools and worked his way through an agricultural course at Parsonsfield Seminary. He farmed all his life, raising Holstein cattle and had a dairy farm at one time. But music played a big part in his life as a young man.
May 5, 1918, he married Edith (Haines) Smith. They had 4 children, Alice, Arnold, Louise and Raymond. Edith was a schoolteacher for 44 years in Denmark and Parsonsfield.
Ven was a “home grown” music man who could coax syncopated rhythm from a flowerpot and melodies from a brass bed xylophone. He learned to play chords from Everett Patch and graduated to country dances. He traveled with “Jim” Cole of Cornish who further inspired him to play violin. He was interested in music all his life and began playing instruments as a young man. He was mostly self-taught with no formal
musical training, but played standard instruments such as the violin, guitar, bass fiddle, banjo, mandolin, accordion, bugle, harmonica, ukulele and piano.
He became widely known for his home-made instruments. Common articles from the kitchen, barn, garage, workshop, and attic contributed to his collection. He created the first tin can xylophone from evaporated milk cans. A brass bedstead became bedstead chimes. Other instruments were made from a pitch fork with two steel strings, lard keg with guitar strings, a whiffle tree, salt fish box and cheese box violins, wash pan banjo, cow horns, wash board and fireplace bellows. And of course, a musical saw.
His children and grandchildren inherited his musical ability. The family used to entertain at dances when the children were small. They formed the singing group the “Singing Smiths” but stopped when the children grew up and lost interest.
He did musical comedy and in 1956 put on his musical show at a Portland hotel.
He played with a group at dances every Saturday night at West Baldwin. He played the musical saw in churches and made appearances before club groups.
In 1962 Ven was chosen to represent the Pine Tree State on national TV on the Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour.
Nov. 7, 1969, he won 1st prize - a trophy, and $50 in the senior division of the Northeast Regional Old Time Fiddlers Contest in Montpelier, VT.
Whether playing in a group for a dance, putting on an entertainment, playing for friends
or for his own satisfaction he was happiest when he was with music. He said, “There is music all around us if we’d only listen for it.”
Along with farming and playing at dances, and musical appearances he served on the Parsonsfield School Board for 19 years and was a bus driver for a number of years.
He was a member of the West Newfield Congregational Church and charter member of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society.
His wife, Edith died August 20, 1966 and Ven died in Palm Beach Florida Nov. 13, 1981. They are buried at the Maplewood Cemetery in Parsonsfield.
