Most of the dulcimer makers in Watauga County, NC can be tied together in some manner. The interconnections through a common practice of the late 19th and early 20 centuries (marriage of first cousins) makes family ties a complex web of who's related to who. I'd estimate that 90-95% of Watauga County's dulcimer makers can be traced back to the common ancestors James Andrew Presnell and Susan Hartzel Benfield. They had at least nine known children. The descendants of those nine children make up the bulk of Watauga County's known dulcimer makers, including all the Hicks, Presnells, Wards, Glenns, Harmons, Testers, Proffitts, etc. The dulcimer traditions of Watauga County, NC are truly a family tradition.
updated by @greg-gunner: 04/29/22 10:08:45AM