I bet you’re correct. This instrument was a gift, and it sounds quite good . I may have a luthier friend add frets to make it a chromatic dulcimer.

Ron, it could have been built by a home hobbyist, not a renowned maker.  That seems more likely than a builder who is known by the dulcimer community.  The number listed is small, unlike a "known maker".

The writing in the sound hole appears to say George Gobele or George Zobele, I can’t decide which. A google search for both names turns up nothing.