As for Tad and the drums, Julia Taft mentions that when the boys buried Jack the doll with honors, "they had an old broken fiddle, a banged-up horn, paper over a comb and Tad's drum.
BTW, does playing the (one) drum need a lot of teaching unless it's "the drums" as an entire set of drums?

(06-29-2014 05:56 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  As for Tad and the drums, Julia Taft mentions that when the boys buried Jack the doll with honors, "they had an old broken fiddle, a banged-up horn, paper over a comb and Tad's drum.
BTW, does playing the (one) drum need a lot of teaching unless it's "the drums" as an entire set of drums?

Yes it does, and lots if practice. . My son played drums in high school marching band.

Many thanks to Steve for sending these articles. Steve writes, "I have a few newspaper clippings regarding William Withers Jr. in Memphis to post to the forum. One is an article from page 3 of the 16 May 1867 Memphis Daily Appeal about stepping down as conductor of the New Memphis Theatre to take a job in New York on Broadway. Another is an ad from 24 May 1866 Memphis Public Ledger for a performance by Withers. And finally there is an ad from the 24 January 1866 Memphis Daily Appeal for a dancing school run by Withers' then-wife, Jeannie Gourlay and former Ford's Theatre Orchestra member Scipione Grillo (billed as "Signor S. Grillo") who had followed Withers to Memphis."

(06-26-2014 05:52 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Somewhere I read Willie played the piano. Can anyone confirm/tell where to find this? If he did, who was his teacher?

Willie and Tad began taking piano lessons in Springfield. Their teacher was Mrs. Charlotte D. Marsh. It is also possible that they studied piano with Miss Billison, but this is speculation due to other educational connections. (This information came from a blog written by Dr. James Cornelius on July 31, 2013.

Thanks much, Donna!