William Birch (February 1831 – 21 April 1897) was a
minstrel performer in the United States. An 1889 obituary referred to him as one of the oldest, best known, and most popular of the "Negro Minstral fraternity".
Early life
Birch was born in
Utica, New York
Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...
, and began performing at age 13.
Career
He performed with others at gold mining camps in California. He was on the ship ''Central America'' and was rescued at sea.
[ He then performed in New York City before returning to California as his career waned.][
He performed in ]blackface
Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
along with others in San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
in a theater where the Pacific Stock Exchange
The Pacific Exchange was an American regional stock exchange in California, from 1956 to 2006. Its main exchange floor and building were in San Francisco, California, with a branch building in Los Angeles, California.
In 1882, the San Francisc ...
was later located. His performances in San Francisco included free-wheeling improvisation on current events.
He was on the ship ''SS Central America
SS ''Central America'', known as the Ship of Gold, was a sidewheel steamer that operated between Central America and the East Coast of the United States during the 1850s. She was originally named the SS ''George Law'', after George Law of Ne ...
'' and was rescued by the ''S.S. Ellen'' before it sank.[ His wife was also rescued and managed to tuck away her pet canary and take it to safety as well.]
Death
Birch died at home on 21 April 1897 from to paralysis of the brain and chronic Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Billy
Blackface minstrel performers
1831 births
1897 deaths