Briggs, Thomas 'Tom' F 1824-25.oct.1854 USA NY, New York - California, San Francisco
banjoist, learned to play the banjo from Billy Whitlock, played with the Wood's Minstrels, 1848 invented the banjo thimble, 1849 performed in England, 20.sep.1854 left New York and traveled with the E P Christy Minstrels troupe via the Gulf of Mexico and Panama to California to tour the gold camps and perform in San Francisco, 23.oct.1854 opened at Christy's Musical Hall in San Francisco, died two days later of tuberculosis or typhoid fever which he had contracted in Panama, buried at Yerba Buena Cemetery San Francisco

Title	Parts

The early minstrel show. r1980 David van Keersbilck t, Brian Mark bt, Roger Smith b, Peter DiSante lead, Vincent Tufo fiddle, Robert Winans banjo, Matthew Heumann tambourine, Percy Danforth bones. r1980	[P] Hard times. 1855
[] Briggs' Banjo Instructor. Oliver Ditson, Boston 1855 completed and published by his friend minstrel banjoist James Buckley the copyright of Briggs Banjo Instructor was deposited by Mrs. Thomas F. Briggs on 13aug1883	[] - Briggs' breakdown [] - Briggs' corn shucking jig [] - Briggs' reel [] - Camptown hornpipe [] - Carney jig [] - Carry me back to old Virginny [] - Circus jig [] - Dance, boatman, dance [] - Dearest Mae [] - Ephraim's lament [] - Ethiopian cracovienne [] - Hard times [] - Jim along Josey [] - Keemo Kimo [] - Lucy Neal [] - Mary Blane [] - Miss Lucy Long [] - Old Johnny Boker [] - Sebastopol breakdown [] - The Congo prince jig

2002-03-20 20:12:04