Hall
William and James
William Hall was born in Tarrytown, New York on May 13, 1796. He learned the trade of manufacturing musical instruments and formed many businesses & partnerships before forming William Hall & Son in 1847 with his son, James F. Hall. In addition to publishing and selling sheet music, William Hall & Son manufactured and sold pianos, organs, melodeons, guitars, and woodwind instruments.
16" diameter by 11" tall maple shell.
The tack design is almost identical that used by George and William Kilbourn. It could be that they supplied Hall with some of their drums to sell in his store.
The rope and leather braces are certainly new to the instrument as part of a restoration.
Red painted counter hoops stand approximately 1 1/2" tall. The tear in the batter skin allows us to see a series of vertical notches cut into the reinforcing rings. This was done to allow the ring to bend easier. These can be seen in Kilbourn labeled drums, and others as well.
The blue maker's label reads, "WM. HALL & SON,/ 239 BROADWAY,/ Opposite the Par, NEW-YORK./ PIANO FORTES, GUITARS,/ MUSIC,/ BAND INSTRUMENTS, &C. &C."
William Hall and Son worked out of 239 Broadway from 1848-1858.
16 7/8” Diameter by 13 ¼” Tall
Hoops are 1 ½” Tall
Label reads: “WILLIAM HALL & SON/ MANUFACTURERS OF / MILITARY AND TO DRUMS/ BANJOS, TAMBOURINES, FIFES/ AND BRASS INSTRUMENTS/ OF ALL KINS/ NO. 543 BROADWAY NEW YORK/ BETWEEN SPRING AND PRINCE STREETS”.
Hall began manufacturing at that address in 1859 and continued through 1865.
Carried by George Wilcox who was wounded either at Gettysburg or Bull Run at time of capture, presented by E.M. Cross Sr. of Teal Ave, Syracuse, NY. (Gettysburg NPS)
The emblazonment features the great seal of New York
A close-up of the vellum tired brace and iron hook with reinforced ridge.
16 5/8” diameter by 13 1/2” tall.
The drum was carried by 30-year-old Henry B. Mayo of Co. F of the 147th New York Infantry. Mayo was killed at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. There is only a partial label, but the eagle motif is identical to those found on other Hall and Son drums. (Gettysburg NPS)
As seen in this image, the outer scarf joint faces to the right and is secured with fairly wide spaced iron nails, which is somewhat uncommon for contract drums. Usually, the blue, or red, ground is painted from the scarf joint seam covering approximately 18". This configuration is opposite from most examples.
Red painted counter hoops are approximately 1 1/2" tall and secured with iron nails. As seen here, there appears to be no evidence of a tensioning system for the gut snares.
Label reads, “William Hall & Son/ Manufacturers of MILITARY and Toy drums/ Musical Instruments/ 543 Broadway/ New York”.
William Hall and Son received Army contracts on August 26, 1862 for 1,000 cocoa wood fifes, and on October 16, 1862 for 2,000 sets of drum snares and slings. Then, on March 13, 1863 another contract for 1,000 fifes, and finally another order of 1,000 fifes on February 23, 1864.
Another Hall and Son labeled drum carried by the 69th New York Volunteers, part of the famous Irish Brigade. These drums have a specific eagle motif with gray swirling clouds. The eagle’s head is also somewhat round like a helmet. The blue field is also an interesting deeper blue than on many other contract drums.
An interesting detail is that many of Hall’s drums utilize the same style of ears which have pinked edges and are slightly rounded. (Don Troiani Collection)