Bryant's Minstrels
February 23, 1857 was the date of the debut of Bryant's Minstrels, the second longest-lasting blackface minstrel** troupe formed prior to the Civil War (after E.P. Christy's). The Bryant Brothers, Dan, Jerry, and Cornelius "Neil", were actually O'Neills, who hailed from upstate New York. "Bryant" seems an odd stage name to have chosen; I'm guessing […]