Salsbury, Nathan, 1846-1902

Biography

Nathan Salsbury, son of Nathan and Rebecca Welch Salsbury, was born in Freeport, Illinois. Left an orphan, he lived with his stepfather, Jedutha Fuller. On the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the ranks of the Union Army. He served in the 89th and 59th Illinois regiments in the Army of the Cumberland and was wounded three times. After discharge Salsbury became an actor and wrote several plays, including "Patchwork" and "On the Trail, or, Money and Misery." In 1875 he organized Salsbury's Troubadours, a successful acting company, and in 1884 joined Buffalo Bill as co-owner of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Eleven years later he established "Black America," an acting, singing, and tumbling extravaganza with a cast of 600 African Americans.