- Date:
- 1862
- Original Format:
- Photographic Print
- Item#:
- MES21351
- Photographer:
- C. D. Fredricks & Co.
Barney Williams (1823-1876)
Barney Williams (Bernard Flaherty), an Irish actor, debuted in Philadelphia as Mad Sampson in "The Heroic Struggle of 1776" in 1845, at the Old National. In 1850 he married actress Maria Pray Mestayer. Williams was not taken seriously as an actor until he started performing with his wife. Together they sailed for San Francisco in 1854. By 1855 they were performing in England, where Williams debuted at the Adelphi Theatre in "Rory O'More."