Fifing on the Front Lines

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After enlisting as a fifer in the Continental Army at just 13 years old, Thomas Nixon Jr. of Framingham marched on Lexington and Concord in April 1775. He, and thousands of young boys and teenagers, joined the fife and drum corps as both his father and uncle shouldered the call.  While fifing was Nixon’s introduction to war, it appealed to him and became a true skill. The tune book Thomas carried in battle is one of fourteen known books of its kind in existence. It is also a rare depiction of fife tunes that includes harmonies.

Join the Framingham History Center as founding member of the Middlesex County Volunteer Fifes & Drums, Steven Taskovics, discusses the significance of the tune book and the fifers’ role in directing the Revolutionary War.

This is a “Framingham’s Top 10” exhibit program.