William Drew

William H. Drew

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut May 14, 1884
• Final Game June 9, 1884
• Born February 4, 1864 in Johnstown, PA USA
• Died March 20, 1939 in Pueblo, CO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

William Drew, who had long been wrongly identified as David Drew hit well in the Union Association in its sole season, in 1884, playing for two teams - the Philadelphia Keystones and the Washington Statesmen. Neither of his teams had a batting average over .245, but he hit at least .302 for each of them. He also pitched one game with an ERA that was better than the team's ERA. Mostly, however, he was a shortstop.

Thanks to research by Justin McKinney, he was identified in 2025, as David Drew seemed to have only been active in and around Milwaukee, WI. The correct player was playing in Warren, PA early in 1884, but was released on May 12th - two days before he made his debut for Philadelphia. He then moved to the Washington team after two games, and played there until June. By the end of that month, he was playing in Johnstown, PA. According to the 1880 census, he was living with his parents and his four siblings just outside Johnstown. His parents were killed in the Johnstown Flood of 1889, and he headed west after that, settling in Colorado, where he married Anna Dickson shortly afterwards.

The couple then moved to Stevensville, MT and had at least seven children. According to a local paper, which confirmed he was a former professional player, he was headed back to his birth state of Pennsylvania in 1909, but apparently did not make it. He divorced in 1917 and in the 1920 census, he was living in Salt Lake City, UT, where he remarried. He next moved to Pueblo, CO and died there in 1939. His obituary listed a sister as a living relative, and she was one who had been listed in the 1880 census, with matching parent names, thus confirming that he was the former player.

Further Reading

• "William Drew Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, March/April 2025, p. 1.