Brave Bowie and the Alamo Legend in Texas
In 1833 a band crossed the Sabine into Texas and encountered a preacher in San Augustine. Jim Bowie stepped forward to defend the minister by vowing to fight any disruptor, winning over the crowd and leading to church membership years later. The tale ties Bowie to Crockett and Travis and notes his famed knife and death at the Alamo.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Santa Anna
New Republic of Mexico
Sabine River
Texas
San Felipe de Austin
Lafitte
Galveston
San Augustine
Henry Stephenson
Jim Bowie
Republic
James Bowie
Rezin P. Bowie
Crockett
Bowie
Alamo
Travis
Louisiana
Jim
A Vacation. A Scientist Offers World Trip Joke
A Washington based scientist in Uncle Sam’s service is portrayed as a strict taskmaster to staff. When invited to a world cruise, he asks his attendant Henry to join. Henry replies that traveling east to west would lose a day, and requests the trip for a day off.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sam
Washington
Henry
One Gift She Missed
A six year old boy Harry, with only 10 cents, buys a cream puff as a birthday gift for his sister and eats it after realizing it won’t stay fresh for a week. The story captures childlike generosity and practicality with a humorous twist from the Ladies' Home Journal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harry
Ladies’ Home Journal
The Shrewmouse Its Habits Myths and History
The shrewmouse is widespread with a pointed muzzle small eyes and musk glands. It is nocturnal harmless and often found under rubbish or in burrows. Historic beliefs claimed its bite was poisonous and that ash trees cured “shrew struck” animals, leading to cruel practices.
Not Your Own It’s the Bird of Man
A sea captain’s gift, a laughing jackass bird, prompts a humorous exchange with an Irish navvy who correctly retorts it’s the bird of man, not yours, turning the tale into a classic sailor joke from London Answers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Birthday Gift Dilemma Cited by Chicago Post
The Chicago Post recounts a humorous exchange where a fond mother asks for a suitable present for her young son and a star boarder offers a gag or straitjacket as a cheeky solution. The banter showcases playful, worded humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Post
Wit of an Irish story lost in cold type
A St. Louis Hibernian argues Irish wit gains from oral delivery, noting a joke’s wink and gesture vanish in print. He recalls a king and devil tale delivered with fervent conviction, where the audience’s disbelief and the teller’s humor disappear in type, leaving only prose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harry
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Inventions and History of Soap Through the Ages
The article traces soap origins from Biblical uses and Latin terms to Gauls and Romans. It notes Pliny on soaps by Germans and Gauls and Pompeii ruins showing early shops. It cites Savona roots for the French word savon and a 1524 London manufacture, with Charlemagne’s era and Galen referenced.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Job
Jeremiah
Borith
Pliny
Savona
France
London
Bristol
Sismondi
Charlemagne
Pompeii
Vesuvius
Galen
Feathered Anglers and the Great Heron’s Silent Hunt
The piece describes the great heron fishing from dusk, watching patiently, dropping its long legs, then striking with swift precision. It notes the bird’s methodical approach, stalking in shallow water, and swallowing larger fish head first, as cited from Hornaday’s Natural History.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hornaday
Thought Him a Spy in Wartime France
During the Franco German War Captain Haworth of Victoria's messenger service travels from Tours toward home. In Le Mans townspeople suspect him of being a Prussian spy and he faces execution after refusing to surrender his dispatch bag. A hastily warned guard captain and prudent authorities avert catastrophe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Haworth
Tours
le Mans
Juge de Paix
How Kingfishers Perish
The London Globe notes the death of kingfishers in hard winters. Observations suggest kingfishers do not migrate and must dive for prey, causing their feet to freeze in ice. They struggle to perch on snow ice or in water, leading to slow demise from icy entrapment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Globe
A Stuttering Story From a Noted Humorist
A humorist narrates a stuttering tale about two blacksmiths both stutterers. The first hurries with a hot iron and frets over where to strike while the iron is cold, delivering quick stuttering exchanges about timing and method.
Loss Covered and Elopement Hint Reveals Tradeoffs
A caller discusses a house fire claim with an adjuster noting the loss is total. The speaker jokes about stealing from the insurance and mentions a wife who used the event to elope, reflecting a sharp and sardonic tone typical of Puck.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Heck Penn
Puck
Second thoughts in love at first sight case
Brief note reflects caution in romantic judgment from the Philadelphia Record. The quote underscores doubt about initial attraction and suggests careful consideration before commit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Record
None Are Safe From Desperation Says Byron Quote
A Byron line notes that none are secure from desperation and few from subtlety, reflecting on human frailty and moral risk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Byronp
A Gracious Negative
A bond salesman recalls the politest turndown he ever faced when after talking to a college acquaintance from 11 to noon the man suggested lunch as a condition for buying bonds. The salesman agrees and agrees again to lunch.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bob
New York Sun
Solitude Cures Crying Says Woman
A woman from New York asserts that living alone is the best cure for crying. She recalls crying often during marriage but rarely now and laments the loneliness of hearing one’s own sobs without anyone to offer comfort.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Press
Perfectly Absolute Wife and Husband Exchange
A Philadelphia Press item quotes a quarrel between a wife and husband. The wife laments lost affection while the husband quips that she is now perfectly absolute, implying a sharp domestic joke about their marriage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Press
Circumstantial Evidence Debated in Penny Pocket Thefts
In a Harper's Weekly style exchange Mrs Coburgger argues against charging Freddie with stealing money from her pocket. Coburgger counters that not all was taken, suggesting partial involvement.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Perate Fighter
The
Humphrey
Munyon
Joel E. Cagwin
Mutual
Iowa
Temple Block
Ames
Harper's Weekly
Louis Rhead
J. B. Kooser & Co
Queensware
H. L. Munn Lumber Co
George E. Baker
M. I. Adams
Calla Mutual
A. W. Crary, M. S
Crary’s Hardware
Story Streets
Boone, Iowa
B. G. Dyer, M. D
Groves
E. F. P Jsegate
Daniel McCartHy
J. Y. Luke
McCarthy & Luke
Attorneys At Law
Story County Bank
Ames, Iowa
Foley
J. B. Cagwin
F.D. Burdick Mutual
Vieck MM
Boone ST. Ames
Bank of Kelley Kelley
E. J. Penfield
C. L. Liverty
Cashier
M. H. Kelso
Hamilton
C. G. Tilden, M. D
Margaret M. Jones
Baker’s Jewelry Store
McWilliam
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!