Athens of the west shines with Jacksonville society
The Jacksonville region proves its title Athens of the west by boasting the first college chartered in Illinois and a prominent women’s education network. Notable families, schools, and arts circles enrich the social scene with figures like Miss Hammond and Mrs. Gates, while institutions for the deaf, blind, and insane contribute to civic life, as do authors and musicians such as Ida Scott Taylor and Phoebe Kreider.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jacksonville
Athens
West
Sbi Cer
Ege
Illi
Methodist Church
Alleghanies
Jacksonville 88 College
Illinois State Nations
Music
Jackville
Sonville
Georgia Osborne
Strawn
Jacksonville High School
Anna Goodrick
Elizabeth Daniels
Hattie Pires
Anna Ward
Nettie McDougall
Mabel Palmer
Jennie Palmer Mamie Jones
Belle Baldwin
Mary Bahar
Cora Graham
Elizabeth Young
Katie Stewart
Florence Clark
Agnes Wakely
Pansie Lambert
Jennie Spencer
Abbie
Bertha Huffaker
Linda Layton
E. A. Tanner
L. M. Fuller
Ida Scott Taylor
York
Miss Hammond
Deaf and Dumb
Lytle Kent
Anna Morse
Emma
Mamie Doying
Jacksonville Courier
Hattie Gillett
Lucy Goodell
Ruth
Blanche Buxton
Helen
Fannie
Minnie Waite
Institution For the Blind
Susa Draper
Ella Fischer
Minnie Bacon
Eva Hewes
Jennie Clark
Mattie Bevans
Mary Firmen
Belle McKenzie
Europe
Phoebe Kreider
Col
E. C. Kreider
Vienna
Time Without a Watch Curious Coin Pendulum Time Test
A reader describes a method using a shillings hung by thread inside a glass tumbler to indicate the hour. With a steady hand the coin begins regular swings and eight strokes align with the nearest hour, claimed after repeated unbiased tests.
Dialogue Sketch of Heaven Dream and Apple Dumpling
A playful exchange between a girl and boy about dreams of heaven and an amusing dream of finding oneself amid a giant apple dumpling. The snippet captures whimsy and childlike mischief in a brief literary moment.
Notes and Notions From Around the World
A collection of curious facts from the era noting Brussels hat production, a dog in North Carolina tracking turtles, admiral pay in Britain, India’s income level, Ireland’s venereal disease prevalence claim, a New York throat specialist quip on foot protection, Zanzibar slave trade estimates, a canal boat find of $22,000 in railway shares, a Brooklyn dog spared from death, Chinese paper prayers for sailors, a Florida jury’s midnight serenade escape, Germany’s mobilization capacity, $30 million gold reserve for early campaign cash, Berlin bicycle bans, and a quirky third wheel used to dodge regulations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brussels
North Carolina
India
Ireland
New York
Zanzibar
St. Denis
France
Brooklyn
Florida
Berlin
Germany
Buckeye farmer finds wedding gifts with no duplicates
An ignorant young Buckeye farmer sells a gas well for money and marries a nice girl. While admiring wedding presents she notes none are duplicates. He asks what duplicates are, assuming they are new wedding gifts.
German officer grants wife six weeks furlough
Colonel Donner of the dragoons orders his wife to report to the medical officer at Weisbaden for health restoration. He demands weekly reports on her condition, love, and fidelity as part of a rigid military stance. He closes with a strict rallying command and address.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Donner
Dragoons
Weisbaden
Texas
Edison Demonstrates Glowing Goldfish at Seance
Inventor Edison staged a scientific seance featuring a large globe of goldfish whose anatomy was clearly outlined. The fish reportedly swallowed tiny incandescent lamps and conducted electric current via invisible wires, appearing unfazed by their diet of electricity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edison
His Dearest Possessions Safe In Strange Night Wake
A wife awakens to a cellar intrusion and her husband dismisses the threat. He recalls taking potatoes to the office and securing them in the vault, suggesting a domestic scene of quiet fear and routine security.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James
Colonel Singerty's Maryland farm yields brick clay find
Colonel Singerty of Philadelphia operates a Cecil county Maryland farm famed for top cattle. He recently discovered brick clay on the same land and plans to ship it to New York to undersell current clay suppliers with similar quality.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tucky
Colonel Singerty
Philadelphia
Cecil County
Maryland
New York
Marital Trends and Self Destructive Acts Cited
A humorous exchange in Texas Siftings notes fewer marriages and more personal crisis reports. The husband suggests men's preference for a painless exit from life as an explanation.
Codfish Souvenir Demand Sparks Unusual Trade
A grocer's clerk notes a surge in codfish sales as customers buy them as souvenirs amid a quiet market shift. The judge remarks that the business is changing as codfish go from food to keepsake items.
Foot binding remark sparks cultural jab exchange
A humorous exchange shows a Japanese Attache replying to a remark about women’s feet by noting Japan allows feet to grow to full size, while contrasting with a Chinese custom and a Western critique.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Japan
Life's Scuffle at the Dance Hall
The passage notes Miss Prude Miss Smith are charming but lack strong appeal to men. Miss Frimm counters that romance is a free for all with a catch as catch can vibe.
Sea Sickness Cures Highlight Hostetter’s Bitters
The piece extols sea travel for health and pleasure while noting sea sickness as common but curable. It urges Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters as defense against nausea and as a remedy for railway distress, chills, fever, rheumatism, nerves, kidney trouble, constipation and biliousness.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pierce
H E
Slander and health in church visits comment
A saying criticizes Christians who attend church with a long face, arguing that poor health excuses slander of God and undermines worship.
Joyful Feeling From Syrup of Figs Promised
An old time medicine pride features Syrup of Figs as a healthful elixir for renewed vigor and purity. The ad touts Coe's Coach Kaltsam as a fast cold breaker and warns readers away from cheap substitutes.
Karl's Cover Root Tea Purifier Claims Fresh Complexion
An old advertisement touts Karl's Cover Root Tea as a great brood purifier that freshens the complexion and cures constipation. The copy also depicts an old man resisting his son sowing wild oats, drinking rye, and getting corned.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Karl
Teething Remedies and Racing Metaphors in Brief
An OCR fragment mixes an old teething remedy for children with a quip about race tracks and dead heats. The readable parts mention a remedy titled Mus. Wixslow's Sooraine Slavor for Children Teething and a note about the track being above suspicion if it had more dead heats than dead beats.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wixslow
Manson's Magic Corn Salve and Quick Jests of the Day
An antique ad type page features Manson's Magic Corn Salve promised to cure with money back, priced at five cents. The piece also includes satirical quips about dodging taxes and bicycle lessons, plus a wry line about a preacher with powder in his gun and a late night joke about a bowels effect.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Manson
Juvenile Logic Exchange Sparks Family Banter
A mother asks why Ethel packs toys carefully, and Ethel replies she stores them for her future children or grandchildren, highlighting a playful generational joke about family planning and continuity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ethel
Mamma
House Sidedur Mystery and Catarrh Cure Ads
A pair of scraps mention a vacant house riddle for a tricking tramp. Frank J Cheney swears his firm will pay $100 for each incurable catarrh case with Hall's Catarrh Cure. Notary notes sworn December 6. Cheney ads tout testimonials and bloodstream cure claims amid moral verse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Frank J. Caeney
F. J. Curley & Co
Toledo
Hani
Frank J. Cheney
Moes
Hall
PF. J. Cheney & CO
Jokes From a Bojangles Street Corner
A string of quips and repartee in a comic style. A trolley conductor named Time and a bankless month, a dog’s howl mistaken for death, a library theft involving classical works, and a teen's age confusion with her sister.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joax
Singerly
Hopperly
Madgie
Also Mentioned on This Page
Weksonville, Ill
Boston
G E Mathews
Era House
Geogia
Suicidal
Coe
Kaltsam
Congress
United States Agricultural Department
Royal Baking Powder CO
Wall ST
Juvenile Logic
Starr
Onro
Orry
Toleno
Treie Fanwre
A. W. Gleason
Fiall
Ladi
Royal
Ns’ Evporiem
St. Louis, Me
St. Jacobs Oil
Ely
W.J. Hitchccock
United States
Buffalo
N. Y
ELY Brothers
Warren Street
W. Miorris
Washington, D.C
U.S. Pension Burera
Yuis
Claus
Sluice
Colchester
Colchester Rubser CO
Pioneer Enliting Works
Owa City
Iowa
IHE
Chicago
Ill
Iron
Normandy
Lespinasse
Sec
W. L. Douglas
Oda Boys School
Labes
McElrees
Cardus
Kinalaby
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!