Port Royal Defeat Revealed as Apathy in 1861 Struck Forts
A Detroit Free Press retrospective notes Confederates at Hilton Head failed to ready Port Royal in 1861. Fort Walker and Beauregard, with limited guns and faulty ammunition, faced Duponts fleet. The Wabash led a November assault, shells and grape struck hard as gun crews faltered, and evacuation followed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
iJohn G. Whittier
Port Royal
Washington
M. Quad
Detroit Free Press
New Orleans
Hilton Head
Port Royal Sound
Beauregard
Walker
Fort Walker
Fort Beauregard
Richmond
Fort Sumter
Port Reyal
Tatnall
Dupont
Tattnall
Sherman
Theso
Luo Cock
Fort Cal
Ee and Quartermaster
Dupost
Netier
Critique of Civil War Forts and Command Decisions
The piece criticizes overall commands for forts and garrisons, noting shiftlessness in completing works and mounting heavier guns. It claims misjudged defense, poor shell accuracy, and wasted options by Sherman and fleet actions, with missed torpedoes and hulks as barriers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sherman
Obscure Etiquette of the Obtuse Neighbor
A Chicago Weekly Magazine contributor laments obtuse behavior that annoys others. The piece lists distractions like restless chairs, irrelevant questions, unsolicited advice, intrusive readings, and overfamiliarity, urging readers to mind their own business and respect others time and privacy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Weekly Magazine
Fimerson
Per
Poke bonnets revive with modest charm and comfort
A Buffalo Courier piece traces poke bonnets from exaggerated old fashions to a modern revival. It praises their comfort and facial visibility while noting their architectural, shadowing cave beneath the brim and its nostalgic appeal to both genders. The writer hopes the poke bonnet continues to conquer fashion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buffalo Courier
Moore
Biddy Fudge
A Framed Night of Quiet Rest and Remembrance
A reflective passage paints night falling over town and countryside. Elders and children rest under starry calm as memories, remorse, and gratitude mingle with autumn mist and a silent, sleeping landscape. A clock tolls softly while a final blessing seems to hover over the sleeping house.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thackeray
Chicago Candor on a Proposal Delayed by Courtesy
A Chicago visitor, only three days in the city, sought to propose to a local belle but hesitated. He delicately asked how she would answer a marriage question after such a brief acquaintance. She replied with a witty proverb advising prompt action.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
The Better Half and the Bachelors of Letters
A survey of famous poets and statesmen show how early loves and later marriages shaped careers. Scott Byron Jefferson Washington Franklin Disraeli Swift Southey Coleridge Gray Pope Reynolds and others reveal enduring memories, marriages to older spouses, widowhood, and the tension between art, ambition, and affection.
The Widow as Head Centre of Husband Snatcher Scene
A sensational essay argues widows become the chief influence behind husband snatching. It portrays a widow seeking sympathy, leaning on married men, and spreading temptation and license through society. The piece warns of widespread contagion within households and asks what should be done.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gilead
Ulysses
Queer Fancies of Conductors and Brakemen in Rail Lore
Bradford Star reports on railroad superstition among conductors engineers and brakemen. Tales describe long faces at colored passengers first stops, horseshoes as safety talismans, and fear of delays or wrong orders influencing their runs. Observations note shared anxieties across roles, with rare severity among conductors and brakemen when a thirteen car train appears.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bradford Star
Erie
Dress Reform for Men in a Condemned List
The piece critiques trousers for men arguing knickerbockers align with the knee while reformers seek knee breeches from ancestral styles. It notes coats and morning wear remain, praises the dress coat’s practicality with minor faults, and questions the two waist buttons as ornamental despite historic sword-belt use and eye appeal.
Boston Artists Strive for Realistic Deco in Studio
Two Boston girls work in a studio preparing portraits for an exhibition. One frets over striking the right balance between realism and decorative tone. The other pushes toward a bold finish, declaring she will color the group to capture forcibleness without losing the plan’s genius, even if it requires drastic effort.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati
Boston
Fannie
Eli
Bunker Hill
Cape Cod
Umbrellas Through History From Parasol to Parachute
An exploration of the umbrella’s ancient origins across Egypt Persia Siam China Greece and Rome. It notes royal and religious symbolism in Asia and the Middle East, mentions emergence in England by 1708 and recounts humorous aphorisms and anecdotes about umbrella use and meanings in literature and daily life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Egypt
Persia
Persepolis
Hindoo
Vishnu
Greece
Aristophanes
Anacreon
Ovid
Kingdom of
Siam
Burmah
Dalhousie
Morocco
Turkey
England
Gay
Britain
Dean Swift
East
Let Them Go
A brief notice notes a man who spent six months in Europe and met a woman on a crowded street car. Both travelers were abroad and the couple’s meeting in transit is described in concise, period-voice prose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Empty Streets and Idle Wishes on a Spring Day
In a car, a man and woman share anxious banter about crossing again and the dullness of life. The man laments lack of things to do or buy while passing a brisk spring day, noting he cannot spend his money. Their contempt for their country and its people lingers as the scene closes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Virginia
Rebecca Burwell
Robinson
Jeferson
Martha Shelton
Jefferson
Maria
John W. Epp
Martha
Thomas Randolph
Evi
Bath
Douglas Jerrold
Hopkins
Simpson
East Hud
Toosen
Reae
Mary
The Art of Lying in Bed The Bedward Philosophy of Achievement
A Cincinnati Enquirer column argues the paradoxical value of staying in bed. It parades quotes from Campbell to Franklin, cites poets and statesmen, and praises rest as the source of genius and lasting achievement. It mocks rising early as a source of ill effects and asserts never getting up as a life motto.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati Enquirer
Ohio
Tom Campbell
Ongfellow
March and May Inspire A Vernal Anthology Of Poetry
A collage of spring themed verse and quotes from Morris, Taylor, Emerson, and Browning celebrates the arrival of warmer weather. The poetic pieces praise March’s renewal, the blooming earth, and the hopeful lift of summer, bridging to lighter days and nature’s awakening.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hou
William Morris
Damascus crafts fade as European looms flood market
The old crafts of Damascus decay as brass, steel, and silk arts vanish under European competition. Silk and brass wares decline. Damascus sword blades become rare. Silversmiths produce little of value, with only a few Bedouin silver pieces offering appeal. European wearers often find barbaric ornaments clash with their skin tones.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Damascus
Egypt
Arith
Ona Fellahah
More Precious Than Cold
An officer recounts a story from the New York Star about a safe deposit box kept by an elderly mother for a child who died long ago. The box held a primer, picture books, and a fish hook and line, kept for years as she visited periodically. After her death the box’s contents remained, and the husband of the woman was described as a leading New York business figure.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Antony Sewell
Tia
Sonceseu
Actium
Cleopatra
Lord Byron
Scott
Byron
George Washington
John Stewart
Forfarshire
William Forbes
Edinburgh
Rokeby
Matilda
Lady Forbes
Scotland
Lockhart
Miss Edgeworth
Moirl
Dr. Johnson
John Howard
Howard
John Wilkes
London
Mahomet
Cadijah
Prince Albert
Windsor Castle
Benjamin Disraeli
Wyndham Lewis
Dean Swift
Stella
Swift
Miss Johnson
England
Dublin
Vanessa
Southey
Edith Fricker
Bristol
New York Star
New York
Spring Leigh Hunt and the beauty of spring discourse
The text meditates on spring as a beautiful and lively word. It argues that the word embodies freshness, nature, and poetic resonance, contrasting Italian phonetic harshness with an English rustic charm. It links spring to streams, birdsong, and vivid vitality through Petrarchan and Ariostan cultural anchors.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Leigh Hunt
Petrarch
Ariosto
Red Hair and Fire as Symbol in Cyram de Beyerac
The text argues that red hair signifies the sun’s rays and the essence of fire among elements. It links red hair to high virtue, delicate flesh, pure blood, clear spirits, and heightened intellect, suggesting humor with balance between phlegmatic and melancholy temperaments. It contrasts red with flaxen and black as fickle and obstinate, placing red in the favorable middle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cyram de Beyerac
April Fools Day Customs In Old Verse
A brief quatrain questions customary rules for marking April first as a day for being and fooling others, asking what rule permits unwise behavior or deception. The verse invokes tradition, playfulness, and social mockery tied to the calendar date.
The Good Boy's Primer Mischief Guide
A flavor of a prank filled column detailing how to prank family members with threads, bird tricks, cat mischief, and accidental spectacles. It describes simple stunts to provoke laughter and create a chaotic yet entertaining home scene for children and relatives.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nurse
Ma-ma
Sis-ter
Grand-ma
Kate
Estelle
Coux Lena
Sis
Marc
Helen
Charley
Killie
When Your Wife's Out of Town New York Life satire
A satirical verse on temptation and marital fidelity. It mocks male recklessness during a wife’s absence, portraying seductive traps as more enticing than direct seduction, and warns against indulgence while highlighting moral conflict.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Cvscience
American Fables and Financier Quips in Old Detroit Lore
A Detroit Free Press excerpt mixes a Sunday confession of a clerk stealing cash to buy futures with a boastful farmer who hid prior thefts in profit. A peasant wife complains of a broken coffee mill and costly repairs, while the husband labels her a misnamed financier and jokes about sending the remains home to avoid damages.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
John Henry
Ana
Also Mentioned on This Page
Green Hands
Bethink
Franklin
Martha Custis
Mary Morris
Philadelphia
Miss Read
Franka
Elor
Buchanan
Irving
Preston King
United States
New York City
Samuel J. Tilden
Shakespeare
Portugal
Coleridge
Sara Fricker
Edith
Wolmanood
Poalas
Irvin
Gibbon
Gray
Cambridge University
Goldsmith
Miss Herneck
Cowper
Mrs. Unwin
Pope
Martha Blount
Joshua Eynolds
Flaxman
Airigelog
Maine
Kallker
Jonas Hanway
Frison
Fane Aman
Cineirminati
Longview
Waterloo
Duke of Wellington
Sam Johnson
Lobo
Abyssinia
Peter Pindar
Wolcott
Rossini
George IV
Macaulay
Schiller
John Foster
Anthony Trollope
Ross
Alps
Saratoga
Brig-A-Brac
Pri
Lavis Grey
Creerness
Jane Grey
Hayard Taylor
Earth
Robin
Emerson
Rose Terry Cooke
March
May
Apring-Tharg — Williams, Richards
Akica
Saimumer
Henry Kirke Waite
New Orleans Démocrat
Promies
It. M. Elton
Robert Browning
Damascus Blades
Anon
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!