War era tale of Major McLean and Appomattox surrender
The article recounts Major Wilmer McLean of Yorkshire Farm near Manassas, owner of the Bull Run battlefield and later the Appomattox home where Lee signed surrender. It details McLean's background, the 1861 Bull Run bombardment, Beauregard’s HQ use, and the surrender meeting held in the brick house, with the octagonal table and other furnishings noted. It follows McLean's postwar life in Alexandria, his role as a land agent and notary, Grant’s 1874 customs appointment, and his death in 1882 along with brief notes on his family.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Republican
Bull Run
Wilmer McLean
Inda
Virginia B. Mason
Yorkshire
Manassas
Centreville Road
Beauregard
McLern
Fauquier
McLean
Lunen County
Appomattox
Richmond
Lee
Farmville
Lynchburg
Eeetie
Danville
Elia Court House
King
New Bork
M Murphy
Conkling
Murphy
Senator Conkling
Haspen
Philip Lee
Blackwell
Grant
Ishall
Major Clean
Union Neral
Ean
Wor
Ted
Alexandria
the of
Major McLean
Philips Lee County
J. W
Lean
Washington
Ughters
Lula
Langhiers
Alex
Getting Information A Little Adventure With an Evasive Old Customer
A tourist questions a long settled Arkansaw man about aging dogs land value and time, while the man provides evasive humor and rambling answers. The exchange touches on age, land, surveying, and local life in the Arkansaw wilds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arkansaw Wilds
Alexandria Widow Marries Spilman in Quiet Home Ceremony
In Alexandria a local wedding links Nannie, now Mrs H. Spilman, to a family connected by ties to Faun. The ceremony took place at home with close relatives present, marking a modest but joyous union in a tight knit community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Andria
Nannie
H. 5 Spilman
Augnier Coun Y A
Faun
Alexandria
Mysteries of Celestial Kitchens Described by an Eye Witness
Yan Phon Lee in Wide Awake recounts Chinese cookery observations noting brick stoves and clay ovens, no knives, and chopsticks with rice served from a wooden pail. Meals span two per day with breakfast around 10 a.m. and a 4 p.m. supper, tea as staple beverage, and strict table etiquette guiding shared dishes and seating.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yan Phon Lee
America
Bottling Sweet Odors in Perfume Industry Rise of American Oils
A New York Sun overview explains American perfumery advances reducing French reliance. It details extraction methods enfleurage and grease absorption, and notes Florida blooms and Gulf Coast roses as potential oil sources. Ambergris and musk supply, quality concerns, and counterfeit risks accompany observations on U.S. growth in toilet waters and bay rum.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
France
United States
Chicago
Boston
Philadelphia
St. Louis
San Francisco
Florida
Gulf States
Cassia
East Indies
Italy
Europe
Gulf
New Orleans
America
India
Oriental
Coromandel
Acagascay
Japan
New York
Ambergris
Cologne
Perm
York
West Indies
St. Croix
Prayer by Elder Littlejohn on wicked towns and whiskey
The Philadelphia News quotes Elder Littlejohn from 1850 delivering a satirical prayer aimed at Indiana towns. He names Milwaukee Chicago Michi an City Laporte South Bend Niles Mishawaka Elkhart Bristol Mottville and Constantine, noting vice and whiskey sales while asking for divine blessing and conversion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Littlejohn
Philadelphia
Indiana
Milwaukee
Chicago
Michian City
Laporte
South Bend
Niles
Ace
Mishawaka
Elkhart
Bristol
Mottville
Constantine
Perky
When a Married Woman Always Cries
Clara Belle in Cincinnati Enquirer recalls a humorous shopping moment for married status. A friend laments being addressed as Mrs by a salesgirl, painful reminder of aging and social shift from Miss to Mrs in a shopper's tale.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Clara Belle
Cincinnati Enquirer
Appearpone
A Mediums Mistake In San Francisco Ingleside
At a spiritualistic seance a widow sought to contact her dead husband. Rappings answered and the widow asked if it was John. The reply confirmed, then she declared the medium had conjured the wrong man. The exchange ends with the widow noting heaven is pleasant and the miscue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Ingleside
John
Wedding tour letter exchanges on kindness and aid
On their wedding tour Mr and Mrs X share a letter from the mother of the bride. The mother wishes the couple happiness and kindness and expresses hope the wife will be treated well by her husband. A reply notes a desire for a word from Mr X as well.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mrs. X
Mr. X ; Ther
Vol. X
I J L 8 Secret Society Recalls Funny Village Roots
The narrator recalls forming the I J L 8, a barnyard “Inka Juvenile Literary Society” at a rural school. They staged humorous initiations, sang songs, and pledged brotherhood with comic mishaps. The group dissolved after debts and a soggy initiation, yet memory persists in Tuka Illinois.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sd. LS
Tuka
Ilinois
Bread of Persia and Japanese Obi Bow Reflected in Abroad Tales
A Afghan letter describes Persian bread as large tough flat loaves read with breakfast and likens them to leather aprons while noting butter appears at Meshed. A New York Mail piece explains a Japanese wife must wear the obi bow to indicate marital status, with front ties for single women and severe punishment for violations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Afghanistan
London Daily News
Persia
Rind
Villaus
Khorassan
Meshed
Ali Mardan
Sarakhs
Dover
England
Buare
Japan
New York Mail
The Magic Art Manifold Tricks and a Thieving Umbrella
A Philadelphia Times account recounts a traveling show where a self styled magician describes tricks using audience scrutiny and native performances in Asia. The narrative covers a thumb illusion, a lantern light materialization by a woman, the appearance of a giant, and episodes with a rolling ribbon that conjures animals and a baby from a cloud like form. The observer doubts magic and suspects clever stagecraft, noting how locals accept the feats as magic.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cloudland
Psychological Society
Noere
Iassen
The Giant and the Umbrella Trick In Ainn Inn
A narrator recalls an illusionist prank in which a giant friend hides beneath an umbrella cone then reappears on the inn veranda. The crowd palms an empty sod and a hidden watch and chain are revealed from the umbrella lining as proof of the trick.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Han
Practical Jokes End in Tragic Chase Across Montana
A cruel mock Indian raid on Orlando J. Dowd in Montana ends with a rider fleeing on a $500 horse after a staged attack. Dowd, friends, and the ruthless prankster all suffer moral lessons as the tale warns against practical jokes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ubet
Mont
Orlando J. Dowd
Far East
Montana
Young Commonwealth
Mr. Dowd
Tenderfoot
Orlando
Gettas
St. Lawrence County
New York
Where Bobolinks Go in Winter Hearth and Home
A nostalgic sketch describes Bobolinks as dapper birds once praised by poets. It portrays their plumage, songs, and behavior, and notes their autumn migration southward where they shed bright attire for duller tones as reed or rice birds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Army of Peace
Exuberant Verbosity in Press Writers of the Era
The passage notes several prominent newspaper men known for rapid writing. Cobbett produced copy swiftly to engage eleven compositors, Raymond composed twelve NYT columns after Webster's death, and Charles Marvin of London recently authored and printed a book in ten days titled The Russians at the Gates of Herat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta Constitution
Cobbett
Raymond
Daniel Webster
New York Times
Charles Marvin
London
Herat
The Base Burners Way Warm Weather Outlook
The base burner that has been going out every cold night all winter humped up its back and is blistering the paint around it. A good base burner never gets settled down to business till late in the spring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Orlando J. Dowd
Evering
Mr. Dowd
Orlando
Moomington
Lim
Ella Wheeler
Evansville
Marianne North
Pall Mall Gazette
Chili
England
Cordilleras
Angole
Cornwall
Santiago
Europe
Veiteh
Brazil
Queensland
Kew
London
Apoquindo
The Impossible Woman and the Last Word
A Chicago Ledger note muses on how a man can master philosophy yet be powerless in argument with a woman, a humorous reflection on gender dynamics and verbal sparring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Ledger
In Abotanist Paradise Among Chilean Forests and Flowers
Miss Marianne North describes Araucaria forests in Chile, the rugged ascent from Angol to Apoquindo, and vivid flora. She notes giant puza blossoms resembling gas lamps, blue and pink orchid varieties, and the curious bark of conifers. Birds, parakeets, and edible plant hints color the journey as she laments Chileans’ lack of appreciation for native blooms.
Stranger in the Smoking Car Sparks Lonesome Car Talk
A male stranger engages in lengthy conversation with a woman while a little girl sits nearby. The child quietly endures the talk until she teases her mother, recalling a past remark about feeling lonely on the train. The stranger abruptly ends his attempt to chat as the mood shifts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Papa
Maimina
Bette
Easter Follies and Whims From Silly Verse to Wild Tales
A collage of playful snippets from period weeklies with Easter puns, comic voices, and curious anecdotes. Includes a mock Easter rite, a ludicrous voice about a swan down coat, a schoolroom quip, moonlit longing verse, jests about celestial harps, and a tall tale of trapping a grizzly with a nail driven from a pistol while recalling a canyon trek.
Elevator Question Puts Boy to the Test
A San Francisco Ingleside encounter shows a gentleman asking a boy what he would do if the rope broke. The weary boy turns away and reveals a coat legend reading I don't know.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Ingleside
Violet Velvet Night and a Street Veil Observed
A reflective scene recalls Maud by the fire with violet velvet, sandalwood scent, and a lingering romance. A sharp aside critiques a woman’s street appearance with a veiled face and the male gaze. The narrator rails against hardship and subway isolation as winter rolls on and the city endures its iron track and late trains.
Sweet Things Tangled by Burdette in Brooklyn Eagle
The column parodies confectionery advice by Miss Parlon and Emma Abbott as kisses made from egg whites and sugar. It playfully weighs craft versus practicality for budding food business ventures, with satirical lines about romance, Bavarian cream, and a tongue in cheek invitation to call for guidance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burdette
Brooklyn Eagle
Miss Parlon
Emma Abbott
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bull Ran
Arkansaw Traveler
Arkansaw
Noah
Little Rock Road
China
New York Sun
Chicago Rambler
THE
Bloomington
Philadelphia Times
East
Anam
Enorough
Bill Nye
New York Mercury
Uza
Chicago Herald
Henry Irving
Puck
Paradise
Allah
Texas Siftings
Jim
Grizzly
Hattie Tyng Griswold
Maud
Somerville Journal
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