War Stories of Civil War Relics and Draft Tales
A vivid reminiscence of Civil War relic collecting and humorous carelessness with battlefield trophies. It recounts a northern Ohio captain's haversack disaster at a camp, provost marshal episodes, a widow's draft exemption trick, a flag capture at Corinth, and a dramatic Manassas cannon rescue. The piece blends anecdotes of bravado, misfortune, and everyday life amid war.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fort Donelson
Ohio
Marel
Defiance
Southern
Obio
Confed soldiers cheer Yankee gunner during skirmish
The narrator recalls a gunner firing from a ditch line as Confederate forces opened fire across fields and hills. The lone Yankee waved his hat in a brief, dramatic salute while hundreds of Confederates fired, and the gunners fate in later battles remains uncertain.
Society in Mexico Portrays a Close Family Regime
A travelogue outlines Mexican social life as a tight family unit with barred windows and strict chaperonage. Women are guarded, men courtd with cautious eye contact, and families stage a public parade in the piazza. Courtship involves lengthy pueblo rituals ending in a property claim by the padre.
Reforming the World by R J Burdette on Mormonism and politics
In this essay the speaker urges reform through persuasion not force and warns a son to engage in politics with charity. He jokes about the Mormon question, recounts bee tree lore from a Utah pastor, and cautions against sackcloth and dust when a candidate loses.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
R. J. Burdette
Spain
Castile
Prospect Hill
Peoria
Kosciusko
Dreams and Night Visions Across Time and Thought
An exploration of dreams from philosophy and science blending poetry, anecdotes, and historical references. The piece surveys whether dreams foretell, reflect waking life, or merely reflect bodily sensations, citing figures from Bacon to Goethe and noting the erotic, spiritual, and practical interpretations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Franklin
Sir J. Herschel
Goethe
Coleridge
Lord Jeffrey
Lord Bacon
Appreciation and the end of the Grand Army of the Misunderstood
The passage extols supporting others and studying for their benefit, urging readers to root for the creator and to provide necessary treatment for development. It argues that humanity's progress would erase the Grand Army of the Misunderstood and curb arrogance while elevating modest worth through true appreciation.
A Rich Wife How to Obtain On.-A Recipe for Effica cious Courtship
The piece offers a satirical, step by step guide for single men to woo a wealthy heiress. It outlines calculating social maneuvers to win affection through deception, staged indifference, witty talk, and staged gallantry, culminating in marriage into wealth amid lavish promises and moralizing warnings. It frames courtship as a game of reputation, wealth, and social ascent.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cisar
Camsar
Hudson
Misfortunes of the Novice Society Reporter Fails
A city editor berates a new Society Reporter DeCourcy for a weak masquerade copy. The exchange mocks grandiose diction and antique phrases as the rookie resigns after a fiasco.
The Intense Person In Exaggerated Expressions
A humorous exploration of extreme descriptors used by men and women, noting how everyday things are inflated into grandiose statements. The piece contrasts overblown phrases for clothing, weather, and daily actions with a playful jab at linguistic excess.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Niagara
Gellet
Argle
Spider
Trousseau
A History of Pockets in Dress and Daily Life
A humorous survey traces pockets from ancient garb to Tudor doublets, noting how different cultures stored small items. It considers the lack of pockets in knights and the practical woes of modern wallets, handkerchiefs, and letters kept in coat pockets.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Commercial Travellers’ Magazine
The Duel Then and Now How Public Opinion Shaped Its Fate
George William Curtis surveys the drift of American sentiment from Hamilton Burr to later duels. He argues dueling provoked moral outrage, shifted public tolerance, and ultimately diminished regard for combat as a remedy for honor. The piece traces Decatur Graves Cilley and 1856 Brooks Sumner clashes, noting rising condemnation and lasting social shift away from private combat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Barre Hamilton
George William Curtis
Harper's
Hamilton
Burr
Mabrin
Weehawken
Virginia
Decatur
Barron
Washington
Hke Hamilton
Eigteen
Jonathan Cilley
Maine
William J. Graves
Kentucky
Cilloys
Mr. Graves
Burnin
Brooks
Charles Sumner
Sumner
Thaly
Gurowski
Dieth
Fashion in Buildings and Queen Anne Style
The article notes a wave of Queen Anne inspired homes, villas, and churches driven by Demorest’s fashion for decor. It argues Americans are tiring of this overdone style as architectural fashions shift, comparing exterior house forms to social timelines and settlements.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Demorest
Inte Bayard Taylor
Colo
Diverse American house styles reflect regional history
The piece notes the sunlit South with piastered rooftops from slavery days, describes mansard roofs and varied popular styles, and argues that American architecture must remain varied. It foresees national style evolving to match the country’s diverse landscapes rather than adopting a single template.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Niai
Peru
Pacific
Breakfast and the Day's Journey: A Morning View
Sidney Smith notes breakfast prompts good mood and energy for the day, while warns against a sour start. The piece praises cheerful rooms, appetizing food, and companions that aid digestion, positing breakfast shapes the day’s mood, pace, and outcomes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sidney Smith
Shipwreck Beach Treasures and Lost Lives Recalled
A beach scene shows surf washing ashore debris, clothing, and memories of a wreck. Fragments float with spirit cases and hats while bystanders rescue items and mourn missing loved ones. A tar rescues a infant’s bottle as children gather tokens unaware of the tragedy. Two boats search for bodies or survivors along the coast.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Caroline
Clover Dreams and Cosmic Jest in a Lunar Verse
An anonymous verse blends botanical whimsy with celestial navigation. It muses on clover, bees, and flowers while drifting through star names, from Jupiter to the North Star, ending with a playful anecdote about an astronomical editor stumbling in with his boots.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lyra
Andromeda
Spider Imagery and a German Bank Teller Gaffe
A satirical piece blends verses on a spider and gold myths with a Buffalo bank anecdote. A German customer seeks cashing a check for Schweitzercase, but bank staff demand identification, prompting humorous miscommunication and the teller’s cautious confirmation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buffalo
Schweitercase
Voss Det
Aneo
John
Nueh
Neider
Moonlit muse and faded manners in an old verse and prose collage
A mixed fragmentary slice of literary bits and social observations. It blends nocturnal lyric musings on moonlight with a discussion of American courtship by stoops, tavern scenes of drunken street life, a joke about a ten percent commission, and a sentimental poem about a beloved kite. The text preserves names like Richt and Kate J W Riley, notes a tavern scene, and hints at urban manners and romantic imagery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paradise Valley of Heaven
The Impreenable Train Boy a Curious American Institution
A rambling, satirical portrait of a local railway yard character named the train-boy. The piece extols his odd endurance and stubborn independence, calling him an American institution who defies age, race, and status while wandering from place to place.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Novos Noonelis
Job
Bobby Barns
Spider
Romance Spoiled by a Lawyer Turned Novelist
A Chicago anecdote from a professor’s address in Acton Indiana recalls a lawyer whose wife read him novels while he was sick. He vowed to abandon law and write, leading to a romance with a young couple whose tale is spoiled by the lawyer’s reaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Swai
Mexico
Jewell
Joseph
S Vlng
Chicago
Acton
Ind
Lim
Corporation
Adelatde
Also Mentioned on This Page
Manassas
Coulot
Battle of
Corinth
Culor
Columbus
Hinde
Shels
Abe
Todd
H. T. Owen
Philadelphia Times
East
Hood
Henry House
Merksman
Banuaing
Philadelphia
Society IN
Byron
The
Detroit Post
Rory O
Rory
Kate Field
Chicago Tribune
Scotland
Holland
tLife
J. Growler
Smith
Jenkins
DeCourcy
Kalseminer
Hamlet
DeGoosey
Pulkes
Sheffield Whittle
Rodgers
Westenholm
Girdle
New York
Isis
Queen of Love and Beauty
Faver
Toni McGuire
Anon
Bobalinks
Baquty
Rireet
Richt
Lumys
Brunswick
Kate
J. W. Riley
LE. P. Powell
Iach
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!