In Lands of the Sun A Bohemian Troubadour in Nicaragua
A first two mornings in Corinto lead to vivid travel notes through Nicaragua. The narrator details beaches, warm tropical sights, encounters with locals, exotic fauna, and the dangers of indigenous wildlife. He describes forests, rivers, and a coastal voyage, then reaches Leon and an adobe hotel with a hammock, cockroaches, centipedes, tarantulas, and the ever-present risk of snakes and alligators in tropical life. It blends travelogue with humorous cautionary tales and reflections on language and settlement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Corinto
Bob Gray
Nicaragua
Emily
San Francisco
Bay
California
Leon
Tropics
Hoor
What’s in a Foot The Shape of the Sole and Ankle
A humorous Chicago Herald piece traces craniology to phrenology and palmistry before pivoting to feet as character indicators. It surveys walking styles, boots, and ankles to infer occupation, honesty, and temperament, detailing scene-specific observations on muddy streets, footwear, and gait patterns. It skewers foot reading as a quaint, fanciful index of personality.
Angels as Monsters and Miracles in Human Form
A satirical essay argues angels are overrated as purely virtuous beings. It contrasts idealized winged angels with wingless, cold humans and cites Washington and a boy preacher as examples. The piece laments a world that rejects both heavenly glow and human flaw, preferring neither.
East Nottingham Squire Hears Farmland Chicken Case
A farmer testified that a hen named Annie, said to belong to him, recognized him when called and sang in a Jewish style, proving ownership after a theft of thirty chickens last spring. The thief and hen were brought before Squire Wilson and sentenced.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reading News
Squire Wilson
East Nottingham
Chester County
Penn
Lummer
Ibis
Annie
Navy Yard Follies of a Curious Secretary
A New York Graphic piece presents a humorous dialogue as the secretary of the navy visits a navy yard. The commandant explains bowsprits anchors masts and crew quarters while the secretary questions watches clocks and even proposes hydraulic elevators for masts. The talk ends with jokes about naval strength and the secretary’s wish to abolish ships.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chester
Loyal dog mourns by dead comrade on Curtis street
On the day after Thanksgiving a dog of a plain breed kept vigil over a dead canine companion on Curtis street between Washington and Madison at 6 am. The survivor strained to revive the body, licking it tenderly while passers by were warned off. Two boys later restrained him with a rope as he showed clear grief and reluctance to part from his friend.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Crispin
Lark’ Street
Madison
Chicago
Curtis Street
Washington
Squirrel Defeats Rattlesnake in Zoo Battle
In Cincinnati a brave squirrel, placed near snakes in a zoo den, fought off a hungry rattler. The rodent clung to the perch, bit off a rattle, broke the snake's hind leg, and ultimately decapitated the reptile, becoming the unlikely victor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati Enquirer
Zoological Garden
Rochester Girl Wins Millionaire Suitor at Theatre
A Rochester girl from modest but honest parents wore a tiny pretty hat to a Saturday theatre at the Corinthian Academy of Music. She sat before a city millionaire, who, astonished, asked if she owned a heartwheel bat. She said yes but never wore it to the theatre. After the show he offered his hand and they plan to wed with United States bonus on the wedding day.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nicaragua
Pwe
Tropics
Miller
Nicaragus
Rochester Express
Rochester
Bnt
Corinthian Academy of Music
United States
Mamma
Willie
Bea
Mr. Jones
Miss Smith
Three Quarters of a Man and His Weather Woes
A Jersey City Mercury reporter meets Mr. Davidson and an elder companion, two amputees with weather lore. Davidson, Liverpool native, recounts losing a leg at sea and a lost arm, living in three climates as he travels between New York Liverpool and Quebec. He jokes about the rusty nail, rheumatism, and the futility of long-lost limbs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Mercury
Lnst
The
Mercury
Montgomery Street
Jersey City
Lizzie
Liverpool
Gettysburg
Davidson
Richard Cobden
Quebec
New York
West of England
Thirty Six Years a Tramp Behind New York Sun Account
Ezra Freeborn, a 67 year old tramp, recounts thirty six years on the road across the United States and Canada. He claims to never drink, to have traveled about 208000 miles on foot and by rail without paying, and to prefer roughing it in police stations to returning to a poorhouse. He recalls encounters with Grant, Sherman, Greeley, and Blaine, and plans to continue to New York for easier living.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Broad Street
Newark
Rutland
Union
South
New Orleans
United States
Canada
Thomas
Buell
Grant
Sherman
Philadelphia
Baltimore
New York
Boston
Chicago
New England
Daniel Pratt
Ezra Freeborn
General Grant
Horace Greeley
Raymond
Jim Bennett
Jm Blaine
A Ballad of Burdens and Other Fragments
A collage of comic verses and light items from a late 19th or early 20th century paper. It includes a ballad on winter burdens, notes about Austin life, playful verse on fashion and youth, a sentimental piece about home, a humorous alligator anecdote, and brief quips on waltzing and daily life with a bevy of scattered spoof ads and cartoons. Strong entities appear as Texas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Beaverton-like locales.
Riding by Electricity at the Paris Exhibition
A visitor recalls riding Siemens electric railway at the Paris Electrical Exhibition with two-wire current and pulleys. The train moves slowly to Place de la Concorde, then back to the palace as a demonstration of early electric transport amid crowd reactions and humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Siemens
Palace
Costa
Roomaey
Boot Blacking Plant Predicted From Hibiscus Leaves
London readers hear of a remarkable novelty Hibiscus rosa sinensis from New South Wales. Leaves yield a sticky fluid usable as boot polish with a finishing brush shine. The author wryly notes the oddity may become common despite doubt and possible hoax.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Daily Telegraph
New South Wales
Wellington
Narcissus
Hiniscus
Nickel Race and Daring Riders of St Louis
The article describes a nickel race in which riders including Miss Ryan drop a nickel from a tree fork while racing. It notes her skill, riding a powerful black charger, and her ability to remount swiftly. It also recounts a Civil War anecdote about Samuel Miller and a soldier forcing him to remove his teeth to escape theft.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St Louis Chronicle
Miss Ryan
Ryan
Former boarding house keeper claims Peru war command
Frank Harnden of Virginia City writes a Carson friend that during the Chili Peru war he led a wing of the Peruvian army and earned nearly 4,000,000 dollars in legitimate funds. He also says he was praised by Fererinn State Ministry for his service.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Virginia City
Nev
Frank Harnden
Carson River
Era
Henry Metis
Carson
Chili
Peru
Fererinn
Also Mentioned on This Page
San Francisco Chronicle
America
Epiendor
Italy
Our
Republic
An Francisco
Istr
Joaquin Miller
Asfiller
Deshon
Agence
Chesterfield
Tropical
Information
Chicago Herald
Gal
Spurzheim
Minshipman Easy
Inau
Dili
Ney
Lefroy
Mr. Gold
Swartzakoff
Moscow
Frapers
Bacon
John Suckling
Board of Fearth
Swing
Raphael
Anel
George Washington
Theodore Parker
Richard Lee
Harrison
Secretary of the Marine
Navy Yard
Secretary of the Navy
Petetieg
Equator
Joweler
Evening Post
Philadelphia Ledger
Bern
Engin
Old Town
Wolfe
Edson
New York Sun
Texas Siftings
Austin
Detroit Free Press
Emperor of
Baytt
Frank D. Sherman
Philadelphia Times
Bluslés
Levy
Ana
Florida
Bivsett
Darky
Athens
Mao Walt
Sitting Bull
England
Beaver Tribune
Virginia
Samuel Miller
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!