Newsboy in the Army Captured by Rebels and Confined at Libby
A Milwaukee man recalls joining the Second Vermont Regiment as a youth, serving with the Iron Brigade, and being captured in 1862 after delivering newspapers to the Army of the Potomac. He recounts Libby Prison confinement, escape attempts, barter for whiskey, and a return to service via Annapolis and Washington amid Civil War campaigns.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vermont
C. B. Aubury
Milwaukee
GLOBE
Wisconsin
Iron Brigade
Richmond
Army of the Potomac
Winchester
Fredericksburg
Libby
Antietam
McClellan
Burnside
Warrenton
Washington
Mosby
Centreville
Brigade
Tommy Moran
New York Herald
New York Heralds
Remington
Longbridge
Fort Albany
Arlington Heights
Centerville
New Baltimore
Patrick
Captain Remington
Yank
Rebs
Theutenant
Genera Stuart
Pike Road
Stuart
Gordonsville
Station House
Pennsylvania
Libby & Son
Thomas P. Turner
Turner
Annapolis
Chesapeake Bay
Anmapolis
War Department
Potomac
Aquia Creek
Belle Plain Landing
Gettysputs
Wales
Duties of Parents A Domestic Homily by Bill Nye in Denver Opinion
A satirical piece on parenting etiquette argues for preparedness when called to parenthood. It mocks harsh methods and urges gentle care, candor, self sacrifice, and consistent behavior to mold well mannered children while lampooning pretentious parental conduct.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill Nye
Denver
France
James Crow
Sans Culottes
Trusting a Cossack A wretched tale of debt and aid at a Braile inn
A Cossack drinks at a Braile inn and fails to pay his bill. His horse dies, the crowd raises funds to comfort him, the landlord forgives the debt, and the Cossack rides away in sorrow. The horse then whinnies back to its owner as the crowd cheers, leaving the landlord wary of Cossacks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Braile
Live town myth and old Kansas roughanities in print
A St Louis Globe Democrat letter lauds Newton’s rough frontier days, recalling mobbings and shootings during cattle drives. The writer contrasts Newton with Dodge City, noting numerous murders, pistol culture, a dance-house moved to Hutchinson, and corruption among town officials and lawmen in Dodge City as a temperance town with saloons still thriving.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Dodge City
Newton
Hutchinson
Dutchinson
Patch breeches and true friends sought in city letter
In a San Francisco News Letter reflection the author pleads for loyal friends. He asks who will support him when he is in trouble and helpless, who will offer companionship, protection, and honesty without pretense. He envisions a friend who stands by him in hardship and faces odds with him.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco
Joan
Actors Before the Camera. Sarony on Photographic Art
A New York Tribune piece tours Sarony's studio revealing his view of celebrity portraiture. He praises Bernhardt and Terr y while critiquing Irving and Booth, notes how climate cannot replace artistry, and demonstrates his method with a reporter portrait.
Beasts Before Law Echoes From Medieval Courts
The piece surveys historic cases where pigs and other animals were judged to death for murders and crimes. It cites tribunals from France and monasteries, noting the link between landholding churches and animal executions, and recounts witchcraft era beliefs about animal and demon possession.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jehan Martin
Savigny
Jehan Bailly
Katherine de Burnault
Jehan Delalande
Josaphat
Chartres
Gillon
Che Porker
France
Lapeyronie
Academie Des Sciences
Lea
Thomas Aquinas
Chassenee
Pere Bougeant
Consider These Things Quite Essential to a Young Man
Burlington Hawkeye presents a fatherly list of curious questions urging a son to observe human nature and political life. It muses on gravity like apples and Newton, then probes why politicians, judges, and colleagues behave as they do. The rebus of everyday civics invites reflection without asserting firm answers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burlington Hawkeye
Newton
America
Congress
Pennsylvania
Caroline Brewer
Portland
New England
Kentucky
Glastonbury
Eng
London Lancet
Eli H
Eli
His Mistake Merchant Traveller Story
A customer questions a clothier about a supposed pricing error. The merchant explains a boy marked goats up by two dollars, causing the customer to think the bargain was manipulated. The tale satirizes clever salesmanship and a merchant’s defense of his process.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Moses
Perils of Travel in Spain Lisbon Letter Note
In a Lisbon Letter the author describes Lisbon as a city where cats chickens rabbits and dogs share streets and homes. A visitor recalls a wine shop where the landlord offered his two daughters in marriage if sufficient money could be shown.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lisbon
Benefits Forgot in London Punch Quip
In a humorous London Punch snippet an old gentleman recalls escaping an enraged animal by scrambling over a gate to reach safety. He quips that he has been vegetarian all his life, blaming the beast for provoking the chase and the humorous misfortune.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Walter
Manhattan
Vows of Love and Duty Through the Ages
The article surveys historic vows from queens and nobles to common folk, noting how solemn pledges were made under strain and how many were kept or evaded. It cites Joan of Naples, Catherine de Medici, Isabella of Spain, and others, with anecdotes of pilgrimages, beards, widows, and even perpetual silence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Inter-Ocean
Joan of Naples
Castle of
Garza
Galeazzo
Mantua
Europe
Joan
Gleazzo
Catherine de Menrcis
Holy Land
Isabella
Philip II
Henry Clay
Benedick
Beatrice
Kip van Windle
Jefferson
Lairless
Voltaire
Erasmus
St. Christopher
Madrid
Rome
Poole
Eng
Edward Dougity
Avalon
Infanta Kulalie
Spain
Barcelona
Miss Harrisham
Washington Chronicle Court Turns On Cherry Tree Trial
In a moral tale style exchange, a father confronts his son George about a cherry tree's fate. The boy refuses deception, criticizes the father's questioning, and the father laments how lying corrupts observation and judgment. The scene ends with counsel against study in law for the boy and a dig at future ambitions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George
Washington
Baty
German Village Wedding in a Baltimore Church
A Baltimore Sun letter recalls a German village wedding atop a craggy hill church. Gray stone, pink and blue galleries, and a stern interior frame the rite as lilting hymns fill the air. The lemon and rosemary beside the altar hint at superstition and ritual.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore Sun
Luther
Vgat AU
Barefoot Rights Of Boys And Girls In Society
The Detroit Times laments gendered expectations that bar children from going barefoot. It argues both boys and girls have a right to protest such norms, noting girls face stronger social pressure to keep their feet clean and covered, while boys face deference and sympathy for similar desires. The piece mocks denying natural play and compares limited footwear freedom to overlooking literary figures.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Times
Robinson Crusoe
What a California Frog Did
A Fresno woman keeping a few family chickens found missing birds blamed cats. She opened a large distended toad frog and found one of the missing chickens in its stomach. With seven of nine ducklings gone in as many days she concluded the frog had carried them away.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Fresno
Mr. Frog
What rents keep the Pullet and Fritz apart
A fragment from the Atlanta Constitution shows Pullet surprised by a move described as not having the rent raised, while Fritz concedes the landlord’s agent objects. The scene shifts toward a kitchen set of furniture, hinting at conflict over tenancy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta Constitution
Pullet
Fritz
Fragmented verse collage with playful quips and poems
A collection of humorous and lyrical snippets from various periodical poems and quips. It surveys light verse on love, city life, and social observation with references to unnamed sources and playful observations about fashion, manners, and weather.
In Correct Habits and Angeline Verse Collide
A Brooklyn Eagle excerpt contrasts a new boarder praising rigid routines with humorous exchanges about a deacon and Angeline. A comic dialog shifts to a rhymed verse about Angeline, her propriety, and a past meeting at Mount Desert, blending social satire with verse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Burdette
Brooklyn Eagle
Angeline
Mount Desert
Poeticizing Hair Sparks Paralyzing Worries in Binghamton
A poet praises a woman's hair in florid language but reflects that marriage changes perception. The article uses whimsical imagery of hair pouring down brows and furniture, noting the paradox of bewilders becoming stronger and even paralyzing after married life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Binghamton
Also Mentioned on This Page
Dixie
Burlington
Sailor Ben
Green Mountain
Simon
John
John Brown
Bernhardt
Irving
Terry
New York Tribune
Union Square
Tribune
Floren
Levant
Tara
Sarong
New York
Sarony
Lord Ronald Gower
Bechter
Marie Stuart
Henry Irving
England
Lex
Louis XL
Charles 1
Lalma
Kean
Garrick
Booth
Berry
Mr. Sarony
Portia
Clara Morris
Seneaiy
Wilkins
Morris
Mrs. Wilkins
Langtry
Pilf
C. P. Evans
Atlantic
Romance IN
Ostend
Chicago
Samson
Rh. J. Burdette
Moore
Paul Hamilton Hayne
Grace
Pittsburg
Cincinnati Times-Star
New York Journal
Boston
Benedictus
Edith Lapham
Madame
Gabriel
City
Beau
Edgar Fawcett
Rehoboth Sunday Herald
Hose Symphonies
London Punch
Dhone
Puck
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!