Grant's Holly Springs defeat and wartime prices detailed
The piece recounts Grant facing a major setback at Holly Springs, with 1800 Federal troops under Colonel Murphy unable to stop Van Dorn’s 2000 cavalry. It describes the depot fall, widespread destruction of supplies, large Confederate plunder, and the broader impact on Grant's planned movement, plus Confederate price and currency notes from 1861–1865.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
M. Quad
Detroit Free Press
Grant
Holly Springs
Murphy
van Dorn
Uje
Sutler
Richmond
Walls and waterways halt divisions at Bull Run
The text notes that lines protected by walls or fences remained stubbornly held at second Bull Run. It mentions a five foot wide creek six inches deep failing to stop a wandering child but stopping divisions at times, causing entire companies to be wiped out under heavy fire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Spottsylvania
Lee
Grant
Lost Mountain
Sherman
Georgia
Aicksburg
Gellysburg Hall
Eock
Frogs Rob Bees In Self Sacrificing Leader Tale From West Indies
In twilight on a West Indies porch, a writer and Father Wells observe a swarm of frogs raid beehives. A single heroic male frog leads dozens as they plunder and retreat to the stream where the fallen bees cling to him. The tale ends with the frogs departing, followers showing affection and the mystery of escape.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
Wells
West Indies
Agai
Father Wells
Ever
Anow
Leder
Thenus
De Quinceys Peculiarities in James Payns Portrait
The piece recalls James Payns Independent sketch of Thomas De Quincey sharing laudanum at luncheon and his eerie fascination with human nature. He dislikes ordinary talk and mocks public transport, recounting a Tarbet pier quip about time and perception. The narrative highlights De Quinceys unsettling view of commonplace observation and risk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James Payn
The
Independent
Miss de Quincey
Quincey
Grasmere
Edinburgh
Lis
Tarber
Loch Lomond
Relics of Ancient Days
A despatch claims discovery of the original Muasi¢ books of the Old Testament found in Arabia and brought to St. Petersburg for examination by Dr. Harkaye. It reports other relics including silver spoons, a curious fiddle pattern, a Pharaoh dinner menu, work-biskels of bulrushes, a sand-carrying vessel, and a flask marked 1860 X, with archaeologists citing Moses’s dress vows. Further details are awaited.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arabia
Egypt
Palestine
St. Petersburg
Harkaye
Red Sea
Rebe
Moses
Willing to Die Under the Circumstances
An Arkansas traveler recalls General Forrest during the Civil War asked about meals. The general jokes about providing food before execution. An officer complies with the soldier’s death sentence after a humorous exchange about eating. The tale ends noting the man still lives.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arkansaw Traveller
Forrest
Arkansan
Uncle Andy Piper and the trout law in backwoods talk
In the New York Times style tale Uncle Andy Piper muses on trout seasons and trout as roommates in a floodlit pond. He riffs on laws and politics as fishermen debate baits and the living room of the creek becomes a stage for satirical political banter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hemlock
Andy Piper
Andy
Uncle Andy
Piper’s Pond
Pike County nostalgia and a transport of memory
A speaker recalls past joys and riverside scenes with Jim Porter and Jim Worter, contrasting drinking memories with political rhetoric. He muses on a tranquil Medder in Pike County, the sky, birds, trees, fields, hills and streams, and ends with plans to fish for trout and shoot ducks nearby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim Porter
Bob
Mies
Aliuz
Jim Worter
Pike County
Piscator
Lucky Man How a Young Doctor Became Suddenly Famous
A penniless London medical man is sent to assist a duke's ailing wife after telegraph orders. He saves the duke from typhoid miscare, earns royal favor, and secures a five hundred guinea fee. His sudden success launches him into the head of a leading London practice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chambers’ Journal
London
Australia
Duke of
West End
Constable Provokes Riot Then Seeks Warrant
A Bloomington crowd watches as a constable offers to pay a man to strike him. The little man accepts twenty five dollars, lashes the officer, and flees. The constable then heads to a justice’s office to obtain a riot warrant and dispatches another constable to serve it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bloomington
Iman
4 Justice’s
A Square Boy
A Detroit Free Press clipping recounts a passerby who watches a Riopelle Street domestic dispute through a doorway. A 12 year old on the step explains he refuses to join the family in staged violence and tells the stranger to move on, calling it a put up job to deceive the public.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
Riopelle Street
Mom
Beavers Return to Michigan Streams Losing Fear of Humans
The Beaver in Michigan notes beaver colonies rebound as trapping declines. A Marquette Carp river dam project shows beavers rebuilding after railway embankment damage, repairing and reworking the dam many times until deterred. Trains pass daily, but beavers persist in restoring water levels.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Michigan
Popular Science Monthly
Marquette
Mich
Carp River
Uiis
Jack Tar and His Storm Voice The Sailor Language
A historical vignette on sailors superstitions profanity and slang aboard ships. It recounts a voyage near Coe Horn where a penny-pinching crew member faced collective wrath for whistling to conjure wind and details Jack’s timekeeping method and sea speech.
Bill Nye's Troubles Portraits of Humble Sacrifice for Art
Bill Nye defends portrait engraving, recounting past misfirings that altered his likeness. He recalls wood engravers tampering with features, shifting jaws, and adding hair, then later praising progress in engraving while affirming willingness to sacrifice for art.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sol
Africa
A Romance of the Train on a Quiet Station
A brief scene at a small station opens with a familiar farewell as lovers or travelers share a kiss and promises to write soon, capturing a moment of departure and tender romance in transit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Herald
A Romantic Mistaken Kiss at Indianapolis Depot
A man recalls meeting his wife when she kissed him thinking he was her brother at the Indianapolis union depot. The anecdote ends with a playful scolding from his partner as the couple strolls away, the rail romance fading into smoke.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mao
Indianapolis
Union Depot
Ulebt
Marvelous Lemonade Machine Touts Circus Brilliance
A Philadelphia Record reporter tours a Barnum circus tent and watches a unique lemonade machine. An engineer explains a steam powered lemon squeezer producing amber liquid from one lemon, claiming output of 100 gallons per day and a six month life per lemon. He notes cost of one lemon and plans to reuse the machine with government bonds bought after Sunday shows.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Record
Record
New York
Third Street
Two Souls Have Met in a Double Window Car
In a Buffalo Times vignette a Pullman car air dispute leads to a witty finale. A woman refuses to close an open window while another complains of stifling air. A nearby gentleman reveals a double window setup, sparking a sly remark about two souls meeting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buffalo Times
Quiet interludes and verse snippets in a period page
A collage of short poems and verses from periodicals including Paul Hamilton Hayne and Hartford Post. Wry quips, love couplets, and playful stanzas feature touches of romantic, humorous, and domestic mood with scattered dialogue and child named Marguerite evolving to Meg.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paul Hamilton Hayne
Little Jack and Ma Debate Ship Roles in Family
In a playful domestic exchange, a child asks what it means that his father is captain of the ship, while the mother reframes the metaphor as house head and pilot. The dialogue riffs on roles and a wish to move, with humor about boxing the compass and the annoyances of bachelor life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jack
Joseph
Joe
Liverpool
James
Jim
Philadelphia
Little Jack
The Great Golliwhopper Joke At The Lake
Backus and Birch, two minstrel friends, split up for fishing with Backus heading to Chicago. Birch pulls a huge fish from the lake and exclaims a line about Backus, sparking surprise as he thought Backus was in Chicago.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Backus
Birch
Chicago
Two Sides of a Sentiment
A short verse about a two year old named May Blossom Comes visiting her Auntie. The child in a white dress seeks affection while the auntie smiles then calls May Blossom naughty after tasting icing from a cake. The affectionate tone shifts to gentle scolding as the child causes a mess in the pantry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
May Blossom
Blossom
The Evening Procession
Poem by Margaret E. Johnson describes the eight strokes of the clock and stars overhead as a marching sound guides children in city village and town to bed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Margaret E. Johnson
Also Mentioned on This Page
Vale Dorn
DE Quincey
New York Times
Yender
Jane
Jem
Salis
Jun Porter
Atary
Wen Pierce
Naston
Andrew
Wren
Lucky Man
Jack Tar
Coe Horn
Rodiga
Pacific
Bill Nye
Copenhagen
Our City
Harley
Philadelphia Call
Victor Hugo
Boston
Hartford Post
Imogene
Clotilde
Liszt
Wagner
Lobengrin
St. Nicholas
Marguerite
Margaret
Aggie
Maggie
Grandpapa
Bonnie Meg
Marguerita
iPeck
Carman
Oil City
Blizzard
Leeward
Bem
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!