Fort Pillow Barbarities Shocking Civil War Record
A Detroit Free Press account from April 1864 details the Fort Pillow siege led by Forrest and Chalmers, describing a chaotic defense, strategic ravine encirclement, and barbarities against Black soldiers, civilians, and wounded, while attributing blame to a minority of troops and praising others for restraint.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
Chalmers
Fort Pillow
Forrest
McCulloch
Memphis
Mississippi
South
Bradford
Congressional Committee
Congress
The Only Troupe of Operatic Cats in the World
A retired circus rider presents a cat concert with a chorus of felines trained to sing operatic numbers. Signor Fernani, the manager, details training cats from Molly's kitten to a 11-member quintet for a touring act, claiming two reserves and high fees. The piece notes the oddity, the owner’s talk of talent, and a chaotic onstage moment as cats interrupt the rehearsal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Valerian
The
Chicago Times
Mimi
Bristol
Signor
Ginlo Fernani
Chicago
Dan Rice
Molly
Falls
Rom
Feline Vocaliata
Optic
Marquis of Queensbero
Mace
Slade
Fred
Frea
Rene
Il Travatore
la Mascotte
Patti
Nilsson
M. Filip
Absoluta
Mademoiselle
Monsieur
Tommy
Signor Fernani
Thomas Howard
Pippo
A Summer Sail Contrasts Between Sicilian and Therian
A Missouri Republican correspondent recalls a voyage from Palermo to Valencia and Naples to Cadiz, contrasting Sicilian and Neapolitan manners, women, and society with Spanish character. The piece lauds Spain as romantic, notes Sicilian hardships, praises Iberian pride, and recalls a distant, bittersweet romance from Holland.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cadiz
Lord Byron
Missouri Republican
Naples
Atlantic
Fascinating Old Plough Tale and Grandfatherly Mischief
A narrator recalls a halcyon spring day learning ploughing from a grandfather in a Missouri Republican reminiscence. The rambling tale follows mishaps with the plough and horses, bees, and a bumbling youth keeping faith with farming lore and family, ending with wistful reflections on time and progress.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missouri Republican
Ben Butler
Massachusetts
Dalzell
Grandpa
Lenny
How to Put on a Postage Stamp
A man at the Post Office Department explains there is a correct method to apply stamps. He notes moistening the envelope first ensures the gum on the stamp does not transfer to the tongue and emphasizes there is a right and a wrong way. He jokes that gum is not a health food.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Post Office Department
Knowledes
I Flew On Steam to Revisit a Lost Romance
A narrator recalls an eighteen year old romance, pondering aging and looks. He imagines the beloved becoming a grandmother, contemplates weight gain, and fears the confrontation as he heads to the station to catch a train east and escape the imagined scene. The piece ends with doubt about the reaction of the former lover.
The Tiger at Home in Plain Wildcat Mood
A compact portrait of the tiger as a candid, unpretentious predator. The piece contrasts tiger honesty with the lion and wolf posturing, praising the tiger for clear nature driven by instinct, vigor, and single minded purpose. It emphasizes how the tiger’s behavior commands respect.
The Pathos of London Public Houses and Drunkenness
The excerpt portrays London pubs as omnipresent centers of despair where the “Public” doors glow with signs of drink. It depicts aged and young drinkers, from tottering old men to fallen women, and claims drunkenness pervades Great Britain, corrupting faces and landscapes and driving the poor toward gin to cope with chilling, pearly-clad wretches.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Army of the Lost
Great Britain
The Mighty Power of Laughter Across History
The piece surveys laughter's health benefits and social power, tracing varied forms from gleeful bursts to dignified smiles. It catalogs laughs in history from Diogenes to Washington, with humorous anecdotes of poets, actors, and public figures, emphasizing laughter as a life-lengthening, social glueing force.
Noting the Years: A Theatregoer Meets Old Age
A New York World piece describes a man in his forties who, hearing himself called “Old Wilson” by a seventeen year old, experiences a jolt as age overtakes him. He recalls youth, accepts aging with quiet resignation, and the moment becomes a lifelong milestone, recurring whenever he attends theatre.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marquis of
Blandford
Trollope
John
Charles Wesley
Key
New York
Wilson
Texas
Daybreak of Peace Celebrated with Anthem and Fireworks
Peaceful demonstrations marked by a noon prayer and an anthem by Billings as soldiers cheered and fired guns. Heath notes the grand effect as the army sang and rang out The States in praise. Later, beacon fires atop Berean and Storm King mountains signaled peace rather than attack.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
J. T. Headley
Harper’s
Heath
Billings
Berean
The Mother Hubbard Must Go In Texas Liftings
The author derides the Mother Hubbard dress as a relic of old fashion. It is described as all skirt and no waist, a shabby rag bag that drifts and trails the wearer. The piece calls for modernization and even uses sharp satire to condemn the dated style.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mother Hubbard
Texas
Educated to Marry says Lady Morgan seeks trades for women
In a conversation with Mrs. Hall, Lady Morgan laments that many young women are educated to marry and lack practical skills. She argues for giving every girl a trade or profession, enabling independence and a reliable skill to rely on, regardless of rank.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Labouchere
Wendell Holmes
Diogenes
Tuch
Fragmented verse and scraps from a dusty page
Odd collection of quotations and verses with brief jokes and reflections. Includes lines about knowledge and fate, a Texas inheritance tale, a librarian-like maxim, poems about harvest and hoptoads, and a mournful yew-tree meditation on two lovers. Notable names: Rev. George F. Pentecost, Henry W. Colby.
Thoughtful Husband Tale Highlights Quick Texas Divorces
A humor piece notes rising early divorces among newlyweds, recounting a widow with many prior spouses planning marriage. A man suggests renting two church pews to avoid awkwardness if a divorce filing occurs during a bridal trip, illustrating fears of social judgment over sacred vows.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Texas
Sounds of Spring Riddles Stir Past Life in Verse
A reflective poem recalls nature’s sounds and their power to awaken memories and youth. The speaker lists crickets, thrushes, cowbells, partridges, toads, yellow-hammers, bees, winds, and drifting snow as triggers. Among these, a single well-tuned riddle evokes the most vivid pieces of life’s early mystery.
The Summer Girl and Her Winter Quarters Fable
A humorous reflection on the fading of summer charm as autumn arrives, detailing the costs and pleasures of a fleeting romance. Interwoven are verses about meadows and poets, followed by a satirical dialogue about a rich mother-in-law and a son-in-law, examining social climbing and its sacrifices.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Havine
Bell
Coal Creek
Barton
Wan
Italy
Spain
Iberian Peninsula
Pyrenees
Sierra Nevada
Rome
Granada
Europe
Lombardy
Venetia
Peninsula
Sicily
Maine
New Mexico
Palermo
Valencia
Syracuse
Messina
la Espanas
Spains
Cortez
Pizzaro
America
Eve
Love
Phoebus
Holland
Sunny Walr
China
Gilroy
St. Louis
Iowa
Holy Moses
Grandma
Agricultural College
Tiger
Livingstone
Eloy Haeoe
Washington
Hope
Brooklyn Eagle
Douglass Jerrold
Henry Giles
Billy Button
Myson
Prince Hal
Charles Backus
Yosemite Valley
Marie Wilton
Hester Grazebrook
Prince Hoare
Haydon
San Francisco
Boggs
Skinderly
Platt’s Hall
Goethe
George Eliot
Dr. Samuel Johson
Mr. Chambers
Chambers
Will Johnson
Raillery Chambers
Johnson
Jonson
Canning
Brougham
Princeton
van Horne
Revolutionary Army
George F. Pentecost
George
Burdette
Henry W. Colby
Ellen Mackay Hutchinson
Chemists
Earth
Inia
Pogiion
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!