Sam Slocum the Bristol clamming folk character
The account recalls Sam Slocum a sober yet frequently provoked Bristol figure who served as scullery maid and purveyor of clams for Mrs Cushman. A prank target of boys from Hope Street, he hauled clams in a wheelbarrow, faced taunts, and endured endless practical jokes before joining Independence Day processions and sharing a vivid likeness with Joe Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle. He hailed from Newport and spent much of his life in Bristol.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Satan
Sam
Sam Church
Hope Street
Peck’s
Parson
Sammy
Marseilles
Dan Tanner
Sam Slocum
Dan Coggeshall
King Philips
Joe Jefferson
Rip van Winkle
Catskills
Washington Irving
Jefferson
Newport
Bristol
Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood Mention a Gracious Life
The passage reflects on a resident noted for kindness and quiet service, offering a gracious mention in the neighborhood annals. It ends with a smile and a tear as neighbors part with regret for his passing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buick
Your Column Reserved for Local Timely Topics
A town publication notes a writer may submit comments on Timely Topics but only if the author is known to the paper. The column invites readers to send in opinions while excluding anonymous letters.
Town highway hiring raises concern over unemployed residents
A taxpayer urges the Phoenix editor to question the surveyor of highways about favorable work for a pensioner with dependents, while long-term unemployed wait for jobs. He asks the Town Council to investigate and questions why the surveyor does not report at 7 o'clock and why a truck driver hires men, noting crowds waiting daily for the highway boss who rarely appears.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
the Phoenix
Bristol
Providence
Surveyor of Highways
Highway Department
Onofrio Malafrontf
Bristol Town Meeting Debates Walkers Island Plant
Mr Rockwell voices concern over Walkers Island site for the Bristol sewage plant and Mr George L Howe’s possible objections. The plan could cost about 20000 dollars to relocate tanks to Mr Howe’s property, raising questions of unjustly altering the plant at residents’ whim and extra installation costs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Providence Journal
Rockwell
George L. Howe
Walkers Island
Fearful and Wonderful These Colonial Dishes
A lighthearted look at colonial culinary quirks with chocolate drinks spiced with sausage and boiled tea remnants. The piece notes the odd pastimes in beverage preparation and the rise of cocoa industry after the Boston Tea Party, ending with a wary note on old practices.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston
Fanatical Moslems in Basra Observe Moharram Tragedy
In Basra and other cities Shiah devotees mark Moharram with self-punishment rituals. Breast beaters strike in rounds of 15 to 20, chain lashers scourge their backs, and swordsmen enact a procession ending with a leader’s sword stroke.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Basra
Euphrates
Kerbala
Hussain
Mahomet
Moharram
Early American Mail Service and Postmaster General Franklin
The text describes mail carriers in early America riding along main roads and through forests to reach roadless settlements. Postmen delivered irregularly based on mail volume, sometimes only once a month. Benjamin Franklin became postmaster general in 1753 and built a profitable service for the crown, with annual mail volume then smaller than New York City's daily output today.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Elson
United States
Benjamin Franklin
New York
Buzzard Attacks Plane Over Sutton Scootney
Mr G Abbey reports a common buzzard near Norton Manor gardens in autumn observed attacking a bombing airplane. The bird maneuvered under over and around the craft before breaking off, leaving the bomber unharmed after about half a minute. The observer notes the buzzard’s large size led to an initial misread as a moth aircraft.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
G Abbey
Norton Manor Gardens
Sutton Scootney
Londoen Mall
Blooms Boskoop Village famed for rhododendrons and canals
In Holland the village of Bloems Boskoop is celebrated for rhododendrons with the pink pearl variety raised there. Homes sit on canals reached by private drawbridges, holdings average six acres, and nurseries employ men who lack time for their own gardens. They cultivate gardens from “made soil” transforming desert fens into a riot of azaleas rhododendrons and many flowering trees.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boskoop
Holland
Desert
Apprentices Learn Barbering Using Wooden Head Blockheads
In Frankfort Germany apprentice barbers train with wooden head effigies to practice shaving when customers are scarce. The calm heads endure repeated razor work as described by Popular Science Monthly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Frankfort
Germany
Popular Science Monthly
The Ingratitude Trap in a Stoic Prayer for Workers
A reflective passage argues that ingratitude is common and should not deter work. It urges stoical acceptance, noting most people receive more daily than they deserve. The piece cites a Christian prayer to live and labor without counting reward, serving God rather than seeking praise.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Hampshire
World Almanac
Encyclopedia Brittanica
Jesus Christ
Lord
Boy Scout Bugle and Drum Corps Take Fourth at Exposition
The Bristol Boy Scout Bugle and Drum Corps placed fourth with 79 points in Division 2 at the Eastern States Exposition in Springfield Massachusetts. The team organized under nine months impressed judges and earned praise for their performance during scoutcraft demonstrations at Mohawk Indian Village.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bristol Boy Scout
Springfield
Mass
Mohawk Indian Village
Also Mentioned on This Page
Phoenix Files
Onofrio
America
H. H. Lawson, CO
Buick Salesroom
Hope and
Washington Streets
Tel
General Motors
Colonial Mail
Buzzard
Blooms
Samuel S. Drury
Dr. Drury
Neonus
Phenix
J. Drury
St. Paul’s School
Concord
N. T
Boy Scouts
Jacksonville
Florida Times-Union
J. Wilfred Vermette
Rhode Island
Hergin
Lydia J. Peck
Peck
John H. Wall
Industrial Trust Company
William T. O'Donnell
R. I
Newman Bros
Wim Ian
Foodse
Thinsies
Holland Rusks
Aunt Jemimas
Pillsbury
Hecker’s
Kenyon’s
Graham
S.S. Pierce
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!