The Way John Halton Brought Snow and Ice in Mid Summer
Australian squatter John Halton faced a problem in mid summer and, as a millionaire, devised a solution for his seven year old daughter Alice. The tale mirrors fables of bringing snow to Ballarat and forcing Santa Claus to visit, with the solution praised by the child.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Halton
Alice
Mohammed
England
Ballarat
Santa Claus
Devonshire
Craig-Devon
Kaulbach
Papal
Chrismas
A Curious Tale of Snow and Yule Log Traditions
The excerpt describes an extravagant plan to manufacture artificial winter including snow from Tongariki, imported labor, and a mock frosty estate, culminating in a child’s fond Christmas day. It also recounts English Yule log customs, lighting with the prior year’s brand, and the protective omens tied to the fire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Suez Canal
James H. Muir
Taranaki
New Zealand
Mount Tongariki
Waikato
Sydney
New South Wales
Alice
Donner
Blitzen
England
Old Country
Christmas Eve Stocking Etiquette Across Town
A regional note advises children to hang stockings on Christmas Eve and go to bed early. It suggests polite lines and modest gifts, with playful wishes for eight or ten shillings or small bequests, as the season brings joyous hours.
Christmas in Ballarat tale of Santa in midsummer
A tale recalls a Ballarat Christmas where heat turns to imaginative winter magic. Alice Holton, a beautiful Celtic girl, experiences a Santa visit with reindeer and gifts, then wakes to a Christmas morning that feels like home despite the summer heat in Australia.
Christmas Bells That Ring Across the Snow
Poem reflects on the Christmas feast from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Day as decreed by King Alfred. It envisions a world without the Saviour's birth and celebrates the radiant star and angels proclaiming the nativity. Author Virginia M Cornell ponders the joy and hope of the season.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alfred
Judah
Bethlehem
Virginia M. Cornell
Santa Claus Promise and medical worry tale
A fragment depicts a dialogue where Billy fears medicine from his parents if he misbehaves while Jimmy warns about Santa. The tone hints at family discipline and Christmas expectations in a drudge-like setting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jimmy
Santa Claus
Billy
Sunday School Gifts Quip Sparks Judge’s Wit
A humorous line from a judge remarks on Sunday school offerings. The boy asks what Sunday school he will attend and explains Baptists, Methodists, and Episcopalians each give gifts, awaiting the expected reward. The remark captures local humor and character.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baptists
Methodists
Ye Christmasse Puddinge. A Scots verse by Malcolm Douglas
A short Scots Christmas verse invites hearty eating and merry riding. The speaker speaks of steaming puddings and a steed that roams until nightfall, delivering a whimsical holiday mood. The tone echoes old ballad imagery and rustic merriment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Malcolm Douglas
Christmas Dining and a Western Sheep Herders Tale
A Christmas menu emphasizes festive decor with holly and mistletoe while a long feature on Western sheep herders describes blizzards, lone life on the plains, the tar remedy for wounds, dog intelligence, and the rise of sheep raising across Kansas and the West, noting imports from Mexico and industry expansion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West
Great Plains
Prairies
New York
Mexico
United States
Kansan
Europe
New York Press
American Troops in Manila Show Marvelous Staying Power
The Daily Mail praises American soldiers in the Philippines for fortitude under fire since February 4. It notes volunteers and regulars endured constant combat and anxiety over enemy maneuvers, with long lines requiring continuous front-line deployment and remarkable endurance in tropics.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Far East
Transvaal
Daily Mail
Grahamstown
Cape Colony
Manila
Philippine Archipelago
Uncle Sam
Tropics
Anecdote of Henry Clay on the National Road
A friend recalls Henry Clay during a Washington bound journey on the National Road. After a nomination in the campaign he slept in a stagecoach and overheard two Kentuckians discussing his wealth and stock. Clay later added that the overheard remarks were all true and he paid at the next stop to avoid recognition.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henry Clay
Washington
Clay
Ties
Also Mentioned on This Page
John
Fleming
Cleveland
HIST
Eve
Alice Holton
Old Santy
Santa
McCulloch
Aberdeen College
Scotland
Chesherbet
Lady Fingers
Relsins
William Graham
Kansas
France
Spethecaries
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!