Prophetic Words and a Photographic Session
George G. Rockwood recalls a 1869 New York photograph session with the Harper brothers. James Harper sat for a portrait and urged a dream of St Luke's Hospital care. That afternoon he was killed in an accident, dying at St Luke's Hospital after a ride with a friend.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James Harer
George G. Rockwood
New York
Harper Rothers
Fletcher
James Harper
Muhlenburgh
St. Luke's Hospital
Stoke’s Hospital
St. Luke’s Hospital
Fat Black Man Marrying Widder Jeffson Stirs Jest
In front of the Read House two Black men converse about a marriage. The fat man boasts of marrying Mrs Jeffson, while the lean man pretends to congratulate him, then jokes with white spectators about his own marriage a year prior. The scene ends with both men moving on toward Market Street.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Read
Brudder Johnsing
Bradder Johnsing
Jeff
Oman
Market Street
Chattanooga
Dog Detects Cow in Potatoes in Silly Vigil
A shepherd tests his dog’s alertness with a quiet remark about a cow in the potatoes. The dog scrambles to the field and barn, returns, and on the third time, eyes his master with a comic, offended look, prompting a laugh.
Cold Winter Drafts Attract A Safe Joke
A business man in a bitter cold morning orders a clerk to shut the safe. The puzzled clerk asks why, and the boss explains with a sly laugh that there are many drafts in the safe, a pun on air drafts and money drafts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Autocorrected Echoes Of A Dramatic Doorway Exchange
A fragmented dialogue recounts a couple reacting to a sudden domestic accident. The husband confirms safety after a frightening incident, while the wife voices alarm and sympathy as they discuss what happened and any injuries. The phrasing mimics informal transcript with stumbles and corrections.
Gaping's Catching and the Abyss of Oratory
A Detroit Journal line mocks a speaker as powerful yet dull. The piece jokes that his rhetoric merely makes the audience yawn at the abyss he describes and questions the impact of his preaching on the nation.
Dried Corin ths and the Grecian Footnote in a Grocer Tale
A New York grocer explains the origin of dried corinths to a girl and customer noting that raisins are grapes dried in the sun. The tale contrasts misnamed dried currants with real Corinth raisins and adds a digression on foot-pressed processing by a Grecian maiden. A separate Kansas City Journal anecdote then cites a neighbor’s cold-blooded disregard for a fire alarm to illustrate human frailty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sissy
Gabriel
Grecian
Corinth
New York Press
Kansas City Journal
Doctor Polishes Belongings Surprise Visitor
A professor visits a doctor's home and asks about shining hours. The doctor says he is improving the shining evers. The professor asks whose the belongings are, and the doctor replies they are theirs. The Chicago Tribune reports this witty exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Tribune
Family Factions
Dialogue excerpt from the Philadelphia Press shows a family dispute as callers tease Ethel about her aunt Carrie Robinson and her loyalties to her father. The exchange highlights tensions within a family across maternal and paternal lines.
Judge Wimble Lacks Jurisdiction In This Household
A humorous household exchange jokes that a judge cannot govern private night hours. Mrs. W dismisses the idea, asserting the court has no authority over their home. The line plays on mock legal overreach in everyday life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wimble
Boston Transcript
The Art of Manicure Through Ages
The craft originated in medieval French convents where patient nuns practiced nail care on noble ladies. This long tradition shows how grooming techniques evolved from religious houses to broader society.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
France
Walla
Music hall belle exposes manager after court victory
A music hall belle sues an unpopular manager for underpayment, wins, and is showered with congratulations. She then ships telegrams to threaten the rival, which the manager displays publicly. Public reaction follows as another action is noted.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hhis Hall
Belle
Flightie
London
Brother Picked for Survival in Grim Sea Tale
A Pittsburg man recounts a voyage to Japan where his brother was among those lost at sea. The ship wrecked yet a few survived. his brother was saved at first but later perished in a cast lot to save others. Survivors apologized for the tragedy. The tale echoes grim family losses from multiple disasters.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Pittsburg
Japan
Ben
Fiji Islands
Chicago News
Eight Cents For Letters From The Post Office Window
An old man pays eight coppers from a 1855 leather book to mail letters. The clerk asks for the letters’ location and the man declines questions, declaring the letters have already been dropped in a nearby container. The scene captures a small humor moment at the post office counter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ross
Obligations Discharged in Family Note
In a brief personal column, Mrs. Buggins writes she finally called Mrs. Bjones, an owed confrontation she long avoided. Mr. Buggins notes sympathy and confirms paying an old bill to Mr. Bjones, completed to clear longstanding obligations.
Big Girl Helper Says She Cleans House Already
A playful exchange from the Philadelphia Press features Ethel noting she already helps at home. The mother’s exasperated line prompts a witty rebuttal about domestic chores.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ethel
Philadelphia Press
Shoreline edge of North America from New York
The eastern edge of the North American continent lies low due to sea overflow. To reach the true continental edge, one would travel about 80 miles due east from New York.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
King Richard in a Kitchen recalls Edwin Booth era stage mishap
A veteran stage manager recalls when a 19th century production of Richard II used a kitchen set for a royal hall in a Southern tour with Edwin Booth. He feared the audience would notice the mismatched scenery, but Booth urged actors to stay focused on him and ignore the prop error.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
King Richard
Opera House
Edwin Booth
Richard II
Sunbonnet and Hat Endure in Massachusetts Matrimony Tale
An elderly couple in a Massachusetts town unite after multiple widower histories. A sunbonnet from the bride’s past and a first husband’s hat on a nail trigger a quiet, lifelong stand for tenure in their home. The items remain in place until new ownership takes the house.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Massachusetts
Neil
Dorr Rescues Lighthouse Family Food Run
R E A Dorr of the Baltimore American arranged a tug from the customs house to Seven Foot Knoll lighthouse in Chesapeak Bay when food ran out. He delivered provisions but the crew’s family asked for quince jam on a return trip. The cold weather left the tug stuck in ice half a mile from the knoll as Dorr walked over to the beacon.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Press
R. E. A Dorr
Baltimore American News
Seven Foot Knoll
Chesapeak Bay
Dor
Custom House
Tly Knell
Dorr
Tly
Appearances and Solicitation for Local Charity
The dialogue notes a gentle man approaching the aisle as a solicitor for a local charity. Another man, well dressed and active, is dismissed as an underling on a small salary. A desk at the establishment is eyed for the slouchy woebegone man to be head, per the Boston Transcript.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Greene
Gray
Boston Transcript
Sage advice on matrimony in witty classroom exchange
A bishop questions a class of girls about preparation for marriage. One student from Exchange answers with a humorous line, A little courtin, me lord, reflecting a playful national stereotype in a historical setting. The exchange echoes a warning against hastiness in nuptials told in genteel terms.
Stray Stories Exchange Between Mother and Son
A brief vignette where a mother asks how the son injured his finger with a hammer. He replies the injury happened a while ago while she was away, and she did not hear his cry. The piece conveys quiet domestic drama and a sense of missed communication.
Vegetarian diet kittens resist meat and rodent prey
A kitten raised on an all vegetable diet by a vegetarian family refuses animal food and ignores rats and mice, showing how early feeding affects hunting and eating habits.
Also Mentioned on This Page
George
Jetroit Journal
Hull State
Greece
Eighth Avenue
Miss Robinson
Carrie Robinson
Papa
Mr. W
Freig
Castoria
What Is
New York City
Ieee
Uit
MaGeeRaisha Age Ie Ag
Geo
D. Clarke
Ettate Lit
Eae
Colorado Springs
Secale
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Ft. Worth
SanMraneslo
MO. Sebastian
Chicago, Il
Lippincott’s
A Family Library
IRS
U.8
C. A. Snow & CO
U. S. Patent Office
Washington, D. C
Iowa
State Savings Bank
Fairfield
J. RK. Roth
B. A. Howard
J. 8. McKenney
John Davies
C. v. Hague
J. E. Roth
J. Ricksher
A. Howard
Dillon Turney
Lee T. Gobble
McKenney
Kk. W. Lamson
M, Parratt
James Louden
D G. Higley
W. E. Bradshaw
Ed. Hunt
W. Ball
R.F. Mateuff
W. A. Lamson
EK. F. Simmons
Ada Roth
Guardian
C. Hawk
J. H. Allender
Louden
A. F. Cassell
H. F. Booker
August Walgren
T. RK. Howlett
Ward Lamson
R. W. Lamson
T. L. James
Db. W. Templeton
Eugene Campbell
Ss. H. Watkins
Adam Messer
N. M. Eres
D.M. Parrett
J. P. Manatrey
A. B. Scott
Ss. Prewitt
J. Turney & Co
George Mowery
Chas
D. Leggett
D. Bradshaw
Mrs Hester Parres
Lee T. Gobole
A. P. Anderson
C. A. Herring
Br. W. Fordyce
W G Ross
P. H. Roth
John Roth
Mary Kye
Annie Lamson
Business College
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