Mammy Mary and other tales from a by-gone era
An extract from a Washington Post piece recalls Mammy Mary, long a nurse in General Gordon’s Georgia family, who declined presidents, a Yorkshire dog owner, and a New York Times anecdote of train robbery bravado. The tale mix ranges from Sharp humor to social stereotypes, illustrating era attitudes and curiosities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Post
Mammy Mary
John B. Gordon
Georgia
Moham
Mia
Cleveland
Gordons
Atlanta
Mary
Sutherland
Gordon
Exclusive Pastime Wigsle Golf And Bicycle Fads Debate
A Concord newspaper quip thread contrasts golf and cycling. A finance magnate recalls starting at the ladder's bottom, while a witty exchange questions social exclusivity and street ownership amid sport and progress. The dialogue references Wheelmen and land access in a satirical tone.
Question from Detroit Free Press about powder dangers
A quoted exchange shows a little girl asking what powder is and a father answering it is something people get blown up with. The dialogue reflects concerns about powder and its effect, with the child linking it to a mother applying makeup and parental scolding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
Day of Large Enterprises and Modern Politics Clash
In Washington a political row unfolds as one lawmaker mocks another for having money and claims a campaign needs heft, while the counterpart vows to teach him a lesson. The exchange underscores tensions in contemporary politics.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
How He Got It and The Free Cigar Conundrum
A short exchange frames a lawyer’s unexpected inheritance from a client’s rich uncle resulting in a $100,000 windfall. In a punchy quiz, a humor line explains why “free cigars” require a nickel to test if a vending machine works.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Puck
Flaherty
Jones
One Way to Do It in The Fliegende Blaetter
A brief quip from Fliegende Blaet ter presents a humorous exchange about saving by delaying payment. Hilde asks if she followed instructions to save money this month and replies that she spoke to the grocer to defer the bill until next month. The snippet highlights frugal wit and domestic thrift.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hilde
Fliegende
Parrot Reform Stuns London Sketch Humour
In a quip from Puck and London Sketch, a parrot remains silent for two weeks prompting jokes about reform and cracker incentives. A playful exchange follows about appearance and blame within a family, highlighting light domestic wit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Galey
Mrs. Gadfly
Would Muay Her Clothes But When News Came
A playful exchange from the Philadelphia Record features a person remarking on not fainting to avoid mussing a new dress, highlighting social wit and etiquette in a light historical moment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Record
Deserve Them and the Eight Purgatories
A fragmentary dialogue cites Chinese belief in eight purgatories and adds a retort that they deserve sixteen. The text then shifts to a symbolic note about a banana peel on a sidewalk signaling misfortune to the passerby, reflecting superstition and street lore.
Spinach rolled in ham and a tale on beauty in business
A fragment discusses spinach rolled in butter and grape preserves as a recipe, then shifts to social commentary. It notes women historically relied on looks in business but now beauty is a handicap, and that practical results shifted views on dress and appearance. It also describes a fashion detail with red checked fabrics and plaited skirts.
Vocabulary Enrichment Through Reading and Poetry Advice
A discussion on building a rich vocabulary by reading esteemed authors and poets. It emphasizes variety in sources from Bible to Shakespeare to Kipling, and urges daily reading, memorization, and recording quotes to improve everyday speech and precision.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scott, Macaulay and Ruskin
Dickens
Thackeray
William Black
Blackmore
Burrle
Crockett
Mia
Oliphant
George Bilot
Chaucer
Kipling
Aurora Leigh
Margaret Sanguter
Ladies’ Home Journal
Creamed Potatoes Bake to Brown in Milk Mix
Brown creamed potatoes from a recipe instructs to cut eight potatoes into uniform dice, boil in salted water until tender, drain, stir into milk thickened with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed into butter, season, place in a deep dish and bake until brown.
Thelking Experience of a Narrow Escape on a Trestle
A young man crossed a quarter mile trestle on the Nickel Plate railway over Grand River at Oslo. A fast train bore down, he leaped, slid, and clung to a grease slicked iron brace as the locomotive thundered by. He crawled to safety after the perilous moment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nickel Plate
Grand River
Oslo
Cleveland Exchange
Hair Washing and Conditioning Advice From Old Journal
The article recommends rubbing eau-de-cologne into the scalp after drying to prevent cold from washing hair. It notes some avoid soap and suggests a shampoo mix of borax in hot water with lemon juice and an egg yolk. Rub into scalp and rinse with multiple water pours. Rain water is best. if using ordinary water, boil it first.
Hat Heist on a Mile a Minute Train Rescue
Charles Rosenberger, a young mold er with a fire company excursion, leaped after his hat as it blew off a speeding train. The train backed up and he was taken aboard unconscious, then recovered in half an hour with only trifling scratches. He insisted on keeping regulation headgear to preserve the unit’s appearance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hikod Lite
Charles Rosenberger
Molder
Rosenberger
Largest Painting in the World at Venice Doge Palace
The largest painting in the world exclusive of the panorama and cyclorama is the grand salon of the Doge Palace in Venice. It measures eighty four feet wide by thirty four feet high.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Venice
Highest per capita valuation in Capito Houghton County
Capito Houghton County Michigan sits in Lake Superior copper country and leads the United States in property value per person. The countywide valuation totals 120 million dollars, reflecting its large assessed property base.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Capito
Houghton County
Michigan
Lake Superior
United States
The Swiftest Bird and Aged Ads Mixed in One Item
A garbled fragment mentions a swiftest bird and speeds up to 150 miles per hour. It blends with ad copy for lemon orange raspberry strawberry flavors and a Garfield Tea herbal medicine. It ends with a savings pitch for Red Cross Ball Blue laundry product.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kestril
Also Mentioned on This Page
England
Bas
Hilesen
Chambers’ Journal
New York Times
el Paso
Darky
Jin
Enpero
Wagele
Daston Transcript
Hegin
Indianapolis Press
Dad
London
Gen. Longstre
ICRC
Carter
Carters
Sawyer
Bayern Burelniey Hrand
Bowie
Lovie 1000
Dows Hoyhave
Excale Ff
Cassiogue
Mrs. Maus
Greoars
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!