New Year in the South Fifty Years Ago
On New Year’s Day in the old South crowds gathered at county seats to watch and participate in hiring out enslaved people for the year. Slaves could choose their masters, or be auctioned off, while many worked as cooks or house servants. The day also saw alcohol shops busy, debt payments, and village shopping as enslaved people earned small overtime money, with whites watching the scene in a mix of curiosity and disdain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southland
Two Resolutions That Failed
A bride narrates attempting a New Year meal to surprise her husband. She cooks a six course dinner, encounters burned food, misrated recipes, and a salt mistake in cranberries. The husband ends the night by firing the would be cook, saying a hungry man cannot be fed with undercooked poultry and asbestos pie.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Angel
Marty
Harry
Mihm
Turning a New Leaf A New Year's Story
Mrs. Marcia Berrie hosts a New Year dinner at Shelly Farms to elevate the needy, but rival socialites plot to expose her generosity as vanity. A washerwoman receives an unexpected invitation, revealing the true motive behind the so called philanthropic move. The farm’s charity turns into a counterplay of social pretensions and genuine goodwill alike.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marcia Berrie
Shelly Farms
John Lerrie
Berrie
Ferrie
John Berrie
Goldwaite
Husband
Luke
Pledge Price Quips Echo Bargain Banter
A playful exchange frames a shopper seeking a daily vow while the clerk offers a cheeky pricing split. The banter riffs on bargaining humor with a nod to small coins and casual commerce. The dialogue captures a quiet moment of characters negotiating a whimsical pledge.
A Genuine Picnic
Johnny Jones and Willie Boerum reminisce about watching the old year out and the new year in with friends and family in Brooklyn. The exchange highlights playful reflections and social cheer as the year turns, capturing a local sense of community and festivity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Johnny Jones
Willie Boerum
Brooklyn Eagle
Also Mentioned on This Page
South
Jack
Baltimore Herald
Hubby
Chicago Record-Herald
Chicago Post
Hiis
M. Drown
Elisa Armstrong Bengough
Chicago Tribune
Vpapa
Meigs
Mr. Wilton
Cn Foot
Jedge
Dells
LYDAR
T. C. Harbaugh
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!