Millionaire Abram Brokaw of Bloomington Known for Oddities
The Bloomington Illinois man Abram Brokaw, aged eight in the article, is described as a wealthy and eccentric local figure. He stands out as perhaps the heaviest property owner in Illinois, with wealth tied to real estate mortgages across McLean County and other counties. He visits the County Treasurer to pay taxes on his holdings and has interests beyond Illinois, including translations from Greek and a famous version of the Oration on the Crown. The piece also notes his early exposure to extemporaneous speaking at Eton, referencing a debating society with ties to prominent figures like the Marquis of Wellesley and Charles, Earl Grey.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bloomington
Ill
Abram Brokaw
McLean County
Illinois
Canning
Eton
Marquis of Wellesley
Charles
Earl Grey
House of Commons
Treasury
The Eccentric Plowmaker of Bloomington
A New Jersey immigrant who arrived in 1836 built a wagon shop in Bloomington and acquired land for the People’s Bank Block. He later sold part of the tract for 25000, worked as a plow maker for fifty years, and amassed wealth through mortgages while shunning public life. He lives humbly with a long-lived, frugal wife and no children, rarely leaving the beach.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bloomington
New Jersey
People’s Bank
Essentials of an Orator Discusses Latin Greek Training
Senator Hoar urges young speakers to translate Latin or Greek texts and practice debating. He cites English parliamentary orators linked to Lord North, names Gladstone Disraeli Bright and Palmerston, and notes most trained through classics and debating societies. Brougham honed extempore skill at Speculative Society.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
S Enator Hoar
Senator Hoar
England
Lord North
Scribmer
Bolingbroke
Lord John Russell
Gladstone
Disraeli
John Bright
Palmerston
Lord Erskine
Brougham
Speculative
University of Edinburgh
Too Good to Be Well A Hospital Doctor's Experience
A Macmillan's Magazine excerpt recounts an anxious scene as a mother rushes a child to the hospital in fear. The physician finds no physical illness and the mother insists the child is dying, mentioning a tea time conversation about loving God and going to heaven and asking for medicine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missis
Susy
Macmillan’s Magazine
Primitive Agricultural Methods in Southern China
The article describes small land holdings under cultivation where hand work dominates harvests. Home made plows and water buffalo tread or tub whipping replace machines. Peasants earn two to five cents daily with little room for modern American machinery due to cost and lack of need.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Cork legs and Cort segs explained
A note clarifies that Cort segs are not made of cork nor from a city by that name. It states that cork legs traditionally use weeping willow wood covered with rawhide, outlining common materials in historical prosthetic craft.
Origin of Rag Time Ben Harney Invented It in Louisville
A New York Sun report recounts how Ben Harney, visiting a Louisville suburb party, imitated two banjo rhythms and sparked a discussion that led to the term rag-time. A jealous observer labeled Harney’s style as rag-time, and Harney later popularized it in New York, turning the phrase into a nationwide craze. The tale emphasizes the social scene and the origin of the name rather than technical musical details.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ben Harney
Louisville
Darkies
Harney
Maren Ben
Marsa Ben
Darkey
Ben
Maria Ben Harney
Jasper
New York
Chance to get a wife in Hawaii offered by Rose Davidson
Miss Rose Davidson declares the Hawaiian Islands abound with beautiful women waiting to become wives of ambitious young Americans who go to Hawaii to seek fortunes. The article hints at opportunities for marriage and advantageous matches among island residents.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hawaiian Islands
Hawaii
Rose Davidson
Hawaii's Pan American Exposition Contingent Draws Interest
The text notes Hawaii is being represented at the Pan American Exposition. It mentions young women described as brown as Cuban perfectos and considered attractive. Miss Davidson of Honolulu adds that Hawaii's agricultural attractions rival the feminine allure and that fortunes as well as wives await ambitious foreigners.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hawaii
Miss Davidson
Honolulu
Conflicting Wishes in Factory Notice
A factory foreman lost a gold cuff link and posted a notice requesting its return. Later a second note appeared asking the finder to cause Mr L to lose the other cuff link, revealing a humorous twist on the original appeal.
NY heroine rescues drowning man at Elberon beach
Miss Olga Haan of New York with her sister Helen and Gustave Robbins entered rough surf at Elberon New Jersey. Seeing Robbins in distress she swam out alone to help and saved him just as she began to tire. A boat appeared and pulled Robbins aboard while Haan barely made it to a rescuing craft.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Olga Haan
New York
Helen
Gustave Robbins
Elberon
N. J
Mr. Robbins
Miss Haan
Robbins
Do Not Get Mad When Dealing With Flies
A New Orleans Times-Democrat note recounts a gentleman’s observations on house flies. He describes their persistence and circling behavior when shoed, notes that flies bite only if food is present, and offers the key lesson to stay good humored to rid oneself of the pests. The piece cites experiments showing flies return to the same spot before moving on.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fies
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Slang and the Art of Expression in Holmes and Webster
A discussion on slang usage notes that slang can express complex thoughts beyond formal speech. It cites Holmes on the word bore as legitimate and urges selective preservation of expressive terms. The piece also mentions Americans in Paris discovering American wines rivaling imported varieties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Paris
Mastodons Unearthed At Kimmewick In Huge Bone Deposit
An extraordinary mastodon bone and tusk deposit was found at Kimmewick Missouri with 200 to 300 individuals already represented. Paleontologists have only worked a small portion of the site but the collection includes mastodons of all ages and sizes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kimmewick
H. Vines
British Association
Vines
L. O. Howard
Department of Agriculture
Connecticut
Monsieur Delauney
French Academy of Sciences
Turkey
Persia
Egypt
India
Russia
Salvador
Mexico
Spain
Philippines
Hawaii
Farmers Go West as Eastern Agriculturists Seek New Lands
A surge of homeseekers from eastern and southern states moves through St. Paul toward Washington, North Dakota, Oregon, and Idaho. Families and colonies sell small farms to buy large tracts, aiming to leave inherited farms to children and plant roots in a newer, productive region.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. Paul
Washington
North Dakota
Oregon
Idaho
Dakotas
Westward immigration spurs hope for farmers in Northwest
The Philadelphia Record notes that disasters and falling wheat prices drove many settlers to abandon farms, but arriving Northwest settlers are seasoned farmers with funds to buy land. It predicts profitable agriculture ahead as cultivation expands and demand for breadstuffs rises, with capitalists already buying Dakota land and railroads offering low travel rates for land inspection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Northwest
West
Western States
Dakotas
Philadelphia
Helen Gould an Athlete and Bowling Enthusiast
Helen Gould, famed for philanthropy, is profiled as a devoted bowler who owns one of the world’s finest alleys. She built a grand bowling hall at Lyndhurst, her country home at Irvington in Hudson, to entertain large parties and host major games.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Helen Gould
Lyndhurst
Irvington-in-Hudson
Marjorie’s Remark and a Moonlit Tea House Tale
A detailed portrait describes a riverside home with an alley running center, round towers at the ends, reception rooms, a veranda over a tennis court, and a roof garden. Four year old Marjorie worries about licenses as a guest Miss Smith wears a gold heart pendant and a license chain, while her fox terrier Fido sits nearby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marjorie
Mamma
Miss Smith
Fido
Tag
A Costly Funeral for Alexander the Great
The piece recounts the legendary expense of Alexander the Great's burial, noting a gold coffin, costly aromatics, a diadem, and a gold adorned funeral car drawn by eighty four mules, with the procession lasting from Babylon to Syria over more than a year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alexander the Great
Alexander
Babylon
Syria
Also Mentioned on This Page
King Edward
Hyde Park
London Daily Express
Orator
Mis
Olga Haax
Marks
Jove
Sam
Puck
Claus
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