Oddities and local notes from York county and beyond
John Mitzel in Dallastown reports forty two thunderstorms and forty five rains this year while harvesting twelve thousand six hundred seventy six potato bags. A Campbellstown to Lebanon street railway line is planned, with Lebanon mayor signing the ordinance to allow entry. Harrisburg faces a bicycle theft wave and enforces clear title proofs for wheels. A Shamokin woman unaware of a Detroit inheritance is urged to travel for five thousand dollars. An elderly Northumberland man grows a full set of teeth. blue pike in Lake Erie face possible extinction due to a fungal bloom and cold water.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Mitzel
Dallastown
York County
Mitzel
Harrisburg
Pennsylvania
Texas
Tener
David Long
B. H. Brunner
Campbellstown
Lebanon
Marquart
Hummelstown
Campbelltown
Hershey
Northumberland County
Police Department
Shamokin
Detroit
Mich
John Mack
George Reed
Adam Renner
Northumberland
Renner
The Clever Brahman Speaks On Indian Brahman Power
A prominent Brahman remarks that chess in India is simple for Brahmans. He claims Brahmans can play three or four games at once and often checkmate with a single pawn. He also notes Brahman skill in rapid mental tasks while observers discuss him.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
India
High Heeled Shoes Rivals Rum as Social Ill in Speech
Supreme Court Justice Howard condemns high heeled shoes in a Troy Hospital graduation address. He likens the fashion to barbarous foot deformities, comparing it to Chinese bound feet and condemning it as harmful to health. He calls hospitals essential for public health and rejects elite preference in medical wards.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Howard
An Attentive Clase and Tales of Old Plague Lore
A fragment from Colour of Paris extols the College of France as a model of scrupulous learning offering broad higher education. It recounts a tiny maths class where a sole pupil prompts a professor to congratulate him. The piece also highlights a 1665 Cologne tile book explaining the plague via astral, natural, and moral causes, including divine anger and social injustice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
College of
France
Paris
Francis I
Europe
Monsieur
Cologne
The Bath In History And Humorous Snippets
A collage of quotes on hygiene age and manners contrasts Queen Elizabeths era with modern views on cleanliness. A breakfast table remark mocks a tough beef steak as an infringement on a patent. Light witticisms follow about small daily troubles in business speech and patient doctor exchanges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Goodyear
Gossip Quips Highlight Harriet's Gambler Husband
A playful exchange notes Harriet's spouse as a gambler and jokingly calls him her better half. The quip relies on wordplay to poke fun at the couple and their contrasting roles in local social circles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harriet
A Duel in the Dark and the Englishman’s Shot
An 19th century anecdote recalls Samuel Rogers entertaining famous writers and recounts a duel where an Englishman fires up a chimney in a dark room. Rogers’s caustic wit and the incident show a misfired shot and a quip about shooting the Frenchman. The tale appears in Youth's Companion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Samuel Sogers
Dickens
Macaulay
Carlyle
Rogers
Irving Ima
Hengishman
The Motorcar Tourists Rewarded the Man Who Drew It
A Canadian farmer plays an amused practical joke on motorcar tourists by drawing a misleading road diagram. The travelers crawl over rough, partially overgrown paths to a woods edge house where the farmer, wife, and children meet them. The farmer explains the true route and thanks them, noting the need to backtrack two miles to reach the correct road.
Too Much Toothbrush and Knife Varieties Highlight Daily Habits
A London dentist warns against overuse of brushes while stressing soft bristles and brushing once daily. The piece next notes Suffolk and Solingen cutlery firms producing thousands of knife patterns weekly, underscoring a nonstandardized trade that hinders American competition per Cassier's Magazine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Suffolk
Sheffield
Solingen
Germany
America
Cassier
Fire at Von Biffers House Sparks Bravery Tale
In a Cleveland Plain Dealer recount, a new freman tells his wife about a midnight fire at the Von Biffers' avenue home. Miss von Biffer emerged from flames carrying her wrapped niece, a brave rescue witnessed by many.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Freman
Von
Willing to Tune It In A Bizarre Piano Offer
A Baltimore Sun quip reports a neighbor offering to tune a piano with an ax. The exchange highlights humor about misused tools and a counterproductive helper. The quote underscores the lighter side of neighborly interaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John
Lucy
Baltimore Sun
Also Mentioned on This Page
Margaret Macmillan
Houston Post
Toledo Blade
Dr. Pierce
R. ¥. Pierce
Buffalo
N. Y
World’s Dispensary Medical Association
George Eliot
Brunnerville
E. G. Geyer
Thomas Steffy
Broad Street
Lititz, PA
Happy Voices
Geo. H. Ferry
Ninth Ave
Grand Rapids
Miah
Peck Williamson
Maine
Oregon
Michigan
Cle
Myer
Tianer
Lititz
The
Lancaster Trust Co
Queen St
Lancaster, Pa
AON
Hay Brown John
Seilwa Grabiln Bb
Long
John Breaktailer
John Db. Setlins
Herbert C. Mller
Meluinger
Jon
Gay Bill
W. . Hensel
A. W. Hartman
John Hertzler
John A
Nauman
Joan TJ. Miller J
Tt. Brarneman, HH. Weaver
E. King St
Lancaster
Amos
Waltham Watches
Waltham
Wertsch
Watchmaker
Lentz
P. & R. Depot
Penna
W.h.pmiuth &Co
W. H. Muth & Co
U. S. Army
Theo
Roosevelt
United States Army
Kermit Roosevelt
Africa
Philip Rudy
Queen Street
Lanuaster
Lara
S. M. Huber
Lititz, OR
F. M. Bowman
Rothsville
Waverly
Waverly Oil Works Co
Pittsburg
Waver
Leading Farmers’ Hotel
Sorrel Horse Hotel
A. B. Adams
Prop’r
King St
Eo, L.keith
Justice of the Peace
Rrunwerville
UST
Hayes
John I. Sckleith
Ritchie
Ritchie Railroad Restaurant
Ind
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!