Oddities and observations from a bygone era
A collage of trivia and social notes covers topics from tanning and leathers to language, teeth and health, travel faults, and postal customs. It mentions Arctic explorers, frog skin, nettle silk, Finland’s safety, and a Japanese Parliament etiquette incident, with assorted curiosities about dogs, weddings, and tea.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Switzerland
Finland
Cevire
Alaska
Asia
Africa
America
Australia
Victoria
Little Tour in Ireland Ends With Salmon Toast
In his travelogue, Dear Hole recalls a party member returning from fishing with a fine salmon. A humorous shore encounter follows as the tourist negotiates payment with a boatman, who jokes about expected tips of two shillings or eighteen pence. The exact sum given remains unknown.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hole
Ireland
American’s Rome Motto Backfires Over Ice Cream
An American abroad in Marseilles orders ice cream and, recalling his maxim to blend in, answers the waiter with garlic flavor. The joke hinges on a misapplied cultural cue and ends with a humorous misunderstanding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Europe
Rome
Marseilles
African graduate likely first of throne lineage in America
A Real African A. B. $o-Mayou earned his diploma from Cobb University in Lewiston Maine, possibly the first heir to an African throne to graduate from an American college. The piece also notes that an average girl knows enough about photography to retouch her negative when she says no.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
o-Mayou
Cobb University School
Lewiston
Maine
Remarkable Discovery of an American Medico-Chemist
An American chemist, T A Slocum of New York City, claims a universal cure for consumption and related lung and catarrhal diseases. The ad offers three free bottles and confidential advice to readers, noting testimonials from global laboratories and urging sufferers to write for the New York physician. It closes with a weathered classroom quip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
An Jayman
Pasteur and Koch
Slocum
T. A. Slocum
New York City
America
Europe
M. D
Pine Street
New York
Slocum Laboratory
Norr
Dr. Slocum
Heal Rheumatic Woman With Potions Warned
A dangerously misguided group in the United States immersed an elderly rheumatic woman in water in a bid to heal her. The piece urges a safer treatment, claiming Hostetter's Stomach Bitters cures rheumatism and prevents kidney issues while aiding digestion and liver health.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hostetter
Melting Mood Affects Meeting With Father In Law
Vague vignette describes a young woman noting a suitor’s mood while he flees when her father appears. The text includes unrelated ad lines and a 1895 dateline from Fa bucher Louisiana, along with an offer from Mason Chemical Co seeking stamps for a “King Solomon’s Treasure” renewal claim.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jenna
Mason Chemical CO
P. O
Philadelphia
Pitcher’s Castoria Trade Mark Claim Filed
Dr Samuel Pitcher of Hyannis Massachusetts asserts exclusive rights to the words Castoria and Pitcher’s Castoria. He notes the wrapper bears the signature of Chas H Fletcher and that only The Centaur Company has authority to use his name. March 8 1897.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Castoria
Samuel Pitcher
Hyannis
Massachusetts
Centaur Company
Thas. H. Fletcher
Samuel Pitcher, M.D
Goiter Causes and a Lincoln Selfishness Anecdote
A Chicago Inter Ocean summary notes goiter linked to water purity and climate in the Rhone valley, with stations on epidemics, screening, and public health reforms under Savoy France. It recounts how iodine treatments and village sanitation reduced cases, and discusses goiter as a filth disease tied to overcrowded homes. It also retells Lincoln’s anecdote on selfishness after he helped pigs escape a mud-filled slough on a corduroy bridge, illustrating his virtue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rhone
France
Italy
Switzerland
Savoy
Chicago
Inter Ocean
Lincoln
Ball's Bluff
Springfield
Monitor
Not Worth a Rap and the Rap of Base Coins in Drapier’s Letters
The passage cites Dean Swift and his Drapier’s Letters using rap to describe counterfeit or base coins. In the first letter he notes halfpence and farthings scarcity with counterfeits called raps, a term already familiar in Dublin before the broader bronze coinage circulated. The third letter also uses rap, illustrating its prior common use in Dublin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dean Swift
Drapier
Falkner
Dublin
Her
Sacramento Moves to Seize State Conventions This Year
Sacramento launches organized drive to secure both State conventions this year highlighting strategic planning and political coordination by local groups aiming to influence convention outcomes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sacramento
Pacific Coast Syrup Co. Maple Syrup Ad
Quality is high in TEA GARDEN Drips TOBOGGAN MAPLE SYRUP and PELICAN LouIsIANA MOLassEs sold by first class grocers in cans only. Money refunded if not satisfactory. Do not accept imitation. Lithographed manufacturer’s name on every can.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
THE
Pacific Coast Syrup CO
Also Mentioned on This Page
Girls IN Stores
Lydia E. Pinkham
Moore
Stewart & Holmes Drug Co
Seattle
Alameda Co
Cal
A. L. Astor
Phoenix, Ariz
Kias von Riicker
Seine
Phamphlet
DR. Butcher
Cashman
Method
Southern
California
Lankership
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Ferry
D.m.ferry & CO
Detroit
Mich
Blenheim Park
Duke of Marlborough
A. B
Sun Boy
Yen
Connecticut
George W. Lotz
Fabucher, la
M. D. Fowler
Southington
Conn
California Fig Syrup CO
DR. Taft Bros
Elm St
Rochester, N. Y
P.N. Y
L. A
Piso
Keeley
Keeley Institute
Corner North Main and
Commercial Lis
Over Farmers’ and Merchants’ Bank
Goiter
Walter Baker
Ican
Dorchester
Mass
Walter Baker & CO. Ltd
Uae
Woodford
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!