Origins of Our National Songs and the Star Spangled Banner
Library of Congress music chief O. G. T. Sonneck details the complex history of American national songs. He notes Anacreon of Heav en as the tune for Fort McHenry’s defense and explains why Hail Columbia, written by Joseph Hopkins in 1788, is an American creation. He discusses My Country Tis of Thee and the use of God Save the King, arguing the British air became part of American identity before independence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Library of Congress
America
United States
O. G. T. Sonneck
Division of Music
Sonneck
Baltimore
Marlborough
Patuxent
Patapsco
Fort McHenry
Heaven
Key
Columbia
Joseph Hopkins
William 'C. Woodbridge
Europe
Lowell Mason
Park Street
Boston
Mr. Sonneck
Origins and spread of patriotic songs traced by Sonneck
Sonneck shows how Francis Scott Key penned the Star Spangled Banner aboard a ship near Fort McHenry and the song’s rapid publication in Baltimore. He notes the music for Hail Columbia by Philip Phile, Yankee Doodle’s long history from 1767 1768 print references, and its enduring popularity alongside America and Dixie.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
America
Journal of Transactions
Boston
Castle William
Europe
James Aird
Glasgow
Sonneck
Benjamin Carr
B. Carr
New York
Inventions and Discoveries Parade in a Busy Notebook
A survey of new ideas spans a French process turning flowers and tissues into metal, a Minneapolis road scraper moonlighting as a snow plow, and a typewriter copyholder that moves copy via a lever. Other items include a self destruction study, marble lamp polishers, a gym style chair, a collar tool, an inflated aviation suit, weatherproof hat nets, a hidden microphone, almond shelling by centrifugal blower, and a London oculist note on baby clothing reducing visual defects.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Minneapolis
Nebraska
California
London
Youth Inspires Vigor and Hope, Sedgwick Quotation
A quotation from H. D. Sedgwick in the Atlantic Magazine extols youth as a divine, inexhaustible gift. It asserts youth sustains society, guides labor and endurance, and shapes perceptions of life and death through the energy and wonder of boys and girls.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
God
H. D. Sedgwick
the Atlantic Magazine
Epistolatory Mania Among Youth Mentioned
A Los Angeles Times note cites Southey on letters as fuel for a fire of epistolatory mania. It contrasts his youthful enthusiasm with his later pleasure in receiving letters, and records a young son who dreaded letters for the obligation to reply.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southey
Los Angeles Times
John Dickinson Patriot Leader Dies at 74 in Delaware
John Dickinson, a debated patriot who opposed the Declaration of Independence yet furthered the cause through field service and state councils, died in Wilmington on February 14, 1808 at age 74. He authored key early measures for arms causes and constitutional representation while opposing non independence in his view. His stance against slavery and advocacy for emancipation were noted in his career.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John Dickinson
Wilmington
Del
Dickinson
England
Washington Post
Virginia
Maryland
Dover
William Killen
Delaware
Middle Temple
London
Philadelphia
Continental Congress
Pennsylvania
Boston
America
France
Congress
Annapolis
Senate
Eccentric Meath Lady Leaves Hidden Wealth and Will
A London correspondent reports an eccentric Meath woman died intestate but a large stash of assets was found after 40 days of searching. The solicitor uncovered 7000 pounds in bank notes and securities, plus valuable property and a will benefiting several charities hidden among chaotic piles of papers in every room and hall.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
County
Meath
London
Literary Battalions and the Library’s Silent Battle
A reflective passage compares a library to crowded battalions of books, each bound alike, where finding the right work resembles choosing from a vast array of caskets. It ponders how a charitable reader might identify true books that guide one to wisdom and sacred cities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Emerson
Take the Chair and the Origin of the Head Table
The piece recalls that occupying the chair was once a royal luxury. In medieval times a table was a board on trestles with a single head chair for the host, others sitting on benches. The custom gave rise to the phrase take the chair.
Past That Stage Inva lid
A brief dialogue notes a visitor and speaker discussing reading choices for a patient. The speaker clarifies the patient is convalescent and away from religious texts, prompting a light exchange about suitable books or items for recovery.
Farms the Source of Wealth in War Economy
Bank managers in Canada emphasize farming as the main wealth source amid postwar uncertainty. They note rising food prices, strong demand, and vast undeveloped agricultural land from Canada to the United States, urging investors to acquire and work land to meet a growing world food need. Canada promotes free and affordable land to attract farmers and boost national prosperity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chartered Banks
Canada
Europe
United States
St Johns County Plans End to Oyster Shell Road Surfacing
The St Johns County commissioners announce the abandonment of oyster shell as a paving material for county roads. They claim that over forty years enough money has been spent on oyster shell to have paved all major highways with brick.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
St. John’s County
Florida
The Frayed Will That Delays a Man’s Breakthrough
A pithy remark on motivation notes that exhaustion robs many of the energy to begin. The line suggests fatigue blocks action and progress, framing a common hurdle in personal effort and achievement.
Convincing Proof of This Fact from Personal Letters
A crowd of testimonial snippets reports relief from female troubles and backache after using Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. Women from Ridgway Pennsylvania and Tennille Georgia describe regained health, returned to housework, and gratitude to the remedy and its makers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lydia E. Pinkham
Ridgway
Penn
O. M. Raines
Unfortunate Attachment and A Gentle Question of Marriage
A fragmentary exchange shows a man confessing dislike yet proposing marriage to avoid scandal. He says he does not love or wish to discuss many topics, while the woman asks for the purpose of his talk. He hints marriage as a practical solution to their situation.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Nicholsos
Our City
Samuel F. Smith
Admiral Preble
Francis Scott Key
Walters
Joseph Hopper Nicholson
Baltimore Patriot
Baltimore American
Philip Phile
Cauee
Indants Culdren
Ieee
LS Ao
Castoria
Mrs. Lindsey
Tennille
W. E. Lixpsty
R. R
Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Co
Lynn
Mass
George
Skinner
Amy
Adirondack Mountains
Thousand Islands
New England
Atlantic Coast
Toledo
Cleveland
Buffalo
Niagara Falls
Rochester
Syracuse
Utica
Albany
Springfield
Atlantic City
Pathcaea
Ntral Railroad
QMANA
Nat'l Bank
S. Willer
Cee Pee
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!