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!
This newspaper page contains 5 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Troy Weekly Call
Location
Troy, Illinois, United States of America
Date
Dec 19, 1903
Page
11
A fragmented item notes stars shining amid moving winds and a feature by Veus and an artist labeled A, with unclear event or venue details. The readable bits imply a musical or artistic showcase headline without concrete dates or places.
A flood of letters dated December 1903 from Troy Illinois children ask Santa for dolls, toy trains, skates, candy, nuts, oranges, dresses, and small household items. The notes express holiday wishes and a hopeful tone, with many youngsters writing from schools and homes to share their lists.
The Rycroft children and their cousin Donald staged a shadow theater at home during holidays. They projected silhouettes of Grace in a cloak and Garry the collie, then performed scenes from nursery rhymes like Little Red Riding Hood and Dick Whittington, using a candle and a hanging sheet for the screen.
A mixed collection of child pleas for Santa from 1968 includes Henry Beutel requesting a one horse wagon, harness, cart, gold watch, treats, and playthings. Sam asks for a knife, pony, tree, candy, nuts, and bananas. Edward Gerstecker and Leroy Gerstenecker seek toys and firecrackers. Elizabeth Scott asks for two dolls and a doll buggy. others mention toys, schools, and Christmas symbols with era humor.
A surreal dialogue depicts Bobbie rejecting Santa Claus and a stern father figure presses him to maintain the illusion. Bobbie confesses disbelief after years of pretending, insisting the deception stop and Santa be believed no more. The exchange escalates with threats and coercion as the child refuses to participate.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.