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 12 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Van Wert Times
Location
Van Wert, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Jul 31, 1885
Page
4
A verse reflecting aging and acceptance of life’s later years contrasts youth’s loss with a serene meridian imagery. The piece, attributed to Urs. B. Kellogg and published in the Chicago Advance, echoes themes of toil, wisdom, and awaiting the summons as a pilgrim gathers a harvest.
A young solicitor recounts handling a rich mysterious client Miss Howard who wished a will that cut off all heirs and named David Simpson as executor. The plot involved forged signs a witness doctor and a staged isolation, nearly robbing Edward Howard of heirs until the case unraveled.
An extended narrative blends a detective plot where a nephew uncovers a murder scheme involving Miss Howard, theft, and a housekeeper. It shifts to a long article on American cutlery making, then sketches life in Siam with the king and elephant hunts, and ends with reflections on descriptive epithets in language.
The bull-roarer is a long wooden toy attached to a string that roars when spun. Ancient Greeks used a similar instrument in rites with clay daubed participants. The device appears worldwide and remains in use in places like Australia where women are barred from watching tribal rites.
Colonel Royall notes that Indians derive more joy from killing than hunting and that bloodshed intoxicates tribes. The piece contrasts frontier violence with a reflection on Indians and law while also noting rising sugar consumption and per capita sweets in the United States.
A collage of humorous quotes and brief anecdotes from era papers. It includes light banter on meals and health, courtship quips, a cucumber’s fate, a damages joke, a prosecutorial pun, and notes on music and journalism. Notable lines reference French at sea, procrastination, kissing lore, and editor Mamie Hatchett.
A roundup of curious items from around the world includes Westinghouse’s silver-shod horse in Pittsburgh, Arlington Ga arrests for street baseball, overworked tramps, a Berlin rogues gallery growth, a wardrobe fire blamed on matches, giraffe prices, eel positioning in swift water, Paris ambulances for street accidents, and a Green Cove Florida man winning a food wager to gain weight.
Registrar-General notes a drop in marriages conducted by the Established Church from 93 percent in 1841 to about 71 percent, the lowest on record. Licenses fall while banns rise, with numbers increasing steadily since 1856 to 1860 and continuing thereafter.
Religious miscellany contrasts living by faith with active love expressed as obedience. It argues love must be shown through deeds, service, and ministry, not mere feeling. The piece urges a revival of practical religion that visits the afflicted and works among the poor to fulfill the law.
The essay argues that God could not make humans incapable of sin because true freedom requires the power to choose good or evil. It links strong endowments to greater temptation and asserts heroes emerge from resisting strong desires. Temptation arises within the person, with occasion offering opportunity and conscience restraining vice.
A devotional piece argues that victory in prayer comes from solitary communion with God. It cites Abraham Moses Joshua Gideon Elijah Ezekiel Daniel Peter Nathanael John and Jesus as examples of praying alone, closing with a quote urging secret prayer for reward.
A compact collection of quoted maxims and reflections from Adam Paradise, Maclaren, Little Foxes, Christian at Work, C. H. Spurgeon, and St Laws Christian Advocate. The excerpts urge faith, obedience, humility, and moral focus through brief proverbs and devotional notes. The tone resembles a church periodical’s reading list, highlighting spiritual lessons and the value of contemplation.
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.