Those Cave Creek Phrenologists
A humorous reminiscence from Cave Creek on phrenology in the eighties. Old Bill Watkins questioned the science by asking if a pumpkin could reveal seeds, while Uncle Dick Parsons and Sam Dorset chase charts and notes. The piece riffs on locals, including Tom Jenkins, Phil Hodges, and a boastful view of Cave Creek as a hub of undeveloped genius.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cave Creek
Old Bill Watkins
Parson Meadows
Bill
Dick Parsons
Sam Dorset
Sam
Tom Jenkins
Tom
Bill Watkins
Sallie Gooden
Dinah Gal
Phil Hodges
Napoleon Boneparte
Bill Posey
Buck Sloan
Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic claims iron and quinine tonic
Purported blood purifier and strength builder promoting energy and appetite. Claims to enrich blood with iron and purify via quinine. marketed as non patent medicine. Popular for malaria and body building with a long history. price 60 cents per bottle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
GROVE
Phrenology Tales From a Bygone Era
A humorous reminiscence reflects on phrenology’s bold claims and misreadings. The narrator riffs on famous sounding organs predicting leadership, wealth, and genius in unlikely people, only to conclude skepticism toward the science and a chuckle at personal miscast expectations.
Christmas cards engraving order deadline at The Sun
The Sun advertises engraved Christmas cards with orders due by December 1st to ensure delivery. A large selection of individual samples is available with prices from 8.25 to 16.00 dollars for 50 cards.
Borrowed and Stolen Smiles by The Jokeshmith
A humorous exchange centers on a domestic task. The guest refuses strength, the lady presses, and the servant offers a single ready answer dusting. The vignette plays on comic mismatch between expectation and capability.
Getting It Right Honeymoon Row Sends Father Riddle
A bride and groom on their honeymoon share the line about “having a row every morning before breakfast.” The bride telegraphs the father, who replies with a punny query about pronouncing r o w, recalling his own past.
Nothing Doing for Him in Comedy Exchange
A humorous exchange shows a suitor asking for the hand of a daughter while the father retorts that he does not carry his daughter's hand with him, exposing the comic miscommunication and social friction in a quaint scene.
Dishonest job bidder and a burglar’s mistaken raid
A shop job offer leads to distrust of a young man. A burglar enters a poet’s room by mistake and, finding nothing to steal, departs. Mrs Sutton seeks a general houseworker and a negro girl advertises for the post, stating she does not cook.
Odd verse snippets spark playful household banter
A string of light verse lines features a talkative wife asking about chores and a bold romantic figure from Siam with a cheeky lover. The exchanges mix chores, romance, and comic mischief in terse quips.
First to Answer Telephone, Boy Mistaken Identity
A small boy answered the phone first. The caller asked for Mrs Blank's residence, but the operator or answering party replied that it was Mrs Blank's little boy, revealing a case of mistaken identity in a domestic exchange.
Meekest Woman Question Stumps Sunday School
A visiting minister tests children on Bible figures asking who was the first man and woman, then who was the meekest man and woman. All answer Moses for the man. no one speaks for the woman until a small hand rises as the preacher eyes the child.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Adam
Eve
Moses
There Wasn’t Any Child For That Question
A brief dialogue scene features a boy insisting there was no woman or girl to answer a question about a child. The exchange hints at deception or misunderstanding, with the boy's certainty underscoring the mystery in the scene.
A Love That Failed Amid Domestic Tensions
A housewife questions her spouse about work while a tramp laments that love is blind. The brief exchange frames a small social scene of marriage strain and displaced longing in terse dialogue.
No Worms in a Healthy Child Ad Page Claim
An old advertisement promoting Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic as a health tonic for children with worm infestations. It asserts poor blood causes illness, catalogues stomach issues, and promises blood enrichment and improved digestion. Claims the tonic helps dispel worms and restore perfect health, with a 60 cent price.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Grove
Rat That Failed to Smell After Months Dead
James Sykes a Westfield New Jersey butcher recalls a rat he claims was dead for at least three months. He fed it RAT SNAP placed behind a barrel and months later found the rat dead with no odor. RAT-SNAP comes in three sizes 35c 65c and 125. Sold and guaranteed by Wilson Montgomery Hardware Co and Dyer Jones.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James Sykes
Westfield
N. J
Wilson-Montgomery Hdw. Co
Dyer & Jones
Also Mentioned on This Page
By Joe Sappington
Po Phonograph
Pathé
Whitewright, Texas
Mrs. Sutton
Littens
MPOMN
Littell
James F. Ballard
St. Louis
Mark
Dinah
the Sun
Bayer
Dodson
Dray Line
Ode Crowell
T. H. Lively
G. W. Parker
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!