Origin of Uncle Sam Verified by WPA Writers
WPA researchers traced the Uncle Sam origin to the War of 1812 era with Samuel Wilson and Ebenezer Wilson as meat inspectors. The tale links the nickname to a Troy contractor’s provisions marked U S and a joking refrain by workers. The article notes the phrase spread nationwide and became a national symbol.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Uncle Sam
WPA
Federal Writers’ Projects
United States
Samuel Wilson
West Cambridge
Arlington
Mass
Samuel
Ebenezer
Edward
Troy
N. Y
Albert Matthews
New York
New England
Matthews
England
Elbert Anderson
Hudson
Messrs
Sam
Army
E. A
U.S
Wilson
U. S
Sam’ Wilson
Health hints for school days from New York State Society
The Medical Society of New York State launches weekly health bulletins to aid families during fall and winter, focusing on preventing the common cold and pneumonia. Advice covers nutrition, fuss-free dieting, preparing children for school, safe feeding, swimming education from age six, and budget-conscious meal planning. It warns against overfeeding babies, excessive appetite coddling, carbon monoxide risks, and fake tuberculosis cures, while affirming that milk is valuable and there is no acid body condition.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Albany
N. Y
Medical Society of
New York State
Empire State
Shaving Brush Worries Dad and Wife
A brief dialogue has Dad lamenting a stiff shaving brush and Wife noting it felt soft when she painted the bird cage yesterday, prompting questions about the brush's condition.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wifey
The Spice of Life and Busy Too in a Quick Parade
A humor filled column features quick quips from a solicitor seeking a boss, a radio staff hopeful with acting misfortunes, a street encounter about hair, and a night court scene where a tough prisoner taunts the magistrate and defies verdict based on the judge's calculation.
Simple Life Or Saxophone Love Jokes At City Hotel
A string of humorous vignettes from a city scene features a country home buyer chasing a saxophone, a mother quipping about love, a hotel manager catching a bell hop peering through transoms, rival truck drivers trading barbs, and a judge touting an adroit robbery as the prisoner protests.
Mother and son quarrel over schoolyard hitting
A brief dialogue shows a boy named Harry admitting to striking Bob and claiming Bobby is more distressed. The exchange with his mother reveals remorse framed by a child’s witty deflection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bobby
Harry
Economic Difference and Cultural Gaffes in Banquet Chats
A humorous contrast on wealth altering appearance and behavior. A grocer quips about malted milk versus whipped cream from a misinformed clerk. A guest at a banquet awkwardly polishes small talk with a Chinese guest who replies with polite nonverbal reactions fading into fluent English as the evening advances.
Newcomer girl joins church as minister offers visit
A girl who recently moved to a town attends her first Sunday service. After the service the young minister greets her and suggests calling next week. She politely declines, saying she has a young man.
Two Weeks Each Way in Tintack's Vacation Rule
A friend asks if Tintack gives clerks two weeks' vacation yearly. He grumbles that it is a month total. He explains two weeks off for him and two weeks off for the clerks when their turns come.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Whitewright
McAlester
Man Battles Dandelions In Quest For Green Lawn
A homeowner takes pride in his lawn but faces a big dandelion invasion this year. He tries every known device to uproot them, yet the stubborn patch persists and leaves him discouraged.
Long Distance Caller At Jones House Reveals Mystery
A colored maid repeats polite refusals while a caller probes if this is the Jones house and whether Mrs. Jones is home. The exchange ends with the caller claiming long distance from Washington and the maid confirming with yes ma am phrases as the scene closes with an unsure long-haired visitor facing the man-
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lucy
Farmer Told to Learn to Love Dandelions
A farmer wrote to the Department of Agriculture detailing his struggles with dandelions and asking for help. The reply advised him to embrace the weed, suggesting he learn to love them.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Department of Agriculture
Water asset draws town visitors and funds
A visitor praises a local water sheet as a great town asset. Native residents say they have benefited from a winter appropriation to deepen it, a summer plan to drain it under rivers and harbors, and hopes for a mosquito control funded tree planting. Dooley and a man named Dooley are mentioned in a long running feud that ends with a burial.
Mean Temperatures Stir Town Gossip and a Wedding Hoax
A stitched-together dialogue from a 19th century newspaper page centers on a housewife chiding a beggar about visits, a tramp claiming Doctor's orders, and a couple whose honeymoon trip after a ceremony ends in Casualty Hospital. A local stranger asks about mean temperatures, prompting a native quip that the place is mean indeed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bings
Casualty Hospital
Quotations Echo Historic Wit and Domestic Advice
In a playful exchange Baggsby praises a nation’s greats while Crabshaw quips about Lincoln Jefferson and his wife. Mrs Simpson cautions her daughter on romance and Dorothy counters with a humorous note about kissing. The dialogue blends historical reference with domestic instruction and light social satire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baggsby
Crabshaw
Lincoln
Jefferson
Also Mentioned on This Page
Whitewright Lumber Co
Ford Motor Company
Dallas
South Seas
Ager
Yellee Muchee
Joseph W. Miller
The
Thornton
Dooley
Sinclair Products
Navy
Stateville
Life Insurance
Stephens & Bryant
First National Bank
L. LaRoe & Co
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!