Curious Clippings and Local Oddities Across the Nation
A collage of brief society and street anecdotes from across America. Tales include a Santa Monica man's search for a wife to ease loneliness, a humorous Chinese marriage scene, a Utica editor's wartime hanging tale, plans for a Milwaukee pioneer club, memory quirks of stage actresses, a Mobile resident praised for wit, a Baltimore girl who troubles police, a nurse-like parable of a mother braving blizzard with seven children, and odd notes on branding, crime reports, and a Maine codfish cure for seasickness.
The Boston Youth’s Dining Room Demand At Back Bay Home
A six year old boy from a wealthy Back Bay family orders soup removed for not being cleared and warns the maid he will report the cook. His governess, puzzled by his manners, witnesses an apology from the cook. The child’s future role in society is questioned.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Back Bay
That Lady Who Was Prompted to Buy
A Detroit Free Press anecdote describes a woman who habitually canvassed merchants for hours without purchasing. A shopkeeper trained ten clerks to greet her at intervals, prompting her to admit the pattern. After ten interruptions she finally buys, revealing it is the shop’s business to be bothered when serving persistent customers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Woodward Avenue
Detroit Free Press
Snowstorm tragedy claims two Derbyshire boys in moor collapse
In an inquest at Ashopton Inn Derbyshire William Walker aged 17 and his brother Frank 13 died when a snow avalanche slid from Winstone Lee Tor burying the path they used to tend sheep. Their mother and father and brother testified as the jury returned an accidental death verdict.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Standard
A. A. Brooks
High Peak
Derbyshire
Ashopton Inn
Sheffield
William Walker
Mark Walker
Ridinghouse Park
Derwent
Winstone Lee Tor
Frank
Willie
Nell
Frank Walker
London Post Office Magnitude Saves Big on Sealing Wax
A London post office scales large business and saves 15000 dollars yearly on sealing wax and twine. A Chicago drum boy once boasted vast firm earnings, but a Boston auditor notes the head of the firm ordered no dots or crosses in ink to cut ink costs, saving over two million dollars in a year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Chicago
Boston
I’s
An Editor Paid With Oysters in Maryland
An English Consul report to the Government on Maryland oyster fisheries notes humor in which oysters serve as currency. In some lower counties readers pay subscriptions with oysters, and a town with a weekly newspaper yields editors 150 to 200 bushels annually for personal consumption.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore
Maryland
Chesapeake Bay
Start in Life and Rise of Potter and Stymus Firm
The piece recounts how Potter and Stymus grew from clerks in a New York decorative firm to founders of a prestigious venture. With no capital, they won a rich broker’s order to build and decorate a house on the best site, offering full services and payment only after completion. The enterprise yielded 25 percent profit and led to their wealth, highlighting evolving tastes in elegant homes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Sun
Potter and Stymus
New York
August Potter
William P. Stymus
Potter
Stymus
Wall Street
United States
The Convicts Kiss and Courtroom Morals
A Massachusetts lawyer recounts a dramatic incident where a life-sentenced witness in a case kisses Miss Lela Robinson, assistant counsel, after glimpsing freedom from the courtroom. The senior lawyer defends her honor while noting the convict’s remorse and potential moral change sparked by the moment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lela Robinson
Legal Fraternity of
Massachusetts
Durance
Miss Robinson
Domestic Recipes BreakFast Paxcake and Sapat Tomatos
A collection of old kitchen instructions explains how to make a light breakfast cake with eggs flour cream and olive oil butter and lemon juice and how to prepare spring tomatoes for salad by scalding and peeling. It also details a spiced butter sugar molasses ginger allspice cinnamon nutmeg and flour dough recipe for a crusty treat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Horsford
A Railway Romance A True Tale Of Duty And Love
A Chicago Mail item retells a railway tale of an engineer who found a woman as a young apprentice she grew into a beauty and later married him. During talk of a strike the wife urged him to stay with the company and he did, remaining faithful to the line he helped rescue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Rise From Messenger to Firm Head Foretold by Self Belief
Philadelphia financier B K Jamison, once a poor messenger, asked for a raise and vowed to lead the bank. He earned the chance to prove himself with brokerage orders from Colonel Tom Scott, then rose to head the firm as he foresaw.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
B. K. Jamison
Philadelphia
Mr. Jamison
Jamison
Tom” Scott
Scott
Messenger Jamison
Clucago Journal
Wes Sells His Watch Over Time Motive
A man named Wes sells his watch claiming it represents his time and value. The sale centers on the idea that time is precious and warrants such a trade or disposal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wes
Also Mentioned on This Page
Philadelphia Notes
Wrurtam Knox
Santa Monica
San Francisco
Wimmer
Glorius Land
California
William Knox
Joan J. KaNaGan
Utica
Earl
Flanagan
Milwaukee
Mobile
Ry & i
Nashville
Tuene
James Hoenes
Paradise
Times of Deadwood
Sherman Street
Smithville
Texas
Mary Johnson
Independence Avenue
Kansas City
Eastport
The
Boston Youth
England
London Post Office
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!