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Two Discoveries, One Powerful Reminder – It Started with the Pony Express…
January 26, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
From the very beginning, a recurring theme on the History’s Newsstand blog has been the joy of finding hidden gems—those golden nuggets tucked within historic newspapers. Collectors of rare and early papers know this thrill well: you acquire an issue for one reason, only to uncover something unexpected that proves equally—if not more—captivating.
That’s exactly what happened to me recently while examining the April 16, 1860 issue of The Evening Post (New York). My original goal was to locate coverage of the completion of the first run of the Pony Express, and to my delight, I found not one but two front-page reports. Front-page coverage of such events is rare enough—but two related pieces? A true collector’s treat.
As I continued browsing for additional Pony Express material within the issue, I stumbled upon one of those unforgettable “hidden gems”: a printed exchange between a runaway slave and his former master. While not an account of a major historical event, few subjects evoke as much emotion as slavery, and reading such raw, personal correspondence in a period newspaper was deeply moving.
While the issue’s collectible value is likely anchored by its Pony Express reports, it’s this second discovery that continues to resonate with me. It serves as a poignant reminder—to me, my family, and my friends—of the immeasurable worth of every human being. Each of us, created in God’s image, carries equal and sacred value. Red and yellow, black and white—we are all precious in His sight.
All right, I’ll step down from my soapbox now. The photos below provide context for the discoveries mentioned above. Thanks for reading—and for sharing in the joy of finding history’s hidden treasures.
One of the Two Reports regarding the Pony Express
Correspondence Between the Runaway Slave and his former “Master”
Who’s Who in Newspapers? Lewis H. Latimer edition…
January 16, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
The 11th installment of: Who’s Who in Newspapers
Lewis who? A collecting-friend recently asked us if we had the death report of Lewis H. Latimer. He sends us similar requests quite frequently, but it rare that I have never heard of the person who’s obit he is seeking. Lewis Latimer is one of the exceptions, and the time spent bringing myself up to speed was worth the effort. Such explorations are one of the attributes of collecting historic newspapers so fascinating. Shown below, absent of any editorializing, is what was found in The New York Times for December 13, 1928, followed by a bit of background. I hope you enjoy.
Our Listing on www.RareNewspapers.com:
Black Americana: Lewis H. Latimer’s death report – member of the Edison Pioneers…
THE NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 13, 1928
* Death report of Lewis H. Latimer
* Member of the Edison Pioneers
* Credited for drawing plans for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone
Page 29 has a 2-paragraph obituary headed: “LEWIS H. LATIMER DEAD”, which tells of the death of Black-American Lewis Latimer, a member of the Edison Pioneers. See background details below.
Other news of the day is found throughout.
Complete in 60 pages, slightly irregular along the left spine, in very good condition.
Background (Lewis Latimer): Lewis Howard Latimer (1848–1928) was a groundbreaking African American inventor, engineer, and draftsman whose work significantly shaped modern technology. Born in Massachusetts to parents who had escaped slavery, Latimer faced racial barriers throughout his life but persevered through self-education and determination. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War, he taught himself mechanical drafting and was hired by a Boston patent law firm.
Latimer played a key role in drafting the patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone in 1876. He later worked with Hiram Maxim and Thomas Edison, where he improved the carbon filament for incandescent light bulbs, making them longer-lasting, more affordable, and suitable for widespread use. He also authored Incandescent Electric Lighting (1890), the first technical book on the subject.
Who’s Who in Newspapers – Robert Smalls edition…
March 3, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The 9th installment of Who’s Who in Newspapers
Let’s explore for a moment. Would you leave your small child alone in your car with the engine running? Might you ask your best friend, who happens to be a recovering alcoholic, to watch your house – and especially your liquor cabinet, while your family is on vacation? Would you have your dog guard the steaks you’re grilling so you can take a bathroom break? Continuing in the food category (yes, I’m hungry), would you leave a tray of fresh-baked cookies out in the open during your 5-year-old’s birthday celebration and leave for 30 minutes expecting all would still be present upon your return? I’m guessing the answer to all of the above would be a resounding “NO, of course not.” In fact, “What were you thinking?” would be any observer’s reasonable response.
How about this one? If you were the captain of a confederate vessel holding a number of “quite capable” slaves, would you and a large portion of the crew leave them unshackled and largely unguarded so you could enjoy a bit of shore-leave? Before you say, “No capta07in would be so foolish”, it would be worth your time to read about Robert Smalls‘ and his enslaved companions’ escape from the Charleston Harbor on the USS Planter during the Civil War. An article printed in the New-York Tribune date May 24, 1862 is shown below. However, after (hopefully) enjoying the article, it might be worth your time to read more about the event and this fascinating man. Two possibilities are the brief summary found on Wikipedia and/or author Cate Lineberry’s, “Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape from Slavery to Union Hero“. Once again, I am grateful much about him was chronicled in the newspapers of his day – making him an easy edition to “Who’s Who in Newspapers”.
Who’s Who in Newspapers? Denmark Vesey edition…
December 16, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The 8th installment of Who’s Who in Newspapers
Denmark Vesey… Certainly not a household name, but how about Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and Nat Turner? These and more credit the Denmark Vesey incident (a planned slave revolt) as a key cog in their inspiration to risk their lives in order to help free the Southern slaves. The Niles’ Register dated July 13, 1822 contains the following is a brief article regarding the fate of those involved:
Douglass used Vesey, a free black man, as a rallying cry to recruit Black men to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War by declaring, “Remember Denmark Vesey of Charleston”. Vesey’s plot to arm enslaved people against their enslavers and temporarily liberate Charleston inspired abolitionists and fueled anti-slavery activity throughout the United States – many viewing him as a hero and martyr for freedom.
Note: In total, the courts convicted 67 men of conspiracy and hanged 35, including Vesey, in July 1822. Thirty-one men were deported, 27 were reviewed and acquitted, and 38 were questioned and released. You can read more about the incident itself at: The Denmark Vesey Incident.
Who’s Who in Newspapers? Pamela Sparhawk edition…
March 22, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The 7th installment of Who’s Who in Newspapers:
Thanks to Swann Auction Galleries, we discovered another fascinating but unheralded name which appeared in three 1817 issues of the Columbian Centinel (see a photo of the notice below). Swann staff provided the following background:
Pamela Sparhawk was born circa 1761 in Africa, was captured as a young girl and brought to Boston in slavery and was granted her freedom during the American Revolution. She had been separated from her brother by her original owner, but miraculously reconnected with him in Boston, where he owned property and was living under the name Samuel Bean. When Samuel died in 1816, Pamela petitioned the court to be recognized as his heir. Her petition ran three times in the Columbian Centinel newspaper, telling the story of her life: “Pamela Sparhawk of Boston . . . is a native of Africa, and was brought from thence to the West-Indies by a slave trader . . . and was a slave in the family of Rev. Mr. Merriam, of Newton, until the American Revolution. . . Samuel Bean acknowledged her to be his sister and was satisfied of the fact, but it would be difficult if not impossible for her in a court of law to establish her claim . . . in consequence of the unhappy circumstance, which will be easily perceived.” The notices were signed in type with her mark, a sideways capital “X.” The statement was witnessed by Congressman Timothy Fuller (father of the important feminist author Margaret Fuller), but it apparently went unheeded by the General Court.
Pamela Sparhawk’s life has recently been reconstructed and celebrated by the Historic Newton organization in an online exhibition, “Finding Pamela: Writing a New History,” and was described in the Boston Globe on 30 June 2021.
The link to the auction (which at the time of this post was still in the future) is:
SWANN Auction #2663 – The petition of formerly enslaved woman Pamela Sparhawk
Thankfully we had an issue with this coverage as well, but the greatest gain was the research which Swann’s offering inspired. In less than 15 minutes we were able to locate *background information on Pamela which we found qui te interesting.
If you’re curiosity has been piqued to the point where you decide to discover more about her through the following link, please note the additional related information shown below the heading: “Who was Pamela Sparhawk?” Enjoy.
FINDING PAMELA
Dramatic Headlines Speak for Themselves… Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated!
March 11, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The best headlines need no commentary. Such is the case with The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, April 5, 1968, which featured a report on the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr:
“DR. KING IS SHOT TO DEATH”
The impact of Newspapers on the abolition of slavery…
August 4, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The impact print media in general, and newspapers in particular had on attitudes towards slavery cannot be overstated. The abolitionist press was in full-force during the early-to-mid 1800’s with publications such as The Anti-Slavery Bugle, The Emancipator, the National Anti-Slavery Standard, the National Era (which had the honor of being the first to print Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”), among those who carried the torch. While some publishers became household names during this critical period in American history (William Lloyd Garrison – publisher of The Liberator), Frederick Douglass – publisher of the North Star [later, the Frederick Douglass’ Paper], and Horace Greeley – publisher of the New York Tribune), a slew of others, while highly influential, have largely been forgotten. One such unheralded publisher was Hezekiah Niles’, the publisher of the Niles’ Register from Baltimore, Maryland. While Niles’ Register would not be placed under the umbrella of The Abolitionist Press, not wearing this label coupled with its heavy focus on political issues may have played to his advantage when Hezekiah wrote and published his “Mitigation of Slavery” in serialized form over a span of 8 issues in 1819. It may not have had an Uncle-Tom’s-Cabin-level impact among the masses, there is little doubt the minds of many in-and-around Washington D.C. were challenged to keep the abolishment of slavery at the forefront of both political and public discourse. The full text of his essay can be read on-line, however, photo-snippets of portions of an original as well as a brief description may be viewed on the Rare Newspapers website: Hezekiah Niles’ “Mitigation of Slavery“. His final thoughts are shown below.
Horrace Greeley, Fred Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe… Hezekiah Niles…
Snapshot 1960… From Small Beginnings…
May 25, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
What happened? On July 16, 1960, a group of eight African American students – seven in high school and one in college, entered the “whites only” wing of the public library in Greenville, South Carolina to protest the library’s policy of segregation (the library had separate wings for blacks and whites).
Peaceful or violent? They entered the “whites only” wing quietly, selected books from the shelves, and sat down to read in silent protest.
Effective? While only lasting 40 minutes (at which point they were arrested), their actions led to the eventual desegregation of the library a mere 2 months later.
Public response? According to Wikipedia, although the library put up a fuss, and even initially closed stating, “the efforts made by a few Negroes to use the White library will now deprive White and Negro citizens of the benefit of a library”, they eventually reopened due to pressure from the black and white residents of the community.
“Red and yellow, black and white; they are precious…”
Legacy? While it is hard to measure the spidering impact of such “small” efforts, one of the “Greenville 8” is now a household name: Reverend Jesse Jackson.
The small report found on page 19 of The New York Times dated July 17, 1960 is symbolically shown in large format below.
Our obsession with “firsts”… History gives us plenty – including John Rock…
November 28, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
We are a people enamored with firsts: our 1st kiss … finishing in 1st place… 1st to fly… 1st to discover “The New World” (still up for debate)… When I study Scripture, I love using something called “the law of first mention” which says, we best understand a particular word or doctrine by finding and then learning all about the first place in Scripture the word or doctrine was revealed. We also love the 1st man on the moon, the 1st rock opera – and the list goes on and on. Speaking of 1sts…
On February 2, 1865, THE NEW YORK TIMES gave us another first to appreciate, and then later, on February 25, 1865, HARPER’S WEEKLY put a face on this first: that is, John Rock becoming the first African American attorney admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York Times stated in part: “J. S. Rock, of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, was to-day, on motion of Senator Sumner, admitted an Attorney and Counsellor in the Supreme Court of the United States.” Quite historic!
Whether we are reading or collecting “early” newspapers, history provides us with a fascinating list of 1sts which can be celebrated and studied… 1st shut out in baseball… 1st Hispanic Supreme Court Justice… shall I go on?
Juneteenth Revisited – “The rest of the story”…
June 27, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Roughly a week ago we were observing the most recent addition to our list of Federal Holidays: Juneteenth, which commemorates the day when Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas and Major General Gordon Granger informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. His General Order (No. 3) stated: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free…”. However, what is that at the end? Dot, dot, dot? There’s more?
His full order reads as follows: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.” In other words, “You are free, but if you think the government is going to support you if you leave your new ’employer’, think again.” For many, this would be analogous to someone who was bound, kidnapped, and being transported by airplane to some horrible location having their bindings removed and told they were welcome to leave any time they want (albeit, at 10,000 feet without a parachute). While this Order is quite historic, and the day does deserve to be celebrated, there is a whiff of Hotel California in the air: “You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!”
Am I exaggerating – misrepresenting the circumstances? One might think so, but an article I recently discovered within a July 16, 1865 issue of The New York Times which printed a follow-up Order by General Granger given approximately one week later begs to differ: 
Even when granted with good intentions, freedom needs to be embraced – and the “doing so” is often fraught with hardship. However, while the struggle continues, taking time to celebrate this momentous occasion (along with the many victories which have occurred since June 19, 1865) is worthy of our unified, citizen-wide efforts – regardless of our racial, social, political, religious or economic differences. The intrinsic hope of “We The People!” must ever be before us.