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I’m New Here: Week Forty…
December 6, 2019 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
At the start of this week, I was a bit hard-pressed to think of something new I learned. Winter dramatically closed the Thanksgiving celebrations in our part of the world, and I spent two days trying to determine the best window for travel within two storm systems. Consequently, I arrived halfway through the day Monday and have been scrambling to catch up with the December crush of orders ever since. Yesterday I decided that this was a good time to reflect on all the things that have become old hat to me, and how much I enjoy the rhythm of this world of old newspapers and the folks that value and collect them. However, the end of the day brought home a new lesson.
A quick search of the internet archive yields a total of 1,355 works that are about Harriet Tubman. Many titles are children’s books, by which young people have learned of Tubman’s many missions to liberate somewhere between 70 and 300 slaves, with heroic disregard for her own precarious freedom. Her name is closely associated with the Underground Railroad, and she is credited with the altered route into Canada in response to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.
And yet.
This week we discovered a report of her death in “The Omaha Bee” for March 11, 1913, out of Nebraska. It is outrageously brief, and bewilderingly sparse in its acknowledgement of the North American 1800’s “Moses”.
The following is what Tim wrote for an upcoming catalog listing:
Page 3 has a somewhat inconspicuous report on the near death of the famed Harriet Tubman.
The report is headed: “Aged Negress Friend Of Abraham Lincoln Dying” and reads: “Harriett Tubman, a colored woman 95 years old, who is said to be a friend of Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward, and who was associated with John Brown in anti-slavery work, is dying here of pneumonia.“
A curiously brief report giving her extraordinary life. A notable that of the many volumes of newspapers in our inventory this is the only report of her death (or nearly so) that we could find.
The new thing I learned this week is that a newspaper can only report on things to which the editorial staff is paying attention, or finding noteworthy. This seems more than a bit disconcerting, but then again I may have had too many Thanksgiving treats.
Who is Toussaint L’Ouverture?
June 21, 2013 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Every now and then we’ll come across an article which either illustrates a different side of a well-known historic figure, or provides a glimpse of someone whom we wonder why they have not received more recognition over time. Every now and then we’ll try to bring some of these to light. In this instance, our attention is drawn to Toussaint L’Ouverture. While he may be known to historians, the average person has most likely never heard of him. However, there was a time when this was not the case. In the mid-1800’s, his influence was known world-wide, and the ripple effects of his actions continue to be felt today. If you desire to know more, a lengthy biographical sketch by the often-verbose Wendell Phillips printed in the April 3, 1863 issue of The Liberator might be an excellent launching point. The entire article may be viewable at: The Liberator, April 3, 1863.
Wikipedia also does a pretty good job of providing additional details regarding his fascinating life. While most are no longer available, a few additional tidbits may be gleaned from other newspapers of the period: Toussaint L’Ouverture
Enjoy!
Details of a slave auction…
November 26, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Mentions in pre-Civil War newspapers of slave auctions are not uncommon, and those which mention prices fetched for various slaves are somewhat more rare. But it is very difficult to find period articles which offers detail as to how an auction is conducted, how the slaves are examined, and comments on the slaves’ reaction to their sale.
The “New York Tribune” issue of April 28, 1860 includes an article titled: “The Negro Market In Savannah” which has such detail. It offers an interesting perspective on this institution which seems so barbaric today, but which was an accepted part of business in the pre-war South. A snippet of the text is found below, with the text in it’s entirety, along with a report of a fugitive slave case, is found at: “The Negro Market In Savannah“.
The Civil War… 150 years ago today… July 13, 1861
July 13, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
We continue our weekly feature of reflecting upon the appropriate 150 year old issue of “Harper’s Weekly” from the perspective of a subscriber in 1861:
The front page (of the July 13, 1861 issue of my Harper’s Weekly) has a scene from: “The Battle of Boonville, Missouri”. So much gunfire & smoke! Inside has a nice print of “Fort McHenry, Baltimore”, a famous fortress from the War of 1812. There is also a nice full page print showing: “The Cabinet at Washington. It is great to put a face to so many names read in the newspapers, including Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, Simon Cameron, Gideon Welles, Salmon Chase among others.
Showing a “softer” side of the war is a full page print with 4 scenes of: “Hot Coffee Free For Volunteers Passing Through Philadelphia. Another page has a dramatic full page print of “Winfield Scott, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army” at 75 years old! (and he looks it). Also a full page print of “Major-General Scott at 41”.
Certainly the most dramatic print is the full page showing: “A Slave Auction at the South”. The whole process is incredibly inhuman and is part of what this war is all about.
There is another full page print of: “Major General John C. Fremont in His Prairie Costume”, just one of many different uniforms worn by soldiers in this war. He looks as though he stepped round of the wilds of the West.