Approximately a dozen years ago, shortly after the History’s Newsstand Blog was birthed, we ran a series of posts which focused on the joy of finding hidden gems within Rare & Early Newspapers. The introduction to this series, in part, stated:
“What do gold prospectors, pirates, treasure hunters, archeologists, and rare newspaper collectors have in common? They all share the thrill of the hunt and the reward of discovery. When it comes to rare newspapers, finding the unexpected, in contrast to other collectibles, is often a good thing – and at times can even be quite valuable. Since the inception of the History’s Newsstand Blog, a number of posts have focused on this intrinsic pleasure of the hobby, and several readers have responded with ‘discoveries’ of their own.”
Twelve years later we are revisiting this theme once again – but with a specific focus on one title: The Niles’ Register [1]. If you have ever obtained a Niles’ Register (Weekly Register) and discovered within its pages content which was undisclosed – i.e., a “hidden gem”, you are invited to respond to this post with a comment describing your “find”. Please include the exact date of the issue and the page number(s) were the content is located. Feel free to include additional information either about the content itself, or why you found it compelling. Every now and then we will pull a few responses and post them for others to see.
If you would like to learn more about Niles’ Registers [1], you can read additional posts about this intriguing title HERE [2].
4 Comments To "Hidden gems within Niles’ Weekly Registers…"
#1 Comment By Craig A. Tompkins On 10/17/2020 @ 12:03 pm
I love history, and this site is the best way that I know to hold it in your hands !! I wish I had more money because I see so many fantastic pieces of history here that I wish I could buy them all ! My cousin got in to ephemera many years ago and he influenced me in this area. I have been fortunate enough to have some of this beautiful selection that is offered. The fact that you can hold news from hundreds of years ago that was read by someone of that time period is what is incredible. I am related to Daniel D. Tompkins who was the 6th vice president of the U.S. I have many examples of documents which he signed during the war of 1812 . I feel honored to be the curator of these pieces for the duration of my life. Keep up the great work that you do, because us history buffs need a place like this to help us preserve our own collection for the future !!
#2 Comment By Joseph Turner On 10/28/2020 @ 9:26 am
Interesting find – News of the suicide of the first and last King of Haiti.
Found in the “Niles’ Weekly Register” – November 11,1820. [No. 11 – Vol. XIX. Whole No. 479
In the “Foreign Articles” section Page 15 of 16:
“HAYTI”
“King Henry has committed suicide by blow-
ing out his brains. One account says that he did
the deed in July, and that the event was kept se-
cret to secure the succession of his son; and ano-
ther that it happened about the 1st of October.
But it seems certain that he is dead. He had been
struck with a paralytic, and no longer able to com-
mand his troops, they became mutinous, and revolt-
ed at St. Marks – he ordered five regiments to
march and punish the insurgents — they refused,
and then his kingship made his exit. A body of
6000 troops……. etc.
Wikipedia History reports that, “His son and heir was assassinated 10 days later.”
For historical references see :
[3]
and
[4]
“… He built the famous Citadelle Laferrière, a fortress south of his capital at Cap-Haïtien. In August 1820 he suffered a paralytic stroke. When his condition was learned, revolts broke out. In despair over his failure to pacify the country, he shot himself at Sans-Souci palace (the citadel and palace were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1982), and his kingdom became part of the Haitian republic in 1821. …”
Also:
[5]
#3 Comment By GuyHeilenman On 10/29/2020 @ 10:32 am
Thank you. We’ll post this within a separate post on November 30th along with two others.
#4 Comment By GuyHeilenman On 10/29/2020 @ 10:35 am
Hello Craig – You are very kind. Thank you.