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A June, 2016 stroll back thru time – 50, 100, 150, 200, & 250 years ago…
June 2, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
What news was reported in the month of June – 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 years ago (1966, 1916, 1866, 1816, 1766)? Such a walk back through time via the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite revealing. This is why we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.” The following links will take you back in time to show the available newspapers from the Rare & Early newspapers website. There’s no need to buy a thing. Simply enjoy the stroll.
Perhaps not a perfect system, but… Happy Memorial Day!
May 30, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Is the United States perfect? Certainly not. Our forefathers did not sacrifice time, security, and in many cases, life or limb for the sake of a perfect system of government. Their hope was to establish a government for the people – which would provide the opportunity for all to pursue happiness in an environment free of governmental oppression and steeped with a host of inalienable rights. For some, “all” meant everyone. To others, “all” was defined quite narrowly. Still, even those who had a broader view understood the benefit of compromise – for the purpose of establishing a system which would have enough flexibility to adjust to their broader view of “all” over time. We know now the great advancement in this regards only came through a Civil War; however, it came. A perfect system? No. The best system ever constructed by man? Absolutely.
As we contemplate the great sacrifice paid by many to create and preserve this “best system” under God, the New York Tribune dated July 7, 1854 help us to capture the tension and need for growth that was evident to many in the 1850’s. Allow a negro to become a member of Congress? Could this be possible? Those who knew Frederick Douglass certainly thought so. Please enjoy:
A simple reflection on Memorial Day…
May 26, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Memorial Day – a day/weekend set aside in the United States to remember and give thanks for those who gave life and limb so we might have the freedom to enjoy what our Founding Fathers called “self evident inalienable rights” which had been bestowed on us by The Creator. In times of peace and abundance it is easy to forget the great cost that was paid by so many – that others might be free. It is with thin in mind I was struck by a March 20, 1861 issue of the Western Christian Advocate from Cincinnati, Ohio which provided details of General George Washington’s famous “Prayer at Valley Forge” (see below). The link above provides access to the full text of the article. Please enjoy (and appreciate) a blessed Memorial Day Weekend.
The Louisiana Purchase is useless to the United States…
May 23, 2016 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
It is always interesting to read criticisms of political decisions of centuries ago with the luxury of hindsight. Early newspapers allow today’s reader to recognize just how much thought was not just wrong, but laughably wrong.
One example is in the August 6, 1803 issue of the “Columbian Centinel” which contains a letter complaining about Presidents increasing the national debt: “…those very papers are now extolling the wisdom of Mr. Jefferson in adding eleven millions of dollars to the funded debt of the United States. Great clamour was raised against the administration of Mr. Adams because he did not effect a greater reduction of the national debt…Now in a time of profound tranquility the national debt is to be increased fifteen millions of dollars in one year, for the purchase of a country most of which is uninhabited and totally useless to the United States.”
From that purchase in 1803 would be carved fifteen future states as well as two Canadian provinces. Its value to the United States would be incalculable today, and in fact was considered an incredible bargain many years before the Civil War.
This one is hard to stomach…
May 19, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
I confess, until recently I would never have thought to pick up a copy of a druggist’s publication – unless of course I was looking for an alternative to taking Benadryl as a sleep aid…err, I mean, because of my allergies. However, after perusing a March, 1887 issue of The Druggists Circular, I may need to revise my list of genres of preferred reading. An inside page has an article which is now on my agenda of things to share with my grandchildren the next time we’re on a long hike – preferably on a hot summer day. The article in its entirety is shown below. Please enjoy. 
The Traveler… spreading the word… named director…
May 16, 2016 by The Traveler · 2 Comments
Today I journeyed to New York City by the way of the New-York Spectator of May 15, 1816. There I found the announcement of the formation of “The American Bible Society” which still exist today. Some of the founding/early members include Elias Boudinot, who had been President of the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1783, John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, Daniel Coit Gilman, Edwin Francis Hyde, and Francis Scott Key. The front page report announced the formation of the organization and the third page report contained their resolutions. “… The leading feature of the constitution limits the operations… to the distribution of the bible without note or comment…”.
Also in the issue is an article “Bank of the United States” in which “The President and Senate have appointed the following named, Directors of the Bank of the United States… John Jacob Astor, of the city of New-York…”. Mr. Astor was known as the first prominent member of the Astor family, the first multi-millionaire in the United States and the fifth-richest man in American history.
~The Traveler
The horrors of Billiards and Baseball… Those were the days…
May 12, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A few days ago we posted a blog concerning one of the most shocking events of the 20th century: The 1969 Tate Murders by Charles Manson and his followers. As we reflect back on the turbulent 1960’s, the tragic and bizarre murders seem to have been a somewhat appropriate ending to a very troubled era in American history. Perhaps ironically, nearly 100 years prior and on the opposite coast, the New York Times (October 26, 1860) was reporting about two other societal stressors: billiards and baseball. While we all can appreciate the horrors of billiards (who doesn’t identify with “Ya got trouble, right here in River City”), the article on baseball is what catches our attention. Apparently, young boys playing baseball in the park were creating a high degree of angst among the strollers of the day. Who among us would not trade the distractions and temptations of today’s youth for the youthful pastime activities of yesteryear?
A May, 2016 stroll back thru time – 50, 100, 150, 200, & 250 years ago…
May 6, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
What news was reported in the month of May – 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 years ago (1966, 1916, 1866, 1816, 1766)? Such a walk back through time via the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite revealing. This is why we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.” The following links will take you back in time to show the available newspapers from the Rare & Early newspapers website. There’s no need to buy a thing. Simply enjoy the stroll.
What would it cost today?
April 28, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
I recently came across a large advertisement for a newly built home in a Helena, Montana newspaper from 1892 (see below). After viewing the sketch of the home and reading the details of the listing, I immediately wondered what it might cost in today’s dollars. Thanks to the internet I found an easy-to-use inflation calendar, entered the needed data, and voila! I couldn’t have been more wrong. Just for fun, respond to this post with your guess, and then give it a try. I hope you have a better sense of the impact of inflation on the value of the almighty dollar-over-time than I.
Presumed guilty… Lizzie given the ax by some before the end of the trial…
April 25, 2016 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
It can be interesting to read headlines in newspapers of past centuries and note quickly how politically incorrect publishers were, and how there was little concern to presume a defendant guilty in the press before a trial even began.
The renowned case of Lizzie Borden, accused of murdering her parents, found coverage in “The Memphis Appeal-Avalanche” issue of August 30, 1892. Even during the inquest the newspaper was quick to include column heads, almost poetically presented: “About Miss Lizzie Borden” “Nearer and Nearer Looms the Gallows-Tree Before Her” “Clearer and Clearer It Appears She’s a Murderess” and more (see). In today’s world publishers are quick to use words such as “alleged”, or “accused of” which make no inference of guilt of innocence. Not so in the 19th century.