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The Hatfields & McCoys… on Pinterest…
September 3, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
There are few conflicts which have been romanticized as much as the quarter-century battle between two extended families from the boarder mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky. Wikipedia describes the ongoing struggle as follows:
The Hatfield–McCoy feud (1863–91) involved two families of the West Virginia–Kentucky area along the Tug Fork, off the Big Sandy River. The Hatfields of West Virginia were led by William Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield while the McCoys of Kentucky were under the leadership of Randolph “Ole Ran’l” McCoy. Those involved in the feud were descended from Ephraim Hatfield (born c. 1765) and William McCoy (born c. 1750). The feud has entered the American folklore lexicon as a metaphor for any bitterly feuding rival parties. More than a century later, the story of the feud has become a modern symbol of the perils of family honor, justice, and vengeance… (view more via Wikipedia)
At Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers we’ve created a Pinterest Board so that those interested in seeing how these events were reported in the newspapers of the day can enjoy contemporary reports. As we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it is read from the day it was first reported”.
Please enjoy: Hatfields & McCoys – The Famous Feud… on Pinterest
A Labor Day Weekend Tribute through rare newspapers…
August 31, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
What was originally intended as a means for honoring the hard-working common laborers who helped build the United States into a prosperous nation (please, no “You didn’t build that!” comments), is now more closely associated with the end of summer. Families and friends join together in one final effort to squeeze the last drop of relaxation from their laborious efforts exerted through the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons. Perhaps in the end this transition is well-suited to the intentions of the original proponents of the holiday… and much more has been gained than lost.
With appreciation for both the original and morphed sentiments of the holiday, the following links are intended to take you on a small trip back through the 19th and early 20th centuries, to view Labor Day through the eyes of those who have toiled before us. Please enjoy…
Labor Day as seen through:
Harper’s Weekly Labor Day issue of 1913
And a number of categories available via the History’s Newsstand eBay Store:
Thanks again to all those who have given so much to help make the world a better place. 🙂
Historic Newspapers in the classroom…
August 13, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
We received the following note from one of our collector friends and thought our readers might enjoy his note:
Dear Tim Hughes and Rare Newspapers:
and rote memorization of facts. Rather, I teach that history is the interpretation of the present as viewed through a prism of past human experiences. I encourage my students to realize that “historical figures” were once living breathing human beings. They may be gone, but the life lessons that they left behind can still empower us to improve our lives and to better understand our world. I believe that “hand’s on learning” provides students with the most ownership of their knowledge. For this reason, my classroom is a museum filled with dozens of historical artifacts and framed newspapers. For example, when studying the Lincoln assassination, I allow students to hold a tear-stained Philadelphia Inquirer from April 1865. My students have even had the opportunity to re-‐enact the 2000 Florida Presidential election on an actual Dade County voting machine. As a practitioner of Problem Based Learning, I believe giving students access to actual historical documents and relics makes the lesson a truly authentic learning experience. I want my students to realize that history is a never-‐ending story of human triumphs and tragedies. It is a story to which they are contributing. That is a powerful lesson.
Tired of fishing him out of the well…
August 3, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This tidbit from the “Olive Branch“, Boston, Nov. 19, 1853, expresses one Californian’s frustration.
Jack the Ripper… on Pinterest
July 20, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Jack the Ripper may very well be the most infamous serial killer in World History. While others may have murdered more people, the terror he caused to what was arguably the most recognized city of the time is 2nd to none. While authentic reports are hard to come by, The Times (London) did an excellent job of following the case. At Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers we’ve put together a set of images which help to tell the story, arranged chronologically, as the readers of the day would have read about it. I’d like to say enjoy…, but somehow such a term doesn’t sound fitting. The images may be viewed via Pinterest at: Jack the Ripper on Pinterest
The traveler… a presidential proclamation… some things never change…
July 16, 2012 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register of July 18, 1812. There I found President James Madison had issued “A Proclamation” to the people of The United States for a day of Humiliation and Prayer for “… their common vows and adorations to Almighty God, on this solemn occasion produced by the war… that turning the hearts of our enemies from the violence and injustice which sway their councils against us, he would hasten a restoration of the blessings of peace…”.
The very last item in this issue (see below) dealt with the newspaper receiving complaints on the irregularity in which it has been received. They were assuring the people that all the newspapers were being “…put into the post office at this place on the day of publication…” and that “.. The delays are upon the road… It is however, due to our excellent post office establishment to say that there are fewer complaints than were anticipated.” Some things apparently have not changed in 200 years…
~The Traveler
Constitution for the “Philadelphia Dueling Club”…
July 13, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Courier” newspaper of Norwich, Connecticut has in its July 2, 1800 edition an apparently tongue-in-cheek report detailing the constitution for the “Philadelphia Dueling Club”. The fact that it was approved on May 32, 1800, and signed by “William Blood, President’ and “Charles Bullet, Secretary” seems to render this less than real, the content is nonetheless interesting reading.
Its preamble notes that dueling has become: “…the fashion to the infinite satisfaction of all men of true honor, & whereas the opinion that this practice is improper & Immoral being only held by old women, or men who ought to wear petticoats…” with more. See the photo for the full 1st article… and the link above for the full text.
Wyoming’s first newspapers…
July 9, 2012 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
Wyoming has the interesting distinction of having once been part of four principal annexations: the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Territory, the Mexican Cession and Texas Annexation. It became a territory in July, 1868 and gained statehood on July 10, 1890.
The “Leader” was the first newspaper in Wyoming, begun on September 19, 1867, the same year that the first settlement had been created at Cheyenne. The newspaper was begun by Nathan Baker and J.E. Gates. Baker gained his printing experience in Colorado, working at the “Rocky Mountain Herald” and the the “Rocky Mountain News”. He went one to establish two other newspapers in Wyoming, the Laramie “Sentinel” on May 1, 1869, and the South Pass “News“. See the hyperlink for the interesting history of this town.
Also begun in Cheyenne in 1867 were the “Daily Argus” in October, and the “Star” in December, but neither one lasted beyond two years. Other early newspapers in Wyoming were the “Sweetwater Miner” at Fort Bridge in February, 1868, a vehicle to promote immigration, and a few months later the “News” at South Pass, noted above.
One of the more interesting newspapers from the West was the “Frontier Index” which began at Fort Sanders and moved along with the Union Pacific railroad going to Benton then to Bryan and then to Bear River City where it was completely destroyed by a mob. And no mention of Wyoming’s newspaper history should fail to mention the “Boomerang” (named for the editor’s mule), founded at Laramie on March 11, 1881 by Bill Nye. Subscribers were found in every state and some foreign countries. When Nye retired from the paper he became one of America’s best known humorists.
Civil War Era Newspapers on Pinterest…
June 29, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers have made a brief attempt at providing an overview of the Civil War via images of historic newspapers. These images may be viewed at: Rare Newspapers on Pinterest. We invite you to join with us in telling the story by going to www.rarenewspapers.com to find additional issues you believe should be added to “the story”. Feel free to provide us with the item number(s) of any you would like to have added. You may contact us by responding to this post or by e-mail (guy@rarenewspapers.com).
The Traveler… war declared…
June 18, 2012 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I journeyed to Baltimore, Maryland, through The Weekly Register dated June 20, 1812. Within this issue is the announcement of the Declaration of War “between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland… and the United States of America and their territories”, signed by JAMES MADISON, June 18, 1812. The final passage vote of the act in the Senate was 19 to 13 and in the House was 79 to 49. This article entitled “Declaration of War” is approximately 5 1/2 pages in length.
With news like this being reported, nothing more needs to be said… and likely little else was read… as life was about to drastically change.
~The Traveler