A Little History Is Good For The Soul

Closing Out Sale, Omaha Daily Bee (Omaha, Nebraska), April 27, 1902

Anybody in the market for an upright piano? May we suggest Schmoller & Mueller in Council Bluffs? They seem to have great bargains!

Chocolate Angel Parfait Recipe, Panama City Pilot (Panama City, Florida)

This sounds quite nice. We love chocolate in this office. Let it be said that we would omit the nuts and cherries. Please don’t ruin the chocolate with such things.

Special Sale, Los Angeles Express (Los Angeles, California), April 7, 1916

One has to wonder what the brand names of these instruments are. Every musical instrument on this advertisement has the potential to be worth a goldmine today.

What’s Going On, The Salt Lake Telegram (Salt Lake City, Utah), January 1, 1922

Salt Lake City has a rich history of Vaudeville entertainment and this newspaper show bill from 1922 is no exception.

Sisters Jane (1912-1957) and Katherine Lee (1909-1968) were child stars in the silent pictures also traveled with their Vaudeville routine after they retired from acting circa 1919. They acted in “talkies” a handful of times after that, married and faded into domestic life.

Kitty Gordon (Born Constance Minnie Blades, 1878-1974) was also a silent film actress, as well as a stage performer.

The Little Minister was an immensely popular book by J.M. Barrie, which spawned into countless performances of the stage adaptation, as well as at least four silent film versions and one “talkie.”

The Miracle Man starred Lon Chaney (1883-1930), Betty Compson (1897-1974), and Thomas Meighan (1879-1936). A great synopsis of this film by Jim Beaver on IMDb: “A gang of crooks evades the police by moving their operations to a small town. There the gang’s leader encounters a faith healer and uses him to scam gullible public of funds for a supposed chapel. But when a real healing takes place, a change comes over the gang.” Two fragments for this film still exist, however a majority of the film is lost.

And who wouldn’t go see a show with Mary Pickford? Or Tom Mix, for that matter?

Asbestone Advertisement, Atlantic City Gazette Review (Atlantic City, New Jersey), September 17, 1919

Sure, your roof won’t burn in a fire, but, in 30 or 40 years, you won’t be able to breathe. Sounds like an awful idea. If only they had known…

Turner, Stevens & Berry, South Pasadena Courier (Pasadena, California), February 21, 1922

By this time in 1922, Lewis Horace Turner (1871-1957), Arthur Bush Stevens (1868-1951) & Leon Eugene Berry (1876-1936) had over 30 years combined experience in the funerary trade. They would continue to dedicate their lives to this trade until their own deaths.

Third Annual Clambake, Fall River Daily Evening News (Fall River, Massachusetts), August 10, 1915

Mmmmm clams. Tasty treats of the sea, they are. Great price, assuming that the clambake is all-you-can-eat. Food for thought: Swansea Grange is quite close to Fall River, where Lizzie Borden (Known at this time as Lizbeth) was living at her large home called Maplecroft. Perhaps she knew of this clambake celebration. Perhaps she attended. The prospect of her attending though is king of a long stretch. After her trial, she was ostracized by the locals, so she probably wouldn’t have been welcome at an event like this.

In Person, The Seattle Star (Seattle, Washington), December 23, 1939

Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (1887-1943) was critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine. Along with Ruth Hale, Dorothy Parker, and Brock Pemberton, among others, he was a member of the Algonquin Round Table (Also known as The Vicious Circle. Although a bit of a curmudgeon, Woollcott is often regarded as a “master of self-promotion.” Interesting fellow if you are looking for a rabbit hole to descend upon.

This Is Tractor Time, The Billings Times (Billings, Missouri), June 23, 1927

Do you need a tractor to help till the soil? A strong resource to aid your harvest? Early Case IH (McCormick-Deering) tractors were some of the best around.

Special Sunday Night Dinner, The Detroit Times (Detroit, Michigan), November 14, 1908

Hey y’all! It’s Sunday night in Detroit, Michigan. Who wants to head down to Burns Hotel Café and see what kind of spread they put on for 75 cents. Judging by the menu, some of the menu options sound good to us, but creamed calf’s sweetbreads? Really? And okra? Ack.

We hope you enjoyed today’s post! Have a great day!

During our genealogical research, CMS Research & Genealogy comes across many stories that have nothing to do with our current project. We have tons of them and will be sharing them all with you on this blog. All the more reason to come back and visit us again!

June 5, 2023

CMS Research and Genealogy

CMS Research & Genealogy