As I was going through a newspaper printed the day my grandmother, Ella (House) Amore, was born – June 22, 1882, I was struck by the type of products and services offered.
- Opium – advertised by a dr.
- Drunkeness Easily Cured by Leslie E. Kekley, M.D.
- Make Hens Lay by giving them Horse and Cattle Pills
- New Rich Blood by taking Parson’s Purgative Pills
- Noise Collars
- Kidney – Wort for the permanent cure of constipation
- Band and Military Uniforms
Other items of interest in the “gossip” section include:
- A church had to get a prescription in order to have wine for communion
- A lady sued her ex-fiance for breach of promise and received $700 in settlement
- A butcher who sold meat from a steer that he killed due to cancer, was bound over for the grand jury
- A man threatened his wife’s lover until he admitted the affair then was tied to a post and castrated.
- 1300 men were confined in Ohio’s penitentiary but only 91 for life.
- The “Sunday” law stopped being enforced in Columbus.
- A man said his horse was 80 years old.
- A man was almost sentenced to two years in prison for vagrancy until he admitted he just inherited two million dollars.
- A baby was found near the railroad tracks after it had been born – someone threw the baby off the train.
What was happening the day one of your ancestors was born?
Advertisements
I love old newspapers and magazines. Just to think my ancestors might have taken some of those cures leaves me amazed that I am even here.
I have found some wonderful bits to add to my family history to make a colorful and accurate story.
Very interesting!
fM
Very interesting! Mind you, we may think these news items to be odd, but I bet our ancestors would think some of our current news articles are odd too if they were to read them!