Last updated on September 28, 2009

Turn of the Century
Newspaper Articles



Articles Concerning Women

Husband and Wife...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Friday, January 4, 1901 edition
"Baltimore American: An Indiana court has decided that husband and wife are two, and that, if the husband gives his note to his wife, he must pay her just as though she were a stranger. The domesticity of the twentieth century is evidently going to take on a serious aspect for the believer in the old theory that husband and wife are one, and that one is the husband. With courts ordering husbands to pay wives the money borrowed from them, a new terror is added to the peris of matrimony."

'Men's Advantage in Clothing'...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 5, 1900 edition
"To assert that men dress better than women is probably to most persons an unorthodox claim," writes Mary Wagar-Fisher. "Their dress is more rational, more in harmony with the outlines of the body, and more in abeyance to its importance and needs. It is free from the bows and loops, the flounces and ruffles, and the countless trivial furbelows and impertiences that give to women's attire a 'spotty' confused appearance, breaking up and spoiling the effect of unity.
"Men's feet are always better dressed than women's, because for one thing they are more in evidence, and they are far less distorted in shape, because their shoes more nearly conform to the natural shape of the foot. The tailor, it is true, often builds up his man, but it is in the direction of symmetry, of good proportion, while the dresmaker, as a rule, hasn't an eyelash for anything more than fashion, which, to her mind, is 'style,' and nothing is too hideous, too inartistic, to be worn if it only be 'fashionable.'"

Era of Crime...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 28, 1900 edition
"The daily robbing of banks, pstoffices(sic), stores, houses, and individuals, all over the country, should be a warning to all to use all the care and precaution possible to protect and secure their property. An era of crime of every description is upon us, and everybody should be prepared for the worst."

Conveniences...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 21, 1900
"All of the telephone exchange here is on the latest improved pattern, with pure metalic circuit, so that when connected with any other subscriber there is no way for any other box not connected to hear the conversation, it being a direct line from one to the other."

Misc...

Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 15, 1899 edition

"The wonders of the long distance telephone are almost beyond belief. Recently the force in the Advertiser office, Montgomery, Ala., was enabled to hear some songs from Indianapolis, 700 miles distant, as plain as if in a hall. "The Telephone Girl," "Georgia Camp Meeting," and good night, thanks, etc., from Mobile, Memphis, and other places."

"One hundred years ago--December 14, 1799--George Washington died--bled to death for a cold!"

Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 23, 1899 edition
"The barber shops were open last Sunday, the first time for several years, although it has been no trouble to get a shave on Sunday at any of the shops during the past year."

"The roads along the line of the new pikes are in a miserable condition. Piles of stone are heaped up in the middle of the road which makes it dangerous for travel. This state of affairs has driven trade away from Rising Sun that rightfully belongs here. Some restrictions should have been put on the contractor."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 29, 1899 edition
"On Tuesday 1000 pounds of tabacco was delivered in Rising Sun from Cleves, Ohio."

--Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 28, 1900 edition

"Rain Thursday afternoon and night, and a promise of more today."

"The Rising Sun public schools are closed this week for the holiday season. They will reopen on Monday next, December 31."

--Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 4, 1901 edition
"Quite a number of persons, scattered all over the country are now able to say they have lived in three centuries. But most of us have only lived indifferently in two centuries."

"Wednesday, January 2, was the most noted day in the financial history of the United States, as about $175,000,000 was distributed on that day to the share and bondholders of the country. This was about $2.30 per capita, but the bast sum found its way to the pockets of only about 12,000,000 persons."

"There are 4,047 men and women in this country estimated to be worth a million dollars or more."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 11, 1901 edition
"The State, county and city tax in Rising Sun is $2.20 on each $100, and $2.00 on each poll."

River and Steamboat Items...

--Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 23, 1899 edition

"After reaching a 25 foot stage the river began falling Wednesday."

"Capt. Chas. Owens was on the State of Kansas when she burned."

"Another big rise in the river is reported at the headwaters of the Ohio."

"Mr. Fred Peyton, one of the most popular clerks on the river, is now head clerk on the Buckeye State."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 5, 1900 edition
"The steamboat W. F. Nesbit was sunk some distance above Cincinnati--a large field of floating ice cutting a hole forty feet long in her hull. No loss ofl ife or freight. She will be raised when the river falls.

Advertising...

Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 23, 1899 edition

"Cranberries, dried California peaches and apples; sweet potatoes, raisins, currants, and everyghing that goes to make up a nice Christmas dinner at Bradford's court house grocery."

"Nuts, oranges, bananas, apples and other good things for Christmas at Bradford's court house grocery."

Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 29, 1899 edition

"While Mr. Foulk is with us, we will make a splendid offer for ten days only, beginning January 1st and ending January 10, 1900. We give you absolutely free one 10 by 20 Platinotype with each order of one dozen Cabinets. Kelso Photograph Gallery, two doors above Anderson's Confectionery."

"D.K. Walton will until New Years day, 1900, make one Imperial Cabinet Photograph of any person of school age and over for the small price of 25 cents."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 12, 1900 edition
'Rising Sun Laundry is the Best.'
"Cofield and Neal have taken charge of the agency of the Rising Sun Hand Work Laundry, and will collect and deliver work three times a week."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 28, 1900 edition
"Come to the City Gallery and have your Photo made, and get one of our Beautiful Christmas Cards which we give free to all having pictures made in the month of December. We invite the mothers to call and see our Baby Record Chart."
Miss M.K. Giles, Photographer

Jobs...

--
Source for below: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 21, 1900 edition

'Guaranteed Salary $900 Yearly'
"Men and women to appoint agents and represent us, some to travel, others for local work. $900 guaranteed yearly salary and expenses. Extra commissions. Old established house, pleasant permanent positions, good chance for advancement and increase of wages. Write at once.
Stafford Press Co., Dept. E. New Haven, Conn.

"Wanted-Activeman of good character to deliver and collect in Indiana for old established manufacturing wholesale house. $900 a year, sure pay. Honesty more than experience required. Our reference, any bank in any city.-Enclose self-addressed stamped envelope.
Manufacturers, Third Floor, 334 Dearborn St., Chicago"

Best Selling Books...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 5, 1900 edition
"The January number of Bookman gives the following six books as the best selling ones during the month of December: Mr. Ford's "Janice Meredith," Winston Churchill's "Richard Carvel," Mr. Major's "When Knighthood Was in Flower," Mr. Westcott's "David Harum," Marion Crawford's "Via Crucis," and Mr. Dunne's latest volume on "Dooley." These are all American books and four of them are historical romances."

Census...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec. 21, 1900
"Under the new census the population of Ohio county is reduced to 4,724; and that of Switzerland county to 11,840."

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec.28, 1900 edition
"The population of Ohio county has decreased 321 in the past ten years. Switzerland county 674, Dearborn 1,170. Jefferson 1,594. Franklin 1,978"

Inauguration...

Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 11, 1901 edition

"The inauguration of Indiana's new Govenor on Monday next is to be a great event. The inauguration ball will be a grand affair at night. Invitations have been received here, and almost anybody can get an invitation who has a five dollar bill to invest in the affair. Or, for $1 you can get into the balcony and see it all, but cannot participate or get anything to eat."


Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Dec 1, 1899 edition

'Since Sixty Years Ago'

(Selected by a Friend of The Recorder)
How wonderous are the changes
Since sixty years ago!
When girls wore woolen dresses,
And boys wore pants of tow;
When shoes were made of cowhide,
And socks of homespun wool.
And children did a half day's work
Before they went to school.

The girls took music lessons
Upon the spinning wheel,
And practiced late and early
On spindle swift and reel;
The boys would go to mill on horseback
A dozen miles or so,
And hurry off before 'twas day
Some sixty years ago.

The people rode to meeting
In sleds instead of sleighs,
And wagons rode as easy
As buggies nowadays:
And oxen answered well for teams
Though now they'd be too slow,
For people lived not half so fast
Some sixty years ago.

Oh well do I remember
That patent Wilson stove,
That father bought and paid for
Of cloth our girls had wove;
And how the neighbors wondered
When we got the thing to go;
They said 'twould burst and kill us all
Some sixty years ago.

Yes, everything is different now
From what it used to be.
And men are tampering all the time
With God's great natural laws!
And what on earth we're coming to
Does anybody know?
For everything has changed so much
Since sixty years ago.
Source: The Recorder, Rising Sun
Fri., Jan. 4, 1901 edition

'Old Sayings'

As blunt as a beetle,
As sharp as a lance,
As grave as a preacher,
As gay as a dance,
As late as the gloaming,
As like as two peas,
As crooked as a ram's horn,
As round as a cheese.

As flat as a flounder,
As sticky as gum,
As wide as a common,
As tight as a drum,
As white as a miller,
As black as a crow,
As lean as a greyhound,
As bent as a bow.

As frail as a bandbox,
As stout as an oak,
As queer as a quaker,
As game as a cock,
As cute as a lawyer,
As square as a die,
As keen as a razor,
As warm as a pie.

As drunk as a paper,
As sober as a judge,
As clean as a shaving,
As filthy as smudge,
As swift as an arrow,
As slow as a snail,
As blithe as a linnet,
As right as the mail.


This site was created and is maintained by:
Kathleen Esposito
Information compiled by:
Kathleen Esposito
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