St. Louis, Missouri in 1851...For Sale: A Human Being

I recently added an original issue of the St. Louis newspaper, Daily Missouri Republican (August 12, 1851) to my collection.

The first thing you notice upon opening the newspaper is that this is One. Big. Paper. It measure about 24 inches wide and 30 inches long...you'd need to have a big breakfast table to read this one in the morning.

The newspaper includes several items of interest to me, mostly advertisements.

There are of course the patent medicine and local drug business advertisements which always appeal to me, including this small section (of a full 30 inch column) for Mortimore's Rheumatic Compound and Blood Purifier (I believe it was a locally produced remedy, but I am doing more research).







But, on this first day of African-American History Month 2012, what really struck me were the advertisements for slaves for sale or hire and an ad for a reward for a runaway slave:












The most interesting by far, though, is this advertisement for insurance for slaves. I've been building a vertical file of material for a future article on insurance companies and the Civil War (some well known companies have great Civil War stories and have maintained their corporate records and history quite well). And, beginning in 2000, several states enacted laws requiring insurance companies doing business in their state to provide any information regarding their role in issuing slave insurance policies.

Galveston Research Summary #11 - "My Father is Here" (Death of Edward Lea)

In his book, Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston, historian Ed Cotham justly declared the episode I describe below as one of the most “heart-stirring stor[ies] in the whole Civil War," and I can't disagree.

That episode was the death of Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lea, U.S.N., during the Battle of Galveston, made all the more tragic because his father, Albert Lea, was on the opposing side in the very same battle.

As a follow-up to my previous post (here) on my recent tour of Galveston's historic cemeteries, in this post I share some photos of the headstone of Edward Lea in the Old Episcopal Cemetery.

The basics of the story have been related in Galveston newspapers and other Battle of Galveston lore since the day of the battle, New Years Day 1863, but typical is this passage in the July 28, 1886 issue of The Galveston Daily News:

Captain Wainwright, of the [Harriet] Lane, was killed while giving orders from the bridge of his vessel. The command then devolved on Lieutenant Commander Edward Lea, who gave orders to the man at the wheel to steer so as to avoid the onset of the Bayou City, but he was too slow, and one of the finest ships of war belonging to the United States was captured with pistols and shotguns in the hands of Texas Horse Marines.

The tragic death of Lieutenant Lea, who had been mortally wounded soon after taking command, was an event long to be remembered by every participant in the battle.He died in the arms of his father in the cabin of the Lane. Major A. M. Lea, the father, belonged to the Confederate army, and read the burial service of the Episcopal Church over the open grave where his son and Captain Wainwright were buried in the same grave.

The remains of Captain Wainwright were removed to the North soon after the war closed, but the grave of Lieutenant Lea can be seen in the Episcopal Cemetery at Galveston, covered with a plain marble block inscribed:

EDWARD LEA,
Lieut. Commander, U. S. N.
Born 31st January, 1S37.
Killed in battle January 1, 1863.
"My father is here"

The concluding words were the last ones he uttered. This event made a strange impression and showed the horrible features of the Civil War of 1861.

There is more to the story, of course: Edward's refusal to join the Confederacy, his estrangement from his father, Albert Lea's own contributions to American history (the Minnesota town Albert Lea is named for him), and some orders for Edward drawn up on the very day he fell in battle.

You'll learn more about this story in my own forthcoming book on Galveston in the Civil War, coming from The History Press later this year.

Until then, enjoy the photos. And Remember.

1864 Letter from "Eye, Ear, and Throat" Doctor to Union Sailor! (Part II)

In my last post (here) I featured an 1864 letter in my collection from an "Eye, Ear, and Throat" doctor to a Union sailor off the coast of North Carolina.

In addition to the terrific envelope/cover and the even more terrific content of the letter, I was also pleased to be able to find some great biographical information on the sailor, Hiram Parker, Jr., and the doctor, E. B. Lighthill, which I happily share below!

There is some wonderful biographical information to be found on Dr. E. B. Lighthill (and other Lighthills mentioned below).

For a start, here is his obituary in the March 27, 1901, edition of The New York Times:

Dr. E. B. Lighthill, the widely known specialist,died suddenly Monday night at his home, 12 Hill St., Newark, N.J. Asthma or bronchitis caused death. He was seventy years old and was a brother of Dr. August P. Lighthill of Boston. The latter with Dr. C.B. Lichtenberg of New York, had visited him Monday and were pleased with the apparent good condition of his health. Dr. Lighthill was a native of Germany an a graduate of Frederic William University in Berlin. He practiced for many years in Syracuse and this city, after coming to this country. Ten years ago he located in Newark. He was a member of the New York Medical Society.

It's a rather laconic obituary, but more details on the Lighthills and Lichtenberg can be found in one of my favorite modern sources on quacks and other purveyors of "popular medicine": Social Medicine in the United States, 1717-1917: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalog of the Edward Atwater Collection (several volumes, 2001-). In Vol. 1, there are a few citations in the Atwater collection that shed some additional light:

August P. Lighthill was an 1851 graduate of the University of Berlin and an 1877 graduate of the Eclectic Medical College of the City of New York. He appears in the Boston directories under the category "Physician, other,"intermittently from 1863 to 1868, and with E. B. Lighthill in 1885. Edward Bunford Lighthill was an 1882 graduate of the Eclectic Medical College of New York.

According to Atwater, "C. B. Lichtenberg" also adopted the "Lighthill" surname.

The Lighthills advertised widely in newspapers and journals of the Civil War era and a few examples are provided below.

[Note in this example (The New York Times, August 19, 1863) the address at 34 St. Mark's Place which corresponds to the address on the letterhead featured in my previous post]






In fact, this was just the heading for an advertisement that included a full column of testimonials; among them is one from a fellow fighting for the Union. Perhaps it was testimonials from fellow soldiers and sailors like this that prompted Hiram Parker, Jr., to contact Dr. Lighthill!






As seen in the advertisement at the top of this post, the Lighthills (A.P. and E.B.) also traveled and offered their services in other towns, such as Bangor, Maine (ad is from September 19, 1861).

They also authored pamphlets such as "A Popular Treatise on Deafness," "Letters on Catarrh":




Some great biographical information on Hiram Parker, Jr. - including a description of his Civil War service - appears in History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania (1907):

The business firm best known under the title of Sparks & Parker represents one of the pioneer industries in Pottsville which has survived the ravages of time. It was established by Jabez Sparks in 1855, for the manufacture of steam boilers, stacks, ventilating fans, the repairing of machinery, etc., and this is the business now owned and conducted by Hiram Parker, Jr. In 1876 William G. Sparks and Hiram Parker became the constituent members of the firm, and they continued as such until the death of Mr. Sparks, in 1898. For a few years following this event, the estate of William G. Sparks was unsettled, and the business was continued under the title of Sparks & Parker. Mr. Parker then came into the sole ownership. This industry during the half century of its existence has afforded profitable employment to hundreds of men, and is one of the few ancient landmarks of Pottsville.

[Note below the mention of the USS Louisiana, on which boat Parker was serving when he received the letter from Dr. Lighthill!]

The buildings, solid and substantial in their day, show the effects of the passing years. But the interesting life history of Hiram Parker, Jr., is not confined alone to the workshops with which his family has been so long connected. He spent more than twelve years in the United States navy, covering the entire period of the Civil War. His duties led him to nearly every port of the civilized world, and thus he rounded out an experience enjoyed by comparatively few men. He enlisted in 1861 as assistant engineer, and was assigned to duty on the gunboat Kanawha, in the Gulf Squadron, under command of Admirals Farragut and Porter. After a year of active service in this capacity he was detailed to take a prize vessel from Mobile bay to New York, and while in the city on this mission, he was examined and promoted, and was then assigned to duty on the gunboat Louisiana, in the North Atlantic Squadron, with headquarters at New Berne, N. C. Just prior to the battle of Fort Fisher Mr. Parker was detailed to the gunboat Tacony, on board of which vessel he completed his Civil war service. He participated in a number of naval battles, notably the bombardment of Fort Fisher, and the second battle at that point, which resulted in the capture of that Confederate stronghold. He was with the blockading squadron off Mobile, and in the historic manoeuvers of the Gulf and the lower Mississippi. After the close of the Civil war he was with the South Pacific Squadron for three years, and spent a like period with the South Atlantic Squadron, principally on South American coasts, being first assistant engineer on board the Lancaster. He was acting chief engineer on the Powhattan during the Cuban filibustering troubles following the close of the Civil war. One year was spent on shore duty, thus rounding out a continuous service of twelve years.

Hiram Parker, Jr., was bom in Pottsville, Oct. 4, 1841. He is a son of Hiram and Sarah P. (Craft) Parker, natives of Massachusetts...Mr. Parker was educated in the public schools of Pottsville. He was employed as a clerk in a store for a year or two after leaving school, and then he became an apprentice to the machinist's trade, at the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad shops. His subsequent business career has already been briefly outlined in this article. He has been twice married. In 1871 he wedded Miss Mary E. Sparks, a daughter of his business partner... He is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows' fraternities, and a Republican in political affiliations. He has served a number of years as a member of the Pottsville school board, but never sought or held other political offices.

Hiram Parker, Jr.. also has a findagrave.com page here.

1864 Letter from "Eye, Ear, and Throat" Doctor to Union Sailor! (Part I)

Today I share a GREAT letter in my collection written in 1864 from a doctor in New York to a sailor in the United States Navy.

The letter is awesome on so many accounts - especially for its content and for the biographical details available on the writer and the recipient.

Start with the cover! It's addressed to "2nd Ass[istant] Eng[ineer]r Hiram Parker, Jr, U.S.N., U. S. Steamer Louisiana, off Washington North Carolina"! More details on Hiram Parker, Jr., will be provided in my next post. The USS Louisiana has a GREAT Civil War history, which is detailed in the online "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" with an entry here.


The letter is written on stationery of the "Office of Dr. Lighthill's Institute for Treatment of Diseases of the Eye, Ear, and Throat, No. 34 St. Mark's Place, New York." More biographical detail on Dr. Lighthill (Lighthills, actually!) will be provided in my next post.

The letter indicates that Parker had sent Dr. Lighthill $25 for some medicines. Though Parker probably earned more than the $12 to $14 a month given to landsmen and seaman, it's still a lot of money for the day, especially for a young sailor.

It appears that Lighthill sent back to Parker some medicine: one a gargle for which he provides detailed directions, another medicine to be taken internally (although it's not clear if it's a syrup or a pill) with some instructions, and a third medicine with no other specifications.

Readers will see in my next post about the Lighthills that they did indeed specialize in the "eye, ear, and throat," publishing small books on cures for various afflictions and advertising widely.

My guess is that Parker was suffering from "catarrh," a 19th-century term for respiratory ailments such as colds or bronchitis (but not the more serious pneumonia).

Galveston Research Summary #10 - A Walk to Remember! (Galveston Cemetery Tour)

This past weekend (Saturday, 14 January 2012) I had the great pleasure of visiting Galveston, Texas, for activities to commemorate the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Galveston. The activities (here), including cemetery tours, walking tours of the city, and a reenactment, were sponsored by the wonderful folks at the Galveston Historical Foundation (here).

The day was terrific on several counts: the weather was beautiful; the tours of the cemetery by Mrs. Linda McBee and of the city by Edward Cotham (author of the excellent book, Battle on the Bay: The Civil War Struggle for Galveston) were interesting and very well done; and I got to meet and visit with some very interesting and nice people, especially Civil War blogger (my favorite, by the way!) Andy Hall (his "Dead Confederates" blog can be found here), who is also an expert on Texas maritime history and maritime archaeology. I learned more about blockade runners in a day walking around with Andy that I would have in a year of reading!

You'll see some of my photos from the cemetery and city walking tours below; check out Andy Hall's blog for some beautiful action photographs of the reenactment (here)!

Galveston is home to several historic cemeteries in a four-to-six block square area from 20th and Broadway to 23rd and Broadway, including the Episcopal Cemetery, City Cemetery, what was "Potter's Field," Catholic Cemetery, Hebrew Cemetery, and more. Some of the headstone art is remarkable.






















Galveston cemetery expert and historian Linda McBee describes some of the historic personalities buried in Galveston's historic cemeteries.




















The sexton's building in the Old Episcopal Cemetery, where the dead were "stored" before being buried in the graveyard:


























Marker for a Confederate soldier who died in the hospital in Galveston in March 1862:


























Marker for a Galveston baby who died at only 3 days old in 1851:





















Civil War blogger Andy Hall adds to Linda McBee's stories while walking the cemetery.

























Historian and author Ed Cotham describes Galveston and the Civil War for a group of 40-45 people before we embark on his walking battle tour of the Strand:

Front Line" Post #3 for "The Civil War Monitor

As part of their online presence, the new magazine The Civil War Monitor has a community blog they've named "The Front Line." Terry Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the Monitor, kindly invited me to join that community so I'll be posting there on subjects near and dear to me and (hopefully!) interesting to you!

My third "Front Line" post (here) is up on the Monitor website today:














"A Soldier's Forty Winks"

The post briefly describes the interesting research on the Civil War that can be found in modern medical and scientific journals. I highlight an article, "Sleepless Vigilance: 'Stonewall' Jackson and the Duty Hours Controversy," that appeared in the a recent issue of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences (abstract here). Find out whether the famous general got enough sleep and what impact it had on his command decisions in battle!

The Monitor's "Blog and Social Media Editor," Laura June Davis, is doing an amazing job at keeping the site updated and dynamic...You will want to visit the Monitor website (here) every day as there is always new content!

You can also keep up with them on Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).

Enjoy!

You can see my other "Front Line" blog posts for the Monitor here:

#1 - "Coal for the Furances is as Important as Gunpowder for the Guns" (here)
#2 - "A Regiment of Inventors" (here)

School of the Writer - Part IV - Make a Pitch!

See?! I told you I'd get back to my "School of the Writer" series as soon as I could in this New Year! Now, let's just hope it's not 4 more years until the next installment, as it was between Parts III and IV!

For links to the previous parts, see my last post here.

And now, for Part IV on "Query Letters"!

"SCHMIDT'S WRITING TACTICS"
FOR THE INSTRUCTION, EXERCISE, AND MANŒUVRES
OF THE WRITER OF CIVIL WAR HISTORY

Once you have done some research on various publications and have chosen a topic to write about, it's time to make a "pitch" to the editor! This is in the form of a "query letter" or more likely, these days, a "query e-mail."

Consider the difference in response times between my very first magazine query letter and one of my recent query e-mails:

Sent query letter by snail mail = November 1996
Received positive reply from editor = January 1997

Sent query by e-mail = September 10, 2010
Received reply from editor = September 10, 2010 (!)

Most publications (but not all) do accept e-mail "pitches" or queries, but don;t expect a same-day response from all of them; that said, the response times are much better now than in the "olden days"!

I have put an actual query of mine below you can use as a models...the e-mail resulted in a positive reply from the editor...this meant they invited me to write and submit the manuscript, but did not guarantee publication (we'll get to that in the next installment). You can also Google "sample magazine article query letters" and get other examples.

In any case, remember that a query letter is often your only chance to make a good first impression! Do not hurry! Use the carpenters' rule (adapted for writing) of measure twice, cut once!

A query letter will consist of several parts:

• Salutation to a specific person
• A "hook" to grab the editor's interest (sell the article)
• Proposal ( word count, specific department, etc.)
• Writer's credentials (sell yourself!)

Now for an example (I have "anomynized" some names, but otherwise the query is as the original):

Dear Mr. _____

P. T. Barnum considered the Civil War the “damndest, barbarous, mean, and causeless rebellion ever known,” but had faith that “history will set this matter right.” He offered his “last shirt…last dollar…and the very last drop of blood” if it would help “preserve this nation as one and inseparable.” Barnum hardly had to offer his last dollar; in fact, he did very well during the war. Still, in his own way – from supporting President Lincoln, procuring substitutes, providing intelligence, entertaining the troops, stoking Union patriotism and engendering Rebel enmity – Barnum kept his promise to do “all in my power to assist in making history in these times.”

As an avid reader of __________ magazine, it is my pleasure to submit for your consideration this query for an article on the interesting and important role that P. T. Barnum played during the Civil War. I propose a feature article in the 3,000 word range with suggested illustrations following this outline:

“THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!” - P. T. Barnum and the American Civil War

• Introduction
• Brief Biography of Barnum's Early Career
• Transition from Democrat to Republican Party
• Barnum Gathers Intelligence for the War Department
• Soldiers Visit Barnum's Museum in NYC
• War-Related Curiosities at Barnum's Museum
• Rebel Sabotage of Barnum's Museum
• Barnum is Elected to the Connecticut Legislature
• The American Museum Burns to the Ground
• Barnum's Rebuilds
• Conclusion

I am the author of more than fifty articles on American history in publications such as North & South, The Artilleryman, World War II, Learning Through History, and Chemical Heritage magazines. My column, "Medical Department," has appeared regularly in The Civil War News since 2000. I am also the author or editor of three books on the Civil War.

I look forward to your reply.

Best Wishes for Continued Success to You and _________ magazine,


James M. Schmidt
(contact info)

See, that's not so hard is it?

Now resolve to send out a query! Feel free to send me an e-mail if you would like some advice! I'm happy to help!

Have You Resolved to Write in 2012? GREAT! Maybe I Can Help!

Happy New Year! The closing of one year and the coming of a fresh one often brings resolutions and goals for hoped-for accomplishments in the New Year. Perhaps for some of you that goal is having your research and writing published in one of the newspapers or magazines directed at Civil War enthusiasts or some other type of writing. I hope so!

My goals for this year include finishing my manuscript for my forthcoming book on Galveston and the Civil War (learn more here) which is due in early summer and will be published in late fall; writing columns for The Civil War News; contributing as much as I can to the website of The Civil War Monitor; keeping up with this blog; fighting a never-ending battle with procrastination; but my resolution is to make this Galveston writing project my last nonfiction book, at least for awhile. Many reasons: I want to get back to writing shorter articles and I have ideas for many, I want to concentrate on reading, and - most important (and most frightening!) - I want to try my hand at fiction in the next few years. We'll see how it goes!

Anyway, back to the beginning though: have you resolved to write for publication this year?

When I started this blog, one of my stated missions was to share advice based on my experience in writing for historical publications, and I had started a series I called "School of the Writer." The first few posts can be found here:

School of the Writer - Part I - "The Big Picture" (here)
School of the Writer - Part II - "Credentials" (here)
School of the Writer - Part III - "Picking a Target" (here)

I've been terribly remiss in keeping up with the series so I've also resolved to continue it...and soon!

Good luck with your writing goals this year! I'd love to hear about them!

Abraham Lincoln Was An "Aqua Velva" Man! (Well, Kind Of)

I am always interested in ways that Abraham Lincoln's visage has been used in advertisements, both old and new, especially for medicines and other household products.

In looking through the vintage medicine advertisements reproduced in the 1964 Barry Goldwater campaign pamphlet that I included in my last post (here), I found one that I hadn't seen before: an advertisement for J. B. Williams shaving soaps. The image from the pamphlet is included below as is an advertisement from a 1903 magazine that I found in a quick Google Books search.

Obviously the beard belongs to the 16th President! It reminds me so much of the terrific 1861 Bellingham's Onguent advertisment I have featured before (here) in which the proprietor claimed that the President-elect had used his hair medicine to grow his famous whiskers!

I say that Lincoln was an "Aqua Velva Man" because in addition to its Civil War era "Genuine Yankee Soap," the Williams Company did go on to market the famous after-shave and other familiar products! A great history on James B. Williams and his company can be found in the University of Connecticut's Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, which holds the Williams company records (finding aid here).

From the Dodd Center:

James Baker Williams was born in 1818 in Lebanon, Connecticut. He was educated in Manchester, Connecticut, and, in 1834, began employment with F. and H.C. Woodbridge, a general store located in Manchester. Williams was offered half-interest in the store in 1838, after which its name was changed to Keeny and Williams. Two years later, Williams sold his interest in the store, but retained his share in the drug department. He began experimenting with various soaps to determine which were best for shaving, and eventually developed Williams' Genuine Yankee Soap, the first manufactured soap for use in shaving mugs.

In 1847, Williams moved his enterprise to a rented gristmill on William Street in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where he continued to manufacture shaving soap and a few other products. His brother, William S. Williams, joined the firm around 1848, and it was at this time that the firm's name was changed to the James B. Williams and Company.

William's shaving soaps were sold throughout the United States and Canada, and as a result of rising demand, the facilities were expanded several times in the late 1800s. In 1885, a joint stock company under the name of J. B. Williams Company was formed under the laws of the state of Connecticut. James Williams supervised many aspects of the company until shortly before his death in 1907 at the age of eighty-eight. The Williams family continued to manage the company until it was sold in 1957.

By the early 1900s, the company was known throughout the world. In addition to its line of shaving creams, the firm produced talcum powder, toilet soaps, and other toilet preparations, eventually developing such as Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, and Skol. In 1950, the company merged with Conti Products Corporation of Brooklyn, New York, and took over its entire line of products, including Conti Castile Soap. A 1952 merger with R.B. Selmer, Inc. added Kreml Hair Tonic and Kreml Shampoo to the company's list of products.

In 1957, a New York based conglomerate, Pharmaceuticals, Inc., acquired the J.B. Williams Company. The new owner, maker of Geritol, Serutan and Sominex, moved the Williams Company to Cranford, New Jersey in 1960, adopting the name J.B. Williams Company.

The J.B. Williams' plant in Connecticut was taken over by ten former Williams' employees who wanted to preserve the old soap-making process, and became Glastonbury Toiletries. The firm made shaving soaps, bathroom soaps, castile soap, aerosol shaving creams, body lotions, and shampoos. Its largest contract was with the J.B. Williams Company.

In 1971, the J.B. Williams Company was sold to Nabisco, and in 1977, Glastonbury Toiletries closed. The original 1847 factory is still standing, and, in 1979, was converted into a condominium complex. I In 1983 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

AuH2O - "The Cure For What Ails America" (More on Politics and Quack Medicine Advertising)

[Note: The purpose of this post is only to show the interesting intersection of politics and patent medicines in the popular culture; not to comment on political candidates, parties, or platforms. No political comments will be published.]

I have posted before (here) on the intersection of patent/quack medicines and politics, especially in the snake oil heyday of the late 19th and early 20th century when candidates endorsed specific products or even sold it themselves.

William Helfand's excellent book, Quack, Quack, Quack: The Sellers of Nostrums in Prints, Posters, Ephemera, and Books, is an excellent source for seeing how editorial cartoonists (especially) employed patent medicine imagery to puff up or put down a candidate or party.

Below are images of a 1964 28-page pamphlet in my collection in which Republican Party candidate Barry Goldwater uses patent medicine imagery in his own campaign materials.

The cover shows Goldwater holding a demijohn/carboy of "AuH2O" (the chemical abbreviations for "Gold" and "Water") with other rhetoric associated with cures and the issues of the day.

The inside of the pamphlet includes several pages of Goldwater quotes cleverly paired with actual 19th- and 20th-century patent medicine advertisements, only a few of which are shown below. Other examples includes Goldwater's "blurb" indicating the present administrations policies were "cross-eyed," "wide-eyed," "wall-eyed," "glassy-eyed," or "blind" in regard to specific policies; the speech was paired with patent medicine advertisements for various quack remedies for vision problems.

It is an interesting example of campaign paraphernalia as well as the intersection of politics and quack medicine iconography in American popular culture.