Happenings in January 1879

Rural Republican

January 10 1879

Man’s inhumanity to rabbits made Christmas dinners for thousands. On New Year’s Eve Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Burwell and Dr Wheeler had an oyster super and invited twenty guests to the Centennial Hotel in Bridgeport. A large number of chickens froze to death during the extreme cold snap. The snow was 18 inches at Zion and was the coldest it had been for several years.  Sleigh riding was a favorite amusement.

Stivers Springs cured two severe cases of sore eyes about the first of December.  L R Schmalhausen of Bridgeport cut and put up 25 loads of ice from the Embarrass in his warehouse.  Man wants but little here below and with pork prices so low, he stands a far chance of getting it.  Bridgeport had a road scrapper and a cornet band.  The singing group there was led by Chas H Warner. 

Wesley Upshaw, the Bridgeport barber, after getting in debt all over skipped out of town and then the town was without a barber. Gib Doty while chopping wood cut his foot severely. John D Sage and Son, the Bridgeport millers were turning out 40 lbs of flour to one bushel of wheat.

Warner Bros (the Walmart of the day) would buy game from hunters for sale at their Bridgeport store during the state’s hunting seasons.  They bought wild turkeys until January 15, quail, prairie chickens and pheasants until February 1, and ducks until May 1. Rabbits would be purchased at any time.  Rabbits sold two for a nickel, and wild turkeys were 5 cents per pound.

Dozens of wagons passed by with bran and starch factory feed for farmers who failed to raise enough corn last year. The old Presbyterian church in Lawrenceville sold its building to the Christian Church but loaned them the bell. The newspaper editor of the Rural Republican, Mary Buntin, urged everyone to look to their flues and chimneys because scarcely a season passed without a house burning down.  The Murphy Union anti-drinking groups still met.  Many who had for years been classed as ‘good drinkers’ now stood fast by their pledge to abstain.

Georgie Clark, youngest daughter of George Clark, the colored barber had a very narrow escape from burning to death on Thursday. She was standing in front of a grate at Ed Tracy’s when her clothing caught fire, and in an instant, she was engulfed in flames high above her head, and had it not been for the presence of mind of Mrs. Tracy who threw a shawl around the child, smothering the flames she evidently would have been burned to death.

Louis Mills was the blacksmith in Lawrenceville located at the shop formerly occupied by Phillip Lewis.  There was a new grocery store in Bridgeport known as Family Groceries and Notions in the building formerly occupied W Guess. Mr. Schlenker  was the clerk.  H M Wagner of Sumner was the retailer for tombstones. J T Dollahan was the Sumner dentist but would see patients at the Buchanan house in Lawrenceville on Mondays. John Trombley was a gun and locksmith located near the Propes Wagon shop in Lawrenceville. Propes and Struble were undertakers and furniture dealers. The Rural Republican newspaper was $2.00 for the year.

One of the old timers remembered that when J Harlan was judge, he had one eye. Acting Sheriff James Corrie had a wooden leg, and the bailiff John Reiley was always sick. In 1878 Ida Seed was the Postmistress at Lawrenceville and posted a list of letters that needed to be picked up weekly in the paper. Charlottsville was increasing in population.  Alexander Smith had located there as well as Gabriel Smith Jr who occupied the Buckhorn tavern. The Ohio & Mississippi RR ran east and west; the Paris & Danville RR ran north and south.

January 17 1879

The weather was still bitter with cold days and chilling snow. The Wabash had frozen over in the last few weeks and loaded wagons were crossing the river without paying the usual toll. The ice was 10-12 inches thick. A man spit on his hands and sat down on the sidewalk. If he was trying an experiment, he probably realized his expectations.

Flour was $1.20 a barrel. John Fullilove was barbering again in Bridgeport. Warren Bro said that eggs were scarce, and they would pay 22 cents per doz.; butter could be sold for 12 ½ cents, the supply was ample; green apples were paying $1 a bushel, live turkeys 5 ½ cents a pound, live chickens $1.00 a dozen; they preferred dressed fowl; Rabbits and quails were paying 40 cents per doz. with few coming in.  Navy Beans would be purchased for $2.00 a bushel and potatoes were scarce.

Sumner estimated a million feet of lumber would be sawed there in the upcoming year. The partnership between Warren May and Marion May had been dissolved with Marion buying out his brother Warren. There were several reports of home fires. Pinkstaff Station depot (50’ x 81’) had burned along with a warehouse owned by Owen Pinkstaff. 

Isaac Potts was the county judge with a quarterly salary of $162.50. F W Cox was the County Superintendent of Schools with a quarterly salary of $75. James Ryan was the courthouse janitor with a salary of $50 per year. The newspaper reminded people to let the charitable of our community look about them.  The winter weather had been hard on all and some might suffer if not assisted.  The Board of Supervisors heard reports from the county physician Dr Carter. They paid for coffins for Mrs. Dibbles, Mrs. Dickirson and Mrs. Skaggs, as well as helping to support Mrs. Runnels and Mrs. Reynolds and child. Payments were made to take John B Miller to Anna State Hospital and Harvey Dibble to Lawrenceville for care.

Attorneys in Lawrenceville were J Fields, upstairs in the Tracy Building. Geo Huffman was in the Herald (newspaper) Building.  Brewer and W M Robinson were one door east of the Post office.  (Judge Shaw was associate counsel with this firm.) I B Huffman was located in the courthouse. The Veterinarian for horses was Daniel Swinehart.

January 24 1879

In Russellville J Hall and Son put up large amounts of ice as did Dr Ford. Boys were all out rabbit hunting with sharp sticks and rubber slings. Elder Cauble baptized three ladies and 1 gentleman Wednesday night after the foot thick ice was cut. (They must really have wanted to come to Jesus.)

People learn wisdom by experience. A man never wakes up his second baby to see it laugh. The citizens of Russellville and vicinity are going to assist George W Foreman in rebuilding his mill which recently burned down.

A row occurred at Derr church in which Jeff Cochran stabbed Ed Brown in the eye.  In Bridgeport one of the barbers cut the price of hair cutting to 15 cents and a shave to 5 cents.

What is the reason that a woman will adorn her undergarments with bushels of scallops, fringes, etc., and then the first opportunity she gets to fall down and show them, calls out to her escort, “Shut your eyes, Billy.”

Twenty three deaths were recorded by physicians and obituaries published in January 1879. Of course there were probably more, not reported but of those that were, twelve or over half were caused by pneumonia. Four individuals died over the age of 70 with one death record noting the cause of death was senility. One 14 day old baby died of accidental opium poisoning and one woman died of complications from childbirth. One gentleman died of starvation and exposure while living at the poor farm.