Newspapers of the past give a good look at the lives of our forebears. The advertisements can sometimes reveal more than news items. The ad below, from the York Gazette, for Richard Porter’s tavern, store, house with barn and other outbuildings, livestock, farm equipment, furniture and land, including an island
Can you imagine your home town newspaper with ads selling human beings? A 15-year-old being sold because her master/mistress didn’t have enough work for her (seller offering financing)…families split apart…children as young as four being sold away from their mothers? Well, it did happen here. The ad above is from
The real estate ads in the newspapers of 200 years ago were almost always for farms. Even if there was another enterprise on the property, such as a mill, there was usually quite a bit of acreage. Just about everyone farmed; even many business and crafts people in the town
It is a very short ad in March 30, 1811 York Recorder newspaper, but it is extremely chilling. I usually write about the wealth of positive things comprising much of York County’s rich history. There is sometimes also a dark side. Slavery, right here in York County, is one of
When I was a child my mother always made sure I was dressed for the weather. In winter my coat was buttoned, a hat or scarf covered my head, mittens were on my little hands and my shod feet stuffed into boots. If it was raining, I couldn’t go out
I’ve been doing some research lately on early York County furniture makers and found that there were many more of these skilled craftspeople than I realized. It does make sense–everyone needed furniture and few were wealthy enough to have it “imported” from Baltimore or Philadelphia. The existing tax lists from