“The Bank of True Love,” the “Bank of Manure,” and other local stories
The Andover Advertiser and rural newspapers, pt 3
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This is part 3 of a series looking at 19th century rural newspapers through the lens of the Andover Advertiser. Click here to read part 1 and part 2.
The first issue of the newspaper, February 19, 1853, is a combination of short local news stories, wise advice on life, advertisements, and stories from other newspapers.
Today we’ll look at news and stories close to home
Announcements
An announcement of a meeting of the “Porter Rhetorical Society” at the Seminary Chapel. “Orations will be delivered” and a question discussed, “Is a system of prizes desirable in our schools and higher institutions of learning?” The two disputants were listed.
Marriages and Deaths were listed:
In this town, Feb 11th Mrs. Sarah, widow of the late Joseph Pearson, aged 64 yrs.
Jan 15th, George H. Mowry, aged 5 months.
Jan 17th, Gardner Abbott, ages 65 yrs
Jan 22nd, Mrs. Mary Upton, widow of the late Abiel Upton, aged 84 yrs.
The “Mail Arrangement” was a bit more complicated that ours today, “California mails close on the 3d and 18th of each month at 11:30A.M. British mails close every Tuesday, at 11:30 A.M.”
Boston and Main Railroad’s winter schedule also appeared, with departures and arrivals to and from Portland and Saco, Maine, and Dover and Exeter, New Hampshire. Massachusetts trains could take you to Haverhill, Lawrence, Reading, Medford, Boston, and Newburyport. From the train to Lowell one could make connections to Groton, Fitchburg, Worcester, and eventually to New York.
This clever tale has local flare and The Bank of True Love
A New Bank. – As we were going from Centre Village the other day to Ballard Vale, we overtook a person going the same way, and offered him a ride. As renumeration he presented us with a Fifty dollar bill on the “Bank of True Love.” Perhaps some of our cashiers can inform us of the soundness of this bank, and to which state it belongs.1
This next article might not look like a local story on first glance, but U.S. President Franklin Pierce spent summers in Andover at his sister-in-law’s home. The Central Street home was known as “the summer White House.”2 (Painting 3)
Franklin Pierce is the youngest man who has ever been elected President of the United States. He is 48 years of age. Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Van Buren were each 58; Jackson, 62; Harrison, 68; Taylor, 66; and Polk, 49.
An agricultural angle
As promised, editor Warren Draper’s Andover Advertiser had an agricultural leaning, with a full column and a half on page 4 dedicated to the subject. The first is an editorial outlining how the Advertiser would cover agricultural news.
We do not propose to teach you any thing new, which you do not already know. We do not flatter ourselves that we can advance you one peg in the practical knowledge of your favorite pursuit But we do propose, occasionally, to throw out some few " gentle hints," which will be intended to advance the best interests of an intelligent, industrious, and thriving farming community.
This was followed by three more agricultural articles.
The first was a letter to the editor by J.H. of Andover outlines the plan of his barn, advising the benefits of this method of construction.
And there was an announcement from the Committee on Seeds of the Andover Horticultural Society soliciting “All kinds of seeds of flowers, arid other valuable vegetables well ripened and preserved in 1852” for exchange to advance the interests of horticulture. (As an interesting side note, Andover’s Memorial Hall Library continues to maintain a Seed Library.)
The last agricultural article in the first issue of the Advertiser was an detailed article on “How to Weigh Live Cattle” with a string. The reader was advised that it was a method that could be applied to other livestock as well.
Down the research rabbit hole
Being thoroughly charmed by this idea, I went down a rabbit hole on weighing livestock. As it turns out, the weight of cattle and other livestock is still estimated today by measuring the girth and length with a tape or string in a method devised by the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension Service.
You can find a description of how to estimate the weight of goat using a string here.
And finally for some wise and well-grounded agricultural advice we have…the “Bank of manure.”
Stay tuned, next week we’ll look at advertisements and the advertisers who supported the Andover Advertiser. It’s a snapshot of businesses in small towns in the mid 19th century. “Charles Pray…Nearly opposite the Bank Building.”
Thank you for reading, commenting, sharing, and liking. You can help support the research and writing behind History Buzz by becoming a paid subscriber. As Advertiser editor Warren Draper said, “Whether the paper shall be continued for more than one year, will depend upon the patronage we may receive…” I thank you for your support!
~Elaine
Centre Village referred to the downtown central district of Andover. Ballard Vale is in the south of town.
The tragic story of Franklin Pierce, his wife, and their son Benny that took place in Andover is a story I’ll tell in the future post, perhaps with more information about the first family’s time in Andover.
Painting, https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/franklin-pierce