This one, Arwen, is long gone, but she was my shoulder cat. She'd drape herself across the back of my neck and shoulders for hours on end. I don't have a digital copy of the photo of her doing that while I was standing at the sink, washing the dishes. I'm very sorry for your loss.

Today in unexpected: In March 1873, Ahmed Ben Musared, age 37, died of smallpox at Tewksbury State Almshouse. The form gave his birthplace as "Constantine," which I'll read as "Constantinople." He was a laborer and that was all the officials knew about him. >

The Boston Evening Transcript reported on his death - he was from Ireland, died at 75, and he'd fathered 35 children. At his death, his oldest child was 50 and the youngest was 2. Absolutely terrifying. /

You never know what you'll find in the mortality schedules, fertility horror edition: Thomas Ducy, father of 34. His 1st wife had 14 children, his 2nd 17, and his 3rd only 3 (presumably because he died).

Curtin was found guilty of manslaughter in November, and sentenced to reform school.

Needless to say, the incident made the papers.

Today in sad historical stories, in Acton on July 2, 1873, Morris A. Lane, age 3 years 3 months, died of being "Beaten to Death by an older boy."

Read and bookmark this. Also, please note that diarrhea (called Cholera Infantum or Cholera Morbis, depending on severity of symptoms) was once arguably the most common cause of death in children age 2 and under, at least in summer. Example: the following clip from July 1873.

🫡

I did not expect to be learning so much about the federal pension office this week, but these things happen. Here, we have an example that they got tracing paper and traced out some of the signatures for rudimentary handwriting analysis.

Live use of "OK" in an 1879 federal pension commission document! It says "the Aud. [Auditor] reports OK," meaning authenticated.

We have moved on to DOUBLE UNDERLINING, people!

Today's humor. Those old "F" and "T" letters were waaay too close in appearance.

My new mantra:

I was feeling bad about the classism inherent in loathing the WH cage fight event, until I saw this photo.

This is great. The first image explains why in the 1980s, people started being familiar with my name instead of baffled by it. The second image explains nothing.

In March through June 1873, scarlet fever killed 44 children in the town of Beverly, MA (population ~6,500). It's now treatable with antibiotics (as long as antibiotic resistant strains don't take hold).

Yale actually has a forestry school, not to mention a medical school, which is very relevant and people-oriented last I heard? Anyway, meanwhile at UConn:

Like he said:

Show me a database that doesn't require expert training or years of experience to make it usable and I'll show you

Today in unusual deaths: On June 30, 1872, five men and boys, all miners, died of "Shock & Injures" in Florida, Massachusetts. I think they were probably working on the Hoosac Tunnel, but I'm not sure.

Today in unusual deaths: Nelson Gilmon, a married man aged 44, was "Killed by Texan Stear" (a "stear" being a steer, a young ox). Why a Texan one in particular, I don't know.

Today in unusual deaths: Married Irish laborer George King, age 36, "Killed while Blasting Rocks."

My countless bits of no-longer-in-progress writing sing in harmony with you, Chira. 😭

Today I come before you solely to praise the handwriting of F. E. L., copyist extraordinaire from 1931.

Coastal towns' mortality reports sometimes included notes like this: "Capt. Mathews with seven of his crew perished by the upsetting of their boat, in attempting to land from bark "Kadash" wrecked on the South East bar of Point Allerton, Hull, on the afternoon of Dec 26th 1872."

Today in unusual deaths: In late July 1872, Silas G. Bumpas (age 63, married) "Wandered from home in a deranged state and died in the woods."

Unusual death of the day, 1872: On July 2, the widow Margaret Smith, age 67, died of being "Goard by a cow." That's a phonetic spelling of "gored."

Today in unusual causes of death: 13-year-old James Prescott Laurence died of "River bath when heated, Spasms, Paralysis." July 1872 was spectacularly hot in eastern Massachusetts. I wonder if they interpreted severe swimming cramps this way?

Unusual deaths in 1872: Jacob C. Colby, age 20 and single, died of accidental drowning in Walden Pond.