Category: McMurray Family

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“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892: Poem Transcription

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series "Waste Philosophy" by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892
“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, June 1st, 1892, Berkeley Cal. Owned by author.

McMurray Family, Payne Family (Click for Family Tree)

While the fonts in Edward B. Payne’s poem, “Waste Philosophy” are just beautiful, because of the age of the booklet (128 years old this June 2020!), some are hard to read. Additionally, in the family copy there are some words that have been underlined- we are not sure why those particular words, but the underlining has been eliminated in this transcription.

Herewith, as Edward would have said and in the spirit of National Poetry Month, is the transcription:

Cover:

Waste                                                                      

Philosophy

By

 Rev. E. B. Payne

[Edward Byron Payne]

June 1st, 1892

Berkeley

Cal 

=======================================

Page 1:

      Waste

              Philosophy

 

Rags and bottles, sacks and bags,

Who can tell me now, for sure,

What bottles, sacks and common rags,

Have to do with Literature?

 

And yet these wise and witty three,

Committee of the reading club,

Have laid the heavy task on me,

To solve this problem—there’s the rub.

=======================================

Page 2:

The poets, in their lofty dreams,

Are silent, when of them I ask,

If e’er the Muse yet took for themes

A rag, a sack, an empty flask?

 

The writers of the world’s romance—

From them my suit no answer brings;

They eye me with a scornful glance,

They spurn such unromantic things.

 

The Essayists, when I question them;

Just dip their pens in blacker ink;

Each thought of their’s a shining gem;

Of paltry things they cannot think.

 

Indeed, from early A, B, C,

To Literature’s most recent day,

When was its subject known to be

A bottle, sack, or rag, I pray?

=======================================

Page 3:

I’ve even searched our Draper through,

To know from that all-learned man,

What such things, hap’ly, have to do

With civilization’s growing plan?

 

But Draper’s thoughts run high, or deep,

They dwell on force and law, and cause,

‘Twould make his genius all too cheap

On paltry things like these to pause.

 

But there is one, who helps me out;

In what the page of letters lacks:

With joy I hear his lusty shout,

Who buys our bottles, rags and sacks;

 

As home he drives with motley prize;

Just follow up this forager,

And hearken-!—he’ll soliloquize:

You’ll find him a philosopher.

=======================================

Page 4:

“These rags” (just listen to him preach)

“These cast off rags all teach, I s’pose

The end pretentious pride must reach:

It all, at last, to tatters goes.

 

“This big, despised, rejected heap

Of rags (who now reflects will find)

Proves very weak and very cheap,

The vanities of human kind.

 

‘Twas Eve and Adam, so they say;

In Paradise, invented Clo’s,

And from that far ill fated day;

The silly strifes of fashion rose;

 

“Did Adam think him better dressed

Than Eve, with her new apron fine,

That his descendants cannot rest

Unless in raiment they outshine?

=======================================

Page 5:

“The world thinks high of showy dress;

And stares and gapes, admires and blinks;

‘Tis folly, they must all confess;

To one who gathers rags, and thinks.

 

“E’en silks and satins fare, I ween,

At last, like common coarse-webbed shags,

Wardrobes of greatest Belle, or Queen

Become, in time, but tattered rags.

 

“I’ve heard a proverb—just the word—

Deny the truth of it who can?

“ ‘Twere well if everybody heard—

‘Tis not the coat that makes the man.”

 

“But, under coat—and corsage too—

Or fair or mean, ah! well I know!

The heart that beats, if false or true,

This ranks us either high or low;

=======================================

Page 6:

“The bottles? Yes, there’s quite a lot,

Of various shapes, and every size.

If I should tell where each I got’

‘Twould make the neighbors ope their eyes.

 

‘Though some; no doubt; were innocent

Of aught that works to man a harm;

And some a gracious perfume lent

To give to beauty added charm.

 

But some, I fancy, held enough

Of venom; virus, pest and gall,

Of poison; bane and nameless stuff,

In their insides, to kill us all.

 

The druggist’s label here I see,

With physic simples deftly blent,

In mixture, nostrum, recipe,

And every known medicament.

=======================================

Page 7:

“To me the apothecary’s vial

Is vile indeed, and charged unto death,

Give me my choice and surely I’ll

Prefer to die of want of breath.

 

“And here are some which held; no doubt

What druggists sometimes slyly sell;

And what, with license or without,

Some folks would have, whate’er befell;

 

“They’re empty! Ah! bad luck; I say!

Yes, drained of every lingering bit;

No drop to cheer the closing day,

Or quicken up my lagging wit.

 

“In this (sniff; sniff) was bottled beer;

And this (sniff; sniff) held bottled gin;

And this (sniff) ‘twas bottled cider here—

All names they say; for bottled sin;

=======================================

Page 8:

“Alas! There’s naught in any flask;

For only emptied ones I buy

And not a question do I ask,

And if I should, they’d not reply;

 

“This dozen here, with corks, I had

From Widder Green; old Green is dead,

But long before he died (how sad)

His nose had turned a bottle red.

 

“These Judge Law, the magistrate,

Had stored away—they make it plain,

That every dinner which he ate

Was helped along with good Champagne;

 

“And these I found behind the house

Of parson True—but there’s way

T’ explain—keep still’s a mouse—

He only moved there t’other day;

=======================================

Page 9:

“I s’pose he found them, empty there;

And, hating what they held before,

The while he breathed a fervent prayer,

He tossed them out the wood shed door.

 

“I’ve heard him talk of ‘bottled tears’

And ‘bottled wrath’ and ‘bottled woe;’

And if he meant strong drinks and beers,

Upon my word I guess it’s so.

 

“These bags; ha; ha! These sacks, ho, ho!

One, two; three, five, eight, ten,

Twelve, fifteen, twenty-O;

More gain in these than most would ken.

 

“Gascon Puffer sold me three—

Of all his boasting; vaunting kind,

Greatest braggart yet is he;

Just a swelling ‘bag o’ wind.’

=======================================

Page 10:

“And that old gossip, tattler, clack,

Widow Jay (all know her well)

Sold me this great wide-mouthed sack,

I call her old Bag-a-telle.

 

“These five small ones came from Cribbs;

That old Money-bags, Lickpenny, Cheat!

When worms get at this greedy Nibs

They’ll find his heart too hard to eat.

 

“The rest I’ve gathered here and there;

Of good and bad. Go ‘long, old nag;

I guess, ‘bout some ‘twere hardly fair

To let the cat out o’ the bag.”

 

Ye students of the world’s advance,

And civilization’s fruitful laws,

In every common circumstance

There’s something over which to pause.

=======================================

Page 11:

Did not Carlyle see fit to write

The deep “Philosophy of Clothes?”

And e’en in humbler things we might

Find Principle and Truth—who knows?

 

There’s wisdom hid in empty bags:

In empty bottles you may find

A moral: and ‘neath worthless rags

Are lessons for the watchful mind.

 

To our committee I would say

That, though they gave a grievous task,

Yes I’ll forgive them right away

And gracious blessing for them ask.

 

For them, may bottles harmless be!

May more than rags protect each back,

And in the end, then let it be

That Peter ‘ll not give them the sack.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Apologies for not being able to figure out how to make the transcription two columns to follow the pages in the booklet. A WordPress widget for columns and then trying to use HTML just did not work; adjusting line spacing did not work either. <sigh> Probably operator error, but I’m a researcher and writer, not a computer whiz (sadly).
  2. Thank you, thank you, to one of Edward B. Payne’s descendants who is a fabulous transcriber and typist. She makes it much easier to get this information out there and found by the search engines, so that you can enjoy it.
  3. “Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, June 1st, 1892, Berkeley, California, likely self-published. The Bancroft Library at University of California-Berkeley also holds a copy and has provided one to me in years past, but these blog posts are from a family copy so graciously shared by a very favorite aunt! (Thank you!)

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892: The Poem

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series "Waste Philosophy" by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892
“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, June 1st, 1892, Berkeley Cal. Owned by author. (Click to enlarge.)

McMurray Family, Payne Family (Click for Family Tree)

“Waste Philosophy” is a small printed booklet of a poem written by Edward B. Payne in 1892. The booklet is just 6-7/8″ high and 4-3/8″ wide, with 2 cardstock covers and 6 inner pages, 5 of which are printed double-sided. There is no note of the printer, but it appears to have been printed on a press. There are four holes punched through the booklet on the left, with pieces of string in two of the holes, although the string seems to be much more recent than what might have been there in 1892.

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, p1. (Click to enlarge.)

The first page gives us an introduction- why is the author on a quest to determine how rags and bottles, sacks and bags, are connected to literature?

Words are underlined throughout the poem, but it appears they are only in the family copy. Edward’s daughter, Lynette, may have made them using a ruler and pen. We have not yet found a correlation between the words underlined. (Any ideas?)

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, pp2-3. (Click to enlarge.)

In the poem, Edward asks poets, writers, and essayists to help him answer the question he has been given. Without satisfactory answers from any of these persons, he moves on to the “draper”- a person who sells cloth, clothing, and dry goods.  The local Draper apparently is quite a learned man, but unfortunately he does not have an answer to the question either.

Without an answer, Edward thinks of one who might concern himself with smaller things than the poets, writers, and essayists of literature would bother. He hears the cry of the local ‘Forager’ who buys bottles rags, and sacks from persons throughout the area. He already knows the Forager is a philosopher, something that most would not assume of a person who is of the ‘lower class’ of society. Edward himself was a Christian Socialist and he was also educated as a minister at a very liberal college, Oberlin, which was instrumental in the Abolitionist movement and helping the common person, no matter the color. Edward spent much of his life lovingly working to help people ‘lift themselves up by their bootstraps’- working with them to better their lot in life, rather than just giving them handouts, as many think of Socialists these days.

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, ppp4-5. (Click to enlarge.)

It is interesting that EB (as Edward B. Payne is lovingly known in our household after many years of research) uses the word “preach” when speaking of the reply the Forager has to the central question this poem asks. Edward himself was an eloquent preacher, as stated by his parishioners and colleagues,  newspaper writers,  and friends. His father-in-law was a very effective lay preacher, so EB knew that a divinity degree was not required for one to have important things to say. The word is also a clue that there are some big ideas that will come of the Forager’s comments- ones that could give new meaning to a human life.

Of course, “Preach” also rhymes well with ‘teach’ in this stanza- that’s important in an ABAB rhyme pattern.

The Forager describes the rags he finds as sometimes coming from the finest clothes. He states that a ‘coat’ for men and ‘corsage’ for women don’t make the person finer- it is “The heart that beats, if false or true” that “ranks us high or low.”

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, pp6-7. (Click to enlarge.)

The Forager moves on to describe the bottles he collects. He knows that some are innocent, like perfume bottles, but others can be poison, in many senses of that word. In the 1890s, there was no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the safety of what we consumed. Medicines were adulterated with other drugs or cut with chemicals that were a poison, or there were ingredients that so diluted the original drug that it was ineffective; oftentimes the product just did not work but the advertising or salesmanship was so impressive that people bought it anyway. Other drugs were powerful narcotics that persons would become addicted to easily, and for life. Sadly many died due to the cure, rather than the disease.

Apothecaries/druggists also sold alcohol at times without having a license to sell it, as a saloon would have needed to purchase from the city. Alcohol for ‘medicinal use’ was common, even before prohibition in the 1920s, and was often given to women who had physical complaints. EB was an advocate of the temperance movement, as he had seen the pain of alcohol addiction many times in his professional life. As a young minister in the tenements of Chicago he worked with D. L. Moody in the poor immigrant communities, and he also ministered in mill towns in New England. In fact, he gave up his ministry at a wealthier New England church, in order to minister to those who needed him more. He and his wife also sheltered in their home a young woman who most likely had been escaping from domestic abuse by her husband, and EB testified at a trial concerned with her disappearance. While we do not know if excessive alcohol use was involved, it is well known that alcohol consumption was very high in these poor communities with little hope of a better life. Edward worked to help decrease the use of “bottled sin” in  communities, and reform the laws of cities and our nation.

The Forager has been at his job- and life- long enough to be able to identify what spirit was in each bottle at one time. It is ironic that he laments the fact that there isn’t a drop left for him, despite what he knows to be true of the dangers of alcohol.

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, pp8-9. (Click to enlarge.)

The Forager continues to preach that he has had bottles from some of the pillars of the community, and he wants Edward to “keep still’s a mouse” with what he tells. Even the parson had empty bottles, although they might not have been his, since he had not lived there very long- or had he drunk the contents quickly?

Bags the Forager gathers have stories to tell as well. He uses the bag as a personality metaphor- a bragging person is a “bag o’ wind.”

“Waste Philosophy” by Edward B. Payne, 1892, pp10-11. (Click to enlarge.)

A woman who was a gossip and tattler ironically provided a “wide-mouthed sack”  and the word “tell” is in the name he calls her. A greedy, cheap man provided only small bags, and the Forager states that when that man is dead, the worms will “find his heart too hard to eat.”

The Forager summarizes his “Waste Philosophy”: we can find wisdom, morals, and lessons in the humblest of objects, if we but look for them.

Edward finishes his poem by an appreciation to the committee that charged him with “a grievous task” of finding out how literature is related to “bottles and rags, bags and sacks.” He has found that those simple objects tell us much about the human condition, and give us guidance in our own lives. While he doesn’t say it directly, this is exactly what good literature- and good poetry- does for its readers. The Reverend then offers a blessing for the committee concerning their bottles and eventual rags. He ends his poem with another blessing that is a play on the word “sack”- that St. Peter will “not give them the sack” when they get to the Pearly Gates.

Spoken like a true- and clever- preacher.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892, Berkeley, California. Scans are from a family copy that was lovingly given to the author.
  2. References to the various episodes of Edward B. Payne’s life related in this article can be provided if desired. They are not being added here today because of the time involved- it is more important that the time be used to sew masks for those in need during this pandemic. While a meticulous researcher and logical debater, I feel EB would concur on this better use of time.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892: Introduction

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series "Waste Philosophy" by Rev. Edward B. Payne, 1892
“Waste Philosophy” by Rev. Edward B. Payne, June 1st, 1892, Berkeley Cal. Owned by author.

McMurray Family, Payne Family (Click for Family Tree)

[Am I related? Yes, if you are a descendant of Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” (McMurray) Cook. If you are not related, you may still enjoy this series of posts, since this is National Poetry Month (!!) and because this poem speaks to our history, psyche, and culture. Hopefully all will enjoy.]

Fifty years ago today, in 1970, a group of concerned environmentalists celebrated the first official “Earth Day.” Pollution of water and air, as well as trash and litter, were becoming bigger problems as our population increased and the “things” we purchased as individuals and a society became disposable. So many of our ‘throw-away’ items never really went away, however, just temporarily out of sight into a landfill or an old overgrown lot in a neighborhood or down by a river. Our country, states, and municipalities have developed regulations over these last fifty years to help control trash and minimize pollution to help us all stay healthier and to maintain our precious water, air, land, and ecosystems. Although we have not made the progress those early Earth Day celebrants knew was needed, we have come a long way over these fifty years, and Americans are healthier, in some ways, because of this awareness and drive for change.

Our ancestors knew that polluted land, air, and water were unhealthy for us all, and that trash piling up could cause outbreaks of disease, draw vermin that carried disease, and was smelly and unsightly.  Our ancestors also were frugal, and many of them quite poor- they could not afford to throw away old clothing and bedding, glass bottles, or fabric sacks (bags). They did have some mechanisms to collect these items and reuse them, and one of the ways they did that was by allowing ‘rag pickers’ and others to assist with solid waste ‘disposal’- really “reuse” and “recycle” before those words were trendy. Some of our immigrant ancestors would have this job soon after they got off the boat, since they likely had little money once they had paid their passage and rented a home or apartment in America, and they probably spoke no English which was a barrier to a conventional job. There was also quite a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment at times as a new ethnic group flooded in, and these groups felt discrimination in economic as well as physical ways. Rag pickers were considered some of the lowest in society, sadly. Some of our Broida family (unrelated to the McMurrays and Paynes) came over as immigrants from Lithuania, and were rag pickers in New York City right off the boat. They worked hard, brought over the rest of the family, and finally became merchants of fine men’s and women’s clothing- the American dream and truly a “rags to (what would have seemed like) riches” story.

We do not know much about our very early McMurray and Payne ancestors, but rag picking  could have been a job some of them did, or it could have been a way to make a little money on the side. Many persons “of an age” will remember collecting glass soda bottles and later cans along the side of the road and turning them in for two cents or a nickel each, and then using that money for a comic book or candy at the five-and-dime, or to help buy dinner if the family was in dire circumstances.  Salvage yards, flea markets, and those who dumpster dive or pick up ‘good’ trash from the ends of driveways on pick-up days are also carrying on the tradition of caring for the earth and reusing/recycling materials.

Rag picker in Paris, 1899- Ein Lumpensammler früh morgens in Paris, Avenue des Gobelins, Paris, 1899, via Wikipedia, public domain.

In earlier days, a rag picker would have a cart or a pack animal and walk through the streets, calling out their offer to buy rags, bottles, cloth sacks, metals, even bones. Sometimes the rag picker would purchase the items, other times they would just remove garbage for a citizen or business who would be grateful to see it gone. The rag picker or the family might clean and/or sell the items to a person or business who would then reuse or recycle the product. Glass bottles are one example- they could be cleaned and reused, or melted to form new glass. Sometimes ragpickers sold their finds to a middle person who would then work with purchasers.

Rev. Edward B. Payne (1847-1923) was living in Berkeley, California in 1892 when this poem was published. He had been brought up in the Congregational faith with deep New England roots. His father, Joseph H. Payne, was an ordained minister, and his mother, Nancy (Deming) Payne, came from a line of Congregational deacons. Edward’s wife, Nannie (Burnell) Payne, also came from deep New England Congregational roots- her father Kingsley Abner Burnell was a lay missionary who travelled the world and her mother, Cynthia Maria (Pomeroy) Burnell, had a father who was a deacon in the church. Edward and Nannie lived in Berkeley from 1875-1880, after he was ordained. He ministered to the first church built in Berkeley, the Congregational Church. Edward had a crisis of faith though, and became a Unitarian minister, serving in New England for some time before he was called again to Berkeley in December, 1891. He was the first Unitarian minister installed in Berkeley, and he helped develop a very active Unitarian Society. According to this poem, he was challenged by a Book Club Committee, which may have been a Unitarian group, though could have been a secular local group, since the University of California was also in Berkeley. The city was still small- just 5,101 citizens in the 1890 census, and likely had rag pickers who helped keep the small town clean. The Book Club tasked Edward with determining how waste materials gathered by these persons, such as “Rags and bottles, sacks and bags” could possibly have any relationship to literature. Rev. Payne was a perfect candidate for this mind-tickling task, as he was incredibly well-read, a deep thinker, and an excellent writer. The committee most likely thought that the Reverend would devise an intriguing story to tie together these incongruous topics, and that he did. He even set the story in poetry, and, like any talented religious teacher, he provided a number of morals to the story.

Our next post will provide the poem in its entirety. We hope that you will enjoy the poem, and think of how it has meaning for us today. With the Covid-19 virus pandemic shedding a glaring light on human social and economic disparities, our divisiveness as a country, and a (sometimes) lack of understanding that all humans are equal, we can take these words from 1892 and bring new meaning into our 21st century lives.

Stay safe out there, and wash your hands, please.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. The “Waste Philosophy” booklet/poem presented in these posts is scanned from a family copy, so very generously given to the author by her dear aunt in 2018. It is quite treasured, knowing that it was held in the hand of Edward B. Payne, and then his daughter, Lynette (Payne) McMurray, who may have been the person who underlined some of the words in the poem. The Bancroft Library, University of California-Berkeley, also has a copy of this booklet- the only other copy found in many years of searching libraries. A scan was requested and paid for in 2014 (prior to knowing of the family copy), but was not posted here as permissions would have been required from the Bancroft. This booklet should be considered Public Domain due to its age.
  2. Berkeley, California population statistics– http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/cities/Berkeley40.htm

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2019 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

“Sons & Daughters of Thunder”- Joseph H. Payne, The Lane Rebels, and Abolition in 1834

“Sons & Daughters of Thunder” in WQPT Guide, Quad Cities PBS station.

McMurray Family, Payne Family (Click for Family Tree)

Am I related to Joseph H. Payne? Yes, if you are a descendant of Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert C. McMurray, or Maude “Midge” (McMurray) Cook. They are the great-grandchildren of Joseph H. Payne. You would also be related if you are a descendant of Cornelia Mary (Payne) Hinckley and her husband, Horace A. Hinckley of Lake County, Illinois. 

Click here to open “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” trailer: https://vimeo.com/380634117

As a part of Black History Month, WPQT, a PBS station in the Quad Cities* will air the program, “Sons & Daughters of Thunder- The Beginning of the End of Slavery in America.” This film is about an event that has been forgotten now but in 1834, it was highly divisive, front page news, incited violence, and a part of the rocky path that led to the Civil War decades later.

Our ancestor, Joseph Hitchcock “J.H.” Payne, was right there in the middle of it all.

The film will be aired tomorrow, Sunday, February 9th, 2020, at 8pm. It is a docudrama, so those with docuphobia can rest at ease, and hopefully enjoy it if they are in the Quad Cities area. The program will be followed by a documentary on Harriet Beecher Stowe from the same producers. Harriet was also there for these events, and was influenced enough by them, along with her travels, to write the novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” This book was a bestseller in its time, and changed the course of our country and our people. Hopefully PBS will pick up these films to air throughout the country, but right now, you can purchase “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” through Amazon or directly from the Fourth Wall Films website. (And let PBS know that you want to see both!) I have not seen these films yet so cannot really say how in depth they go, etc., but the subject matter is so important.

The film profiles the people involved in the Lane Debates that occurred over 18 days in February, 1834. Lane Theological Seminary was a Protestant school in Cincinnati, Ohio, a boom town of about 25,000 people. Although the area was still somewhat a frontier, because Cincinnati was located on the Ohio River, which led to the Mississippi River and down to the Gulf of Mexico, commerce and services for those traveling the river made it one of the largest cities in America at the time. Across the river was Kentucky, a slave state, and many Kentuckians crossed the river to do business in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati, Ohio in 1812, from across the river in Newport, Kentucky. By the 1830s the population had at least tripled. Image: Benson Lossing – “The Pictorial Field Book of the War of 1812,” Cincinnati I, via WikiMedia, public domain. (Click to enlarge.)

Joseph H. Payne, very religiously devout, was a 24 year old student, working toward his Divinity degree at Lane. He had previously attended the Oneida Institute in Whitesboro, New York, and would have met Theodore D. Weld there. Weld was about seven years older than J.H., but the two had many similar ideas. Many Oneida students followed Weld to Lane Theological, as did J.H. Payne. Lyman Beecher, a minister, became the President of Lane, and his daughter , Harriet Beecher (who later married Calvin Stowe), joined him in Cincinnati.

Lane Theological Seminary, about 1830., from WikiMedia, public domain. (Click to enlarge.)

Angelina Grimke, daughter of a Southern slave owner, had left her home in Charleston, South Carolina once old enough to act on her feelings about the immorality of slavery. She married Theodore Weld, so J.H. probably knew her as well. Angelina and her sister Sarah Moore Grimke had become abolitionists, Quakers, and suffragists; they were prohibited from ever returning to the South due to their stance on slavery. Frederick Douglas, the well-known former slave who became a powerful orator against slavery, was another of the cast of abolitionists you will see in this film.

While rhetoric and debate were always important in American higher education, the Lane Debates went too far for the acceptable topics of public debate- the subject was just to controversial. Violence and the loss of business from pro-slavery residents of Kentucky and those traveling the river could be consequences of the persuasive student debates, and the Seminary wanted to avoid being seen as a part of that political point of view. So the administrators of Lane prohibited the students from holding public debates on slavery. The students would not back down, despite the threat of being dismissed from the Seminary. The charismatic Theodore Weld brokered a deal with the financially ailing Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin), and on 15 Dec 1834, 51 men signed a thoughtful, respectful statement detailing what had happened and why they were leaving the Seminary and going to study at Oberlin. It was published in William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper “The Liberator,” and read throughout the country. (Well, it probably was used in the fireplace more in the South than read.)

The risks the Lane Rebels took in standing up for their beliefs makes them all American heroes, and founders of a movement that led to abolition, women’s rights, and freedom of speech for college students. We will explore these topics in upcoming posts, and are so pleased that this period of history is being presented to new generations of the American public. Watch the film wherever you can, buy the DVD, read upcoming posts, and ask yourself: “Would I have done the same as my ancestor, Joseph H. Payne, and the other ‘Lane Rebels’ and abolitionists?”

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Before anything else, a huge thank you to the producers, Kelly & Tammy Rundle and Kent Hawley; Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter who wrote the original play; and all the other folks who worked to made this production happen. This is such an important story to share!
  2. Unfortunately we have not been able to communicate with descendants of Cornelia Mary (Payne) Hinckley and her husband, Horace A. Hinckley. Mary, as she was known, was one of three children of Joseph H. Payne. Her sister, Ruby D. Payne, died at age 11 in 1850. Her brother, Edward B. Payne, survived childhood and had one daughter, Lynette “Amino” (Payne) McMurray, who was the mother of the two doctors and daughter “Midge” listed above.
  3. *Moline, East Moline, Rock Island in Illinois, and Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa are considered the “Quad Cities” even though technically that is 5, not 4, cities.
  4.  IMDb is a movie database that is now owned by Amazon. The link for this movie is https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3835150/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt
    You can also click for ‘full cast’ but Joseph H. Payne is not listed as a character. This may be because there is very little found of his specific role in the debates, etc. He definitely was, however, one of the “Lane Rebels” as they were called, and upcoming posts with tell more about Joseph.
  5. “Cincinnati”- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati
  6. “Backstory- In The Beginning There Was a Play… And It Was Good!” Details on the playwright and film adaptation of Sons & Daughters of Thunder. https://docublogger.typepad.com/thunder/backstory/
  7. You can order the film from the producers/Fourth Wall Films at http://www.fourthwallfilms.com/dvds.htm. Although the website states “Not secure” due to new Google requirements, the purchase section of the website opens up a secure window through PayPal. Amazon also offers the film: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Z9L8D6?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=A9FVVWY3QW9G3ZCD2JVG
  8. Lane Seminary- “Defence of the Students”: http://www2.oberlin.edu/external/EOG/LaneDebates/RebelsDefence.htm

 

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Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
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Amanuensis Monday: Will McMurray’s Grocery in Newton, Iowa

McMurray-Killduff Grocery Ad- best grocery stock, Newton Record, Newton Iowa, March 2, 1899, Vol. 5, No. 32, Page 8, Columns 3-4.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

An “amanuensis” (A-man’-U-en-sis) is a person who copies or writes from other works or dictation. The term is pretty archaic, and was used much more in the early- to mid-1800s. After that time those persons, still required to hand write much since we had no copiers or scanners, were more often called “scriveners” or “scribes.” Scribe is actually an even older word, but it too lost favor especially once typewriters, dictation machines (remember “Dictaphones”?), and computers came on the scene.

We have been telling the story of William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957) and the grocery he and his wife, Lynette Payne McMurray, owned in Newton, Iowa. Will initially had a partner, William Charles Killduff, but later Will and Lynette owned the store on their own. The store carried a wide variety of items through the years, and placed advertisements regularly in the local newspapers. Here are some of the items they carried, transcribed from a variety of sources, some listed below.

fresh and salted fish “which we will sell cheap”

fresh oysters in bulk and can

McMurray-Killduff Grocery Ad for Hams, 2 Mar 1899, Newton Record, Newton Iowa, Vol. 5, No. 32, Page 8, Columns 3-4.

lettuce, celery, radishes

[Grocers back then also bought directly from local farmers. Other than tinned (canned) foods, there were fewer middle distributors with food sitting in a train car for days going cross county, or sitting in a warehouse for days or months. Stores did carry some items that came from afar, but some, like oysters, would only be available “until the season closes.”]

peaches, by the carload

[train carload? Suggested a better price due to the quantity the grocery purchased.]

“Use Marshall’s Best Flour- $1.20 per sack. Sold by McMurray & Killduff.”

[This flour must really have been the “Best” because an ad for the grocery published 22 June 1899 that there had been “25,000 sacks of this flour sold in Newton and vicinity.” The population of the city of Newton was just 3,682 in 1900, and Jasper County 26, 976. The ad does not state the time period of the sales number quoted, but still, that’s a lot of flour in one area!]

Minnesota Flour, Kansas Flour

[Flours have different amounts of protein, depending on the type of wheat that it was milled from, with low protein flours considered “soft” wheat and best for pastries or cakes; “hard” flour has more protein and gluten, which are better for breads. Back then most desserts and bread was made from scratch in the home, especially in rural areas.]

Fruit jars… “at a great discount”

[for canning from your home fruit trees, bushes]

Japan Tea

Japan Rice

[A short-grain, sticky rice.]

 

Writing down information gleaned from the various advertisements also helps us learn a bit about how the store evolved over the years:

2 March 1899 ads above indicate the name of the store, and its owners, are McMurray & Killduff

9 September 1901- store listed in ad as “Will McMurray, Northeast Square, Newton, Iowa”

In the 1920 Newton Iowa City Directory, on page 104, the entry

McMurray WILL E, Groceries and Meats

tells us at that time, there was no partnership, and the grocery belonged solely to Will and Lynette. The bold lettering may have been paid for as a business, as the listing also states “(See page 7).” The directory listing noted that the store was located at 106 N 2d av E, but Will and Lynette resided at 322 E 4th N.  Just above the listing for Will was one of Will’s brothers:

McMurray, Roy, mngr meat dept W E McMurray

[It has been said by some that the McMurrays were “clannish.” They lived near each other, socialized together, took vacations together, and worked together, as this directory shows. All of these, back then, were much more common to do within a family group than it is today.]

Newspaper clippings about family business are a great way to get a feel for the times in which our ancestors lived, and a bit about their daily lives. Writing it down (being an “amanuensis”) and putting it all together is a great way to share with family too!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Newton Record, Feb. 23, 1899, p. 8.
  2. Newton Record, Newton Iowa, March 2, 1899, Vol. 5, No. 32, Page 8, Columns 3-4.
  3. Newton Iowa State Democrat, Aug 17, 1899, Vol. 19, No. 33, Page 4.
  4. “Carload of Peaches,” Newton Daily Record, Sept. 9. 1901, page 2.
  5. Population statistics for Newton from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa; Jasper County– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2018 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.