THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

In 1774 and the Spring of 1775 Paul Revere was employed by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of resolutions as far away as New York and Philadelphia.  On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren and instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. After being rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown by two associates, Paul Revere borrowed a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin. While in Charlestown, he verified that the local "Sons of Liberty" committee had seen his pre-arranged signals. (Two lanterns had been hung briefly in the bell-tower of Christ Church in Boston, indicating that troops would row "by sea" across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than marching "by land" out Boston Neck. Revere had arranged fo...

More pages from the scrapbook. Some business advertisements include: American Arms Co. / Rising Sun Stove Polish / Dr. Simmons Liver Regulator / Anderson's Cough Cure / University Medicines / Schepp's Cocoanut / Elgin watches / J & P Coats thread / Boston baked beans / Augusta Healy's vegetable pills / Charter Oak City Shirt Co. / Jacob Hoffman brewery / Skilton Foote Co.'s Bunker Hill pickles / Solar Tip Shoes / Beef Canning Co. / Eldridge's safety halter / Pond's Extract / J. Hetherington / Kibbe Big Sandy cigar El

Livery stables were essential businesses in towns prior the combustion engine. They were places to rent a horse or board one. They offered delivery services for customers. A lot of livery owners got involved in the undertaking business as they traditionally moved the caskets. The livery was also a source of hay, grain, coal and wood. The stable attracted men and usually was the scene of nightlife which included gambling, animal fighting and other vices. Add to that the smell and varmin the stable attracted, and while an essential business, the stable wasn’t always welcome in certain parts of town.

I spend a lot of time at the vet. My German Shepherd/Border Collie mix, Gus, was diagnosed with diabetes last March. It has been a learning curve. Dogs are type I diabetics, thus they need insulin shots. Cats can be both, type I and II. Anyway, sorry to digress - back to billheads. The billheads I have for veterinarians have a few commonalities - livestock graphics, i.e. horses or cows. So, cats, dogs, birds and other animals did not factor in to the early veterinary practice. Vets services were mainly advertised for farmers and businesses. Second, the majority advertise themselves as "veterinary surgeons." Now a little history , prior to scientifically trained veterinarians, the American farmer in the later 19th century faced problems with illness among their livestock. When scourges hit, it was not uncommon to have an entire communities livestock wiped out. Thus, the American farmer resorted to relying on superstitions and what were called the "hoss" doc...