Fort Wayne city directories start in 1858 with business and city resident addresses. Public domain copies before 1923 are listed on the City Directories page and embeded within the Timeline pages.
Early African Americans find local life a constant struggleBy 1900, there were 276 African Americans in Fort Wayne. The overall population was 45,115. Part of the reason for the increase was the migration of African Americans moving from the South. ... By 1910, William Warfield had built a solid life for his family. by Shannon Kin.
Robison Park amused thrill seekersFor a time, the roller coaster continued to thrill riders in Trier's Park, in what is now the west part of Swinney Park. The carousel found a home at Riverside Park in Logansport. And more than 50 years after the park closed, developers turned the land into North Pointe Woods, a housing addition. by Carol Tannehill.
Chestnut blight was discovered in the early 1900s and by the 1940s most American chestnut trees once a dominant tree of the eastern American forest had died.
It is National Watermelon Day! Photo taken on Manchester College campus circa 1900. Pictured front left are Lenius Crasher and his wife Jefie Stiver Crasher.
Assuming those watermelons were locally grown - it would mostly likely have been a hot day in July or August when this picnic took place. Can you imagine wearing that much clothing now on a hot summer day??
1900
Did you know May is National Moving Month? Check out this photo from our collections of moving day for the home of...
Did you know May is National Moving Month? Check out this photo from our collections of moving day for the home of Huldah Cornelia (Marsh) Hawkins in Henry County circa 1900. The house is jacked up on logs as it’s being prepared to move from the country to Spiceland, Indiana, behind the post office.
[ see our House Moving page with historic newspaper articles about moving houses ]
1900
April 15, 2025 post on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook. "Considered “formal listening” these young men listen intently to a recording on a Victor Talking Machine Co. gramophone in 1900. (Image credit: Fort Wayne Historical Society victrola)"
#OTD in 1900, Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet’s factory burned down in Albany less than a year after the business was founded. The company relocated to New Castle, occupying the former Speeder Cycle Company's bicycle factory. The Hoosier Cabinet gained popularity during a time when kitchen storage and counter space were limited and provided a workspace and shelving for home cooks. By 1921, one out of every ten American homes had a Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet.
#OTDFebruary 1, 1900, Eastman Kodak debuted their brownie box camera. The inception of this simple camera came at a time when the way people captured photographs was changing. Eastman Kodak strived to design a camera that was both inexpensive and reliable, made of cardboard and a single meniscus lenses, and originally selling for $1. It took 2 ¼ inch square photographs on 117 roll film that cost 15 cents a roll. The camera was easy to operate and often marketed to children. Variations of this camera were sold until the 1960s.
FORT WAYNE NEAR THE STORM CENTER- -HEAVIEST FALL IN FEBRUARY IN YEARS.
Fort Wayne is near the storm center and railroad traffic is greatly delayed this afternoon. All trains from the west, and north are from one to two hours late and report many delays owing to snow drifts.
Snow began falling in Fort Wayne about 11 o'clock and has been falling ever since. At 2 o clock railroad men sent out the information from Fort Wayne that the fall at that hour had reached a depth of eight inches here at that hour. The reports from Nickel Plate and Pennsylvania points between Fort Wayne and Chicago showed that the greatest depth was about Wanatah and about fifteen inches at Hammond. At no other point was the fall less than in Fort Wayne and along certain strips of road in country districts the trainmen report that the fall is nearer two feet than eighteen inches. Snow plows are out and the work of clearing the track is being pushed. East of Fort Wayne the fall is lighter. At noon east of Van Wert, on the Pennsylvania road, a slight rainfall was reported. There had been but little snow.
On the Grand Rapids & Indiana road the storm extends from points north of Grand Rapids to Portland, Ind. The depth ranges from sixteen to eight inches.
All along the lines where the snow had been falling all, day there was no cessation this afternoon.
The storm at this hour, 3 o'clock, continues unabated. Unless there is a clearing away of the storm clouds railroads will suffer materially to-night and traffic greatly delayed. This afternoon freight trains were, moving but making slow time.
The street railway company has been making heroic efforts all day to keep its tracks clear, but has found the task a difficult one. Travel has been unusually heavy, and the frequent stops for passengers, and the delay occasioned by the constantly falling snow, has made schedule time an utter impossibility, and has delayed the cars materially.
All day long on the down town streets a large force of men has been busily engaged in moving the heavy snowfall which came yesterday, and which, in point of depth, holds the record for the past several years. The street railway company brought into requisition every available wagon of the trucking companies, besides numerous express wagons, into which the snow is being shoveled and hauled off the streets. Later the city will complete the work by removing the banks that have accumulated in the gutters, and within a short time little trace of the big snow will remain in the down town section. It is expected that the melting of the snow will raise the rivers to high water mark.
Happy Independence Day! At the turn of the 20th century, some Americans worked to transition the holiday from one centered around firework displays to a quiet day of picnicking. In 1903 alone over 400 people died and 4,000 were injured by fireworks, kicking off a movement for a quieter Fourth of July. By 1909, the “Safe and Sane” movement gained the support of President William H. Taft who “hope[d] it would spread through the Union.” Hoosier response, like the rest of the country, was mixed. Many families did make the transition to picnicking in scenic locations, but most towns still held elaborate celebrations with parades, baseball games, bands, and even hot air balloons during the day with a “grand display” of fireworks at night. The movement led to greater regulations of fireworks and even statewide bans (since revoked). Learn more about the “Safe and Sane” fireworks movement through the Smithsonian: https://bit.ly/3Cuk8Tx
And check current regulations courtesy of the Indiana State Police: https://bit.ly/467T3mU
Images clockwise from top left: Newburgh Chandler Public Library, Starke County Historical Society, and Floyd County Library. All images accessed via Indiana Memory.
Was New York Governor Theodore Teddy Roosevelt pelted with stones in FortWayne, Indiana while campaigning for Vice President of the United States? A 2019 Tweet let to this research:
In 1904, Bentley approached the Smithsonian with nearly 20 years of photographs and a manuscript describing his methods and findings. But geology curator George Merrill rejected the submission as "unscientific." (Eventually, the U.S. Weather Bureau published the manuscript and many of the photographs.) Avowing that "it seemed a shame" not to share the wonders he had recorded, Bentley sold many of his glass plates to schools and colleges for 5 cents apiece. He never copyrighted his work.
Bentley's efforts to document the artistry of winter garnered him attention as he grew older. He published an article in National Geographic. Finally, in 1931, he collaborated with meteorologist William J. Humphreys on a book, Snow Crystals, illustrated with 2,500 of Snowflake's snowflakes.
No two alike For decades, Wilson Alwyn Bentley took detailed photographs of snow crystals, effectively pioneering photomicrography. Today, his iconic images are a ubiquitous aspect of winter—thanks in part to a Johns Hopkins–trained physicist.
Snowflake Bentley website: “… from the beginning, it was the snowflakes that fascinated me most”. — Wilson Alwyn Bentley
Wilson A. Bentley: Pioneering Photographer of Snowflakes Wilson A. Bentley, 1925, courtesy of the Jericho Historical Society. "My collection [is] far superior in both number &auty & I might add interest, to that of any other collection in the world...," Wilson A. Bentley.
FRIDAY FACT: In March 1901 Indiana passed a law encouraging the formation of historical societies and the preservation of county records. County councils were empowered to grant up to $5,000 for historical societies to build rooms and fireproof vaults on county land for the preservation of local records. The purpose of this law was the "collection and preservation of local and general history, making a record of the progress of the several counties of the State, and providing permanent nuclei for individual and family history." Source: Laws of the State of Indiana, passed at the sixty-second regular session of the General Assembly begun on the 10th day of January A.D. 1901 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1901).
In March 1901 the Indiana legislature tackled the growing problem of cocaine addiction. Pharmacists were forbidden to sell cocaine, opium or morphine to anyone "addicted to the habitual use" of them, unless they had a prescription from a licensed physician. The pharmacist would be subject to a misdemeanor and fined between $10 and $50 for each violation.
Source: Laws of the State of Indiana, passed at the sixty-second regular session of the General Assembly (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1901).
1901, April 25 - New York becomes the first state to require automobile license plates.
On May 8, 1901, Governor Winfield Taylor Durbin approved a law supported by the state board of charities that made unsupervised, “feeble-minded” women from 16-45 wards of the state.Eugenics factored into the intent of this legislation, as it aimed at preventing future “generations of feebleminded persons.” An official state report called the law “one of the wisests steps taken by that body [the General Assembly]. . . as a legal step towards the prevention of imbecility.”
Learn more about eugenics in Indiana with our Indiana state historical marker: 1907 Indiana Eugenics Law
The image of Durbin below is courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society Digital Library.
1901, September 6 - President William McKinley is shot while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, he died several days later, and Theodore Roosevelt became president. The United States Secret Service, established in 1865 to safeguard the nation's currency, is best known as the agency responsible for protecting the president. It took on this duty in 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley. From Life and Death in the White House on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History blog.
The White House wasn't always the official name for the Executive Mansion, but that changed shortly after President Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901. On October 17 that year, a letter went out to agencies from Secretary to the President George B. Cortelyou, requesting the change "in all documents requiring [the President's] signature." The White House letterhead also changed.
You can see the difference in these two letters, written about three weeks apart by President Roosevelt, both to his friend Jake. They are held in the Library's collection of Theodore Roosevelt Papers. The other difference in the letters: The first has a black mourning border, which was present on such correspondence for a time in the wake of President William McKinley’s assassination in September.
ON THIS DAY // On April 22, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt sent a note to Secretary of War Elihu Root suggesting that the new Army post in Indianapolis be named for President Benjamin Harrison.
The fort has been used for training in several wars including the two World Wars, the Cold War, Vietnam War and other U.S. actions.
In the 1990s, Fort Harrison was decommissioned, but a small portion of the site is maintained.
Fort Harrison State Park is open to the public and includes hiking and horseback trails, golf, and dining facilities at the former Officers' Club.
For more information on Fort Benjamin Harrison and Fort Harrison State Park, visit:
1902, May 15 - the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on the Circle was formally dedicated, although a commission was initially formed in 1887. General Lew Wallace was Master of Ceremonies, which included the reading of a poem by James Whitcomb Riley and music by John Philip Sousa. Lots of photos on SOLDIERS' AND SAILORS' MONUMENT on This Is Indiana.
1902, June 11 - Horse Runs Amuck - example how life was different back then - from Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel newspaper.
On July 29, 1902, the first Carnegie Library in Indiana was dedicated in Crawfordsville. The Current Events Club, a local women's organization, had been organizing the city's public library for four years when Andrew Carnegie donated $25,000 for construction costs.
While this was the first Carnegie Library in the state, Indiana would come to have more Carnegies than any other state in the nation. Crawfordsville's public library relocated in 2005 and the original building reopened as the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County in 2007.
The temperance movement, a social movement promoting the complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages, has had many champions in the United States. One of the most notable was the reformer, Carrie A. Nation. On August 17, 1902, exactly 122 years ago today, Carrie Nation made her second visit to the city of Fort Wayne. While here she lectured on the evils of alcohol to several large crowds at the local amusement spot, Robison Park. Even though her stay in our city was not long, there were concerns over the possibility of saloon smashing taking place. Nation had become a devoted campaigner against alcohol following the death of her alcoholic first husband in 1869. In 1900, Nation began to visit saloons and destroy their stock with a hatchet, proclaiming “Men, I have come to save you from a drunkard's fate.” Mrs. Nation visited the city again in 1903 and 1908, these were layover stops, and both times she gave a short speech on the evils of tobacco and smoking. The mirror from the Historical Society’s collection was from a saloon in Kansas that was attacked by Carrie Nation and her followers in 1900. #sociallyhistory
1902, September 23 - the new Allen County Courthouse was dedicated with a final cost of $817,553.59. Designed by Brentwood S. Tolan, construction began in 1897, the cornerstone was laid November 17, 1897. Now a National Historic Landmark, on September 23, 2002, the building was re-dedicated on its centennial after an $8.6 million seven-year restoration effort. From 1900-1909: The Era of Optimism A new era of change dawns from the Archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper. September 22, 2022 nearly 20 photos were posted by The History Centeron Facebook.
1902, October 9 - more than 16,000 were on hand for the Fort Wayne Fair Association festivities which included Fort Wayne’s first auto race at Driving Park. From 1900-1909: The Era of Optimism A new era of change dawns from the Archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
1903
1903 - The Naming of Indiana by Cyrus W. Hodgin article appeared in the Papers of the Wayne County, Indiana Historical Society Vol. 1, No. 1 (1903), pages 3-11, located in the Indiana State Library. The Naming of Indiana by Cyrus W. Hodgin. Read The Naming of Indiana on Smithsonian National Museum of American History blog.
First Oil Well was in the New Haven Oil Field on the Hartzell Farm - Second was on the S. Null farm - location is on the Hartzell Road between Moeller and Seiler Road - see Google Map.
Ford Motor Company was founded on this day in 1903. By 1909, the relatively affordable Model T was making car ownership accessible to more people. You can see the nation's evolving perception of "horseless carriages" in our historic newspaper archive. Horseless Carriages and Ford’s Model T: Topics in Chronicling America.
1903, July 23 - the Ford Motor Company sold its first car, a two-cylinder Model A, to a Chicago dentist named Ernst Pfenning, who paid $850 for it. The Model A was painted red, with a seat that fit two people, and no roof. It reached 28 mph at top speed.
120 YEARS AGO! This Day In History - July 23 1903 - The First FORD Automobile Was Sold.
The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by the Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Ernest Pfennig, a Chicago dentist, became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903; 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904 during Ford's occupancy of its first facility: the Ford Mack Avenue Plant, a modest rented wood-frame building on Detroit's East Side. The Model A was replaced by the Ford Model C during 1904 with some sales overlap.
The car came as a two-seater runabout for $800 or the $900 four-seater tonneau model with an option to add a top
The company had spent almost its entire $28,000 initial investment funds ($911,970 in 2022 dollars) with only $223.65 left in its bank account when the first Model A was sold. The success of this car model generated a profit for the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford's first successful business.
Five years later Ford introduced the hugely influential Model T.
Photo: Henry Ford driving his 1903 Runabout Model A.
Also included is the Preble County Historical Societies Model A. You can see the Model A in person at the Downtown Eaton Inc. Downtown Saturday Night Car Show on August 26! It will be there in person to celebrate 120 years!
July 26 in 1903 - the 1st automobile trip across the United States (SF-NY) completed by Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewall K. Crocker. They named their car Vermont, after their home state.
They arrived in New York City on July 26, 1903, sixty-three days, twelve hours, and thirty minutes after commencing their journey in San Francisco, in the first automobile to successfully transit the North American continent.Their trip expended over 800 gallons of gasoline.
Above, Horatio Nelson Jackson, left, mechanic Sewall Crocker and a bulldog named Bud in the Vermont.
Is gold panning allowed on Indiana state forests? Panning for gold is permitted on Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests. A gold panning permit is required! The permit, which can be obtained free of charge, allows for panning gold on a hobby basis. At IN.gov.
This is an engraving from the 1884 Wabash County History by Helms showing the store and residence of Thomas Gibbs in...
This is an engraving from the 1884 Wabash County History by Helms showing the store and residence of Thomas Gibbs in Dora. Thomas Gibbs ran a general store in Dora and for a time was its postmaster. The community of Dora began along the Salamonie River when a dam and mill were built there around 1843. Dora was platted by John Minnick on Dec 13, 1850 with 16 lots. Pefley & Powell Addition added 32 more lots. Before that time early settlers used the place to ford the Salamonie then came the mill and a dam. In 1866 there was a short lived GOLD RUSH to the area when several good sized nuggets were found in the Salamonie. By 1871 the community of Dora had 125 inhabitants 25 dwellings, a mill 2 story school house, wagon shop, blacksmith, 4 stores (one pictured here) stockyard, a doctor and 2 churches. Very few pictures survive of the town so this picture gives us an idea of what the stores looked like. Near the entrance to the boat ramp is a surviving building. In the 1960s, Dora was torn down and cleared to make way for the Salamonie Reservoir. Thomas Gibb came to Wabash County from New Jersey settling first in New Holland where he ran a store. He them moved to Mt. Etna ran a store there until 1866. He then returned to Wabash County forming a partnership with John L. Large in Dora in the store shown here. He later sold his interest to Jacob L. Fall.
Much of the rock found in Wabash County is limestone created by a giant inland sea. However, several glaciers deposited...
Much of the rock found in Wabash County is limestone created by a giant inland sea. However, several glaciers deposited a variety of small rock on the county. This is a picture with comment sent to me by Charles Houlihan of one such find. Because of glacial action there are several kinds of semiprecious gemstones to be found if one only looks for them. You wont get rich but they are interesting finds no the less. Houlihan says of his find that it is the "first amethyst find in Indiana for me, found from gravel pit in Wabash county most likely glaciated to here. I'm used to digging in SC and GA so not quite the specimen I'm used to but amethyst in Indiana blows my mind!"
Some of the finds I have made while walking around the Salamonie and Mississinewa Reservoirs mainly during the winter when the water level is low are about an ounce of gold flakes particularly around Rush Creek and Josina Creek; emerald; red Jasper (all over Dora boat ramp) and opals. You just never know what you will find in Wabash County! What have you found on your walks? Thanks Charles for sharing. Cathy Proffitt adds “I had no idea!! I'd like to see examples of his other finds. I don't think I would recognize it if I found it.” Roger Carl Utter II says “I've found arrowheads along the Wabash river.”
Around 1900, Indiana farmers and geologists explored the possibility that the hills of Brown, Monroe, and Morgan...
Around 1900, Indiana farmers and geologists explored the possibility that the hills of Brown, Monroe, and Morgan Counties could be rife with gold, drawing Midwesterners to seek their fortune. A slew of excited stories in the Indianapolis press about gold mining going on just “twenty-three miles from the golden dome of the Indiana State House” died out a few years later. But that didn’t stop two men from Ohio from coming to Brown County, panning the stuff, and buying a farm with their profits in 1908.
Just before 5 a.m. on Dec. 14, 1903, a fire broke out in the four-story Seidel building at 722 Calhoun St., in the block now dominated by the PNC Bank building along Main Street. The blaze destroyed the building and damaged neighboring structures. Fire crews fought the blaze for about seven hours in bitter cold. When the fire began, the temperature was -3. Drops of water froze before hitting the ground and the area of the blaze was coated in ice from water used to fight the flames. An illustration on the front page of The Journal Gazette the following morning depicted "The Ice Covered Ruins."
The Wright Brothers took their famous flight on December 17th, 1903. Today, Wright Brothers Hill is a memorial park located in Greene County, Ohio, near the city of Dayton. Wilbur and Orville Wright were long-time residents of Dayton. After the flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, the Wrights went about perfecting their flying machine at Huffman Prairie outside of Dayton, and in the winter of 1904-1905, they constructed the Flyer III. Unlike the Wrights’ earlier designs, the Flyer III was able to turn and circle with ease, making it the world’s first practical airplane. Even though the Wright brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, they always said that they really learned to fly on Huffman field. The Wright Brothers Hill-Memorial overlooking Huffman Field was built from 1938-1940 and was designed by the Olmsted Brothers Firm.
The Wright Brothers made their first successful flights of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, launching the modern age of aviation.
This newspaper clipping comes from their hometown of Dayton, Ohio, and reports that Wilbur and Orville Wright "have solved the problem of aerial navigation by successfully flying their airship, with which they have been experimenting for the past three years."
Read the full article in the Dayton Evening Herald on our site: Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, 1903, The Dayton Herald, Dayton, Ohio, Fri, December 18, 1903, Page 1
#OTD in 1903, the first board was elected for the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA). The organization sought to coordinate the efforts of regional athletic associations, ensure uniformity of game rules, and limit abuses, such as non-students representing high schools in competition.
That day, a constitution was presented to a group of high school principals, which stated: "The purpose of this organization is the encouragement and direction of athletics in the high schools of the state. No effort has been made to repress the athletic spirit that is everywhere in evidence in our schools. On the contrary, this organization gives recognition to athletics as an essential factor in the activities of the pupil and seeks only to direct these activities into proper and legitimate channels."
The image below, showing the cover page for the 1903-1904 IHSAA Handbook, is courtesy of IHSAA. Check out the full handbook here: The Indiana High School Athletic Association[ 74 pages ]
1904 - Some Fort Wayne phizes (1904) - Griswold, Bert Joseph, 1873-1927, cartoons with humorous descriptions of local business people head photos on cartoon bodies Archive.org.
Compulsory vaccination as the equivalent of bringing death to your doorstep is given vivid illustration in this frontispiece to "Vaccination Brought Home to You" (1904) by R. Swinburne Clymer, Vice President of the Anti-Vaccination Society of America. Anti-vaccination was a potent populist strain in the early 20th century United States and its echoes can be heard to the present day. Read more in the Medical Heritage Library:
On September 16, 1904, Willis H. Carrier filed for a patent on his invention, an "Apparatus for Treating Air," which was issued on January 2, 1906. Carrier invented the world's first spray-type air conditioning equipment, able to both wash and humidify or dehumidify air. This invention laid the foundation of modern air conditioning.
Americans of the early 20th century were unprepared for just how much the automobile was going to reshape their lives. By 1903 Americans were already making music about cruising along in a car (although Little Deuce Coupe was still a ways off). One of the earliest recorded songs about driving is "In My Merry Oldsmobile," written by Gus Edwards and Vincent P. Bryan. Like most car songs, it tells the whimsical story of a young couple driving along, looking for a place to "park." Its jaunty and has a quick tempo, not unlike the titular Oldsmobile of the time. Listen to a recording by Billy Murray here (although Bing Crosby also recorded a version if you are so inclined): https://ia802705.us.archive.org/.../BillyMurray
Oldsmobile a division of General Motors used the song, with altered lyrics, for several decades as a marketing jingle. The song was featured in the 1931 Fleischer Studios animated short In My Merry Automobile as a "follow the bouncing ball" sing-along feature. The short, directed by Jimmy Culhane, was produced "by arrangement and in cooperation with" the Olds Motor Works. Bing Crosby featured the song in his film The Star Maker in 1939 and recorded the song for Decca Records on June 30, 1939. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" was often used by Carl Stalling, long-time music director for Warner Bros. cartoons, especially when references to automobiles or driving were made. "In My Merry Oldsmobile" is one of the songs played on Main Street USA in Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. It was also sung in episode The Best Of Enemies of M*A*S*H by Hawkeye Pierce (played by Alan Alda) while driving a Jeep in Korea. Copied from In My Merry Oldsmobile on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
In My Merry Oldsmobile by tvdays 1931 Feb 12, 2023 on YouTube
"In My Merry Oldsmobile" is a popular song from 1905, with music by Gus Edwards and lyrics by Vincent P. Bryan.
The song's chorus is one of the most enduring automobile-oriented songs. The verses, which are slightly suggestive (by 1905 standards) tell of a couple who court and fall in love during a trip with a new Oldsmobile.
1905 - Indiana Genenealogical Society June 27, 2013 Facebook FRIDAY FACT: Indiana passed a law in March 1905 establishing speed limits for motor vehicles - 8 miles per hour in closely built-up municipal areas; 15 mph in other municipal areas; 20 mph outside municipal areas. Violators were subject to a $50 fine. Source: Acts of 1905, Chapter 123, as appears in "Laws of the State of Indiana, passed at the sixty-fourth regular session of the General Assembly" (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1905).
1905, February 2 - At 7 that morning, the temperature had dropped to -12. By midnight, it had climbed to -5. But, a Journal Gazette writer reported, that failed to express just how cold it really was, for the air was damp, instead of dry, and a sharp wind blew through the frigid atmosphere through the thickest garments and almost froze the marrow in one's bones. Copied from The cold old days published February 2, 2019 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
1905, March 6 - Indiana began the first statewide registration of motor vehicles. For a fee of $1.00, the owner was given a two-inch diameter disc with registration number to be mounted on the vehicle. See A History of Indiana License Plates by Greg Gibson posted January 23, 2016 by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission on Facebook.
On March 6, 1905, Indiana lawmakers approved an act to "regulate the speed, operation and registration of locomobiles, automobiles, moter [sic] cycles." Who remembers locomobiles? Check out the speed limits back then!
1905, June 12 - the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company was founded in Fort Wayne, using the name and likeness of Abraham Lincoln. One of the company’s first life insurance policies was issued on September 1, 1905 to local dentist, Dr. Henry L. Jamieson. Jamieson arrived in Fort Wayne in 1903 and practiced dentistry locally until his death in 1938. See September 19, 2018 post with photos and more information by The History Center on Facebook.
1906, March 13 - American suffragist Susan B. Anthony dies at age 85.
1906, April 18
San Francisco Doomed headline April 18, 1906 on The Fort Wayne Sentinel newspaper from Newspapers.com. The San Francisco earthquake was followed by the largest fire in the nation's history, as gas lines ruptured, power lines fell, and chimneys collapsed. The earthquake and fire destroyed four square miles of the city and left hundreds dead. See photos at The Library of Congress.
Led by Drum Corps, They Gave Parade Down Town and Paid Respects to The Sentinel.
Fort Wayne newsboys to the number of more than one hundred are at Robison park today enjoying an outing as guests of Charles A. Phelps, president of the Newsboys' union, and it has been a good many days since a liveller lot of youngsters put in a day of more thorough enjoyment.
Prior to boarding the cars for the park this morning the newsboys, headed by their own drum corps, gave a parade in the down town streets, and nobody who saw or heard the happy lads can question their intention to get full day's pleasure out of the trip. Many of them carried lunch bankets, baseball equipment, etc., and all were surcharged with enthusiasm over the event.
Incidentally the lads paused in front of the Sentinel building and paid their respects to this newspaper in enthuslastic cheers. The park program includes base ball games, boat races and other sports and a big basket dinner.
Replace these “wireless telegraphs” with smartphones, update the dress a little, and this vision of "isolating technology" from a 1906 issue of Punch magazine could easily be from today: https://buff.ly/2V2YzaL
Replace these “wireless telegraphs” with smartphones, update the dress a little, and this vision of "isolating technology" from a 1906 issue of Punch magazine could easily be from today: A Vision of Isolating Technology from 1906
1907: Immigration to the United States from Europe peaks. By 1910, 14.8 percent of the U.S. population is foreign-born. From 1900-1909: The Era of Optimism A new era of change dawns from the Archives of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
FRIDAY FACT: Under an Indiana law passed in February 1907, marriages between first cousins were hereafter illegal; all marriages between first cousins that had been performed before February 1907 were legalized. Source: Acts of 1907, Chapter 68, as appears in "Laws of the State of Indiana, passed at the sixty-fifth regular session of the General Assembly" (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1907).
"I know," said George 'Tis very wrong To tell my father lies - The truth is that I chopped it down To get the exercise. THE STORY OF THE CHERRY TREE. SHADE OF WASHINGTON--"About the only thing for which I am remembered seems to be something I never did at all.".
FRIDAY FACT: In March 1907, the Indiana legislature passed a law which limited the workload of all railroad employees - they couldn't work more than 16 hours in a row, and had to be given at least 8 hours off before their next work shift. Railroad companies that did not comply with the law would be liable for any injuries incurred by their overworked employees. This law was titled "An act to promote the safety of employees and travelers upon railroads." [The Federal Hours of Service Act was enacted by Congress on March 4, 1907, to promote the safety of employees and travelers on railroads by limiting the hours of service of railroad employees. From page 4 of the 340 page FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OF RAILROAD SAFETY Hours of Service Compliance Manual Passenger Operations March 2014]
Source: Laws of the state of Indiana, passed at the sixty-fifth regular session of the General Assembly begun on the tenth day of January A.D. 1907 (Indianapolis: William B. Burford, 1907).
1907, March 2 - The Expatriation Act declares that an American woman who marries a foreign national loses her citizenship. From 1907 to 1922, American women lost their American citizenship after marrying non-Americans. ... Faytie Alone Kitchens Karlovic took this oath of allegiance to regain her rights as a U.S. citizen 11/20/1942. See Repatriation Petitions search results at the The National Archives.
Faytie Alone Kitchens Karlovic took this oath of allegiance to regain her rights as a U.S. citizen 11/20/1942.
From 1907 to 1922, American women lost their American citizenship after marrying non-Americans.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/24746979...
Series: Repatriation Oaths of Allegiance, 1941 - 1950
Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685 - 2009
Transcription:
Form N-415
(Old 2234)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE
(EDITION OF 9-15-41)
ORIGINAL
(To be retained as court
record)
APPLICATION TO TAKE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE
ACT OF JUNE 25, 1936, AS AMENDED, AND FORM OF SUCH OATH
To the Honorable, the U.S. District Court of Eastern District of Arkansas Little Rock, Ark.
This application, hereby made and filed, respectfully shows:
(1) My full, true, and correct name is FAYTIE ALONE KITCHENS KARLOVIC
(2) My present place of residence is Route #`1 Rison Cleveland Arkansas
(3) My occupation is Housewife
(4) I am 47 years old.
(5) I was born on June 9, 1895 in Hamburg,
Arkansas United States
(6) My personal description is as follows: Sex Female; color White, complexion Dark,
color of eyes Grey, color of hair Dark Brown, height 5 feet 8 inches, weight 135 pounds;
visible distinctive marks None
(7) I am -- married; the name of my husband is Andrew Matt Karlovic; we were married
on April 21, 1912 at Hamburg, Arkansas; he was born
at Klana Istrea Austria on November 6, 1888; and now resides
at Route #1 Rison, Arkansas U.S.A.
(😎 I lost, or believe that I lost, United States citizenship solely by reason of my marriage on April 21, 191
2
to Andrew Matt Karlovic then an alien, a citizen or subject of Austria,
and my marital status with such person was not terminated on by
(9) I have resided continuously in the United States since the date of my marriage shown in paragraph 8 hereof,
to wit, since April 21, 1912
(10) I hereby apply to take the oath of renunciation and allegiance as prescribed in Section 335 (b) of the Nationality
Act of 1940 (54 Stat. 1157) to become repatriated and obtain the rights of a citizen of the United States.
[signature]
Subscribed and sworn to before me by the above-named applicant, in the office of the clerk of said court at
Little Rock, Ark. this 20th day of November, Anno Domini 1942
Grady Miller
Clerk
By [signature] Lillian M. Vaughan [seal]
Deputy Clerk.
STATE OF ARKANSAS
COUNTY OF PULASKI }ss: In the U.S. District Court
of Eastern District of Arkansas
Upon consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby ORDERED and DECREED that the above application be granted; that
the applicant named therein be repatriated as a citizen of the United States, upon taking the oath of renunciation and
allegiance to the United States; and that the clerk of this court enter these proceedings of record.
By the Court:
[signature]
Judge.
OATH OF RENUNCIATION AND ALLEGIANCE
I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign
prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support
and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I
will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or
purpose of evasion: SO HELP ME GOD. In acknowledgment, whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.
[signature]
The foregoing oath was administered to the petitioner in open court this 20th day of November, 1942
In the early 1900s, thousands of US women lost their citizenship because of something common they did - get married. No, I’m serious.
I want to thank Carole Foster, a member of my Generations Connection membership, who asked about this in one of our monthly Q&As, and my latest YouTube video looks into what happened, and why.
Spotlighting a law that stripped U.S.-born women of citizenship The Expatriation Act of 1907 required a woman who married a foreigner to 'take the nationality of her husband.' Daniel Swalm's grandmother was one such woman, and he's on a quest for justice. By Richard Simon published April 19, 2014 in the Los Angeles Times.
Timeline: Key Dates and Landmarks in United States Immigration History from Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930 on Harvard University Library Open Collections Program. In 1922 the Cable Act repealed the law, but U.S. citizenship was not restored until 1940, when a woman could get her citizenship back no mater her marital status.
On March 9, 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly signed the eugenic sterilization act. The new law "to prevent procreation of confirmed criminals, idiots, imbeciles and rapists" required prisons and state mental hospitals to sterilize inmates, as long as two physicians verified they suffered from a mental disability or mental illness. Governor Thomas R. Marshall halted sterilizations in 1909, and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the 1907 law unconstitutional in 1921. A 1927 law reinstated sterilization and added court appeals.
In the decades that followed, approximately 2,500 persons in state custody were sterilized under state law. In 1974, Governor Otis R. Bowen approved Public Law No. 60, which repealed all laws concerning sterilization of people with developmental disabilities in Indiana.
Governor J. Frank Hanley signs eugenic sterilization act. The law required prisons and state mental hospitals to sterilize inmates who were deemed mentally ill by the state. Halted in 1909 by Governor Thomas R. Mashall. Posted March 9, 2018 on Twitter by Hoosier State Chronicles.
A similar March 9, 2018 post stated On March 9, 1907, Governor J. Frank Hanly signed the Eugenic Sterilization Act. The new law to prevent procreation of confirmed criminals, idiots, imbeciles and rapists required prisons and state mental hospitals to sterilize inmates, as long as two physicians verified they suffered from a mental illness. Governor Thomas R. Marshall halted sterilizations in 1909 and the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the 1907 law unconstitutional in 1921. A 1927 law reinstated sterilization and added court appeals. Approximately 2,500 in state custody were sterilized under state law. In 1974, Governor Otis R. Bowen approved Public Law No. 60, which repealed all laws concerning sterilization of the mentally ill in Indiana.
Eugenics in Indiana posted October 30, 2021 on the Archives of Hoosier History Live podcast on Saturdays, noon to 1 p.m. ET on WICR 88.7 FM with Podcast, has photo of the Indiana state historical marker in downtown Indianapolis labeled 1907 Indiana Eugenics Law starts its introduction with: In 1907, a national "first" occurred in Indiana, but it wasn't for an achievement that would be regarded with historic pride. Indiana passed the first state eugenics law in the entire country, mandating the sterilization of some men and women in state custody. Although the 1907 law was found to be unconstitutional during the 1920s, a revised law was eventually passed. It wasn’t until the 1970s were all of Indiana's mandatory sterilization laws repealed.
1907, May 30 - President Theodore Roosevelt was in Indianapolis to dedicate the statue of General Henry Lawton at Garfield Park in Indianapolis. He also placed a wreath on the grave of President Benjamin Harrison at Crown Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery.
1907, August 19 - the Indianapolis News reported that the Indiana Village for Epileptics was open for admission of patients. The institution, located near New Castle, opened first to residents of county jails and poor asylums. The paper noted that the Village would accept "at the present time only such patients as are not violent and are capable of doing something for the State farm." The state legislature approved an additional three villages to accomodate those suffering from epilepsy. Learn more about the Indiana Village for Epileptics here: in a 99 page untitled thesis on Scholarship Works at IUPUICopied from photo posted and discussed August 19, 2018 by Indiana Historical Bureau on Facebook.
Julia Child authored or co-authored hundreds of beloved recipes. But one of them stands out for its hazards more than its taste. Child’s baguette recipe, published in 1970, recommended baking the bread on an asbestos floor tile. Unfortunately, asbestos causes malignant mesothelioma cancer.
At the time of publication, Child was unaware of the dangers of asbestos exposure. When she found out the tiles were hazardous, she found an alternative baking surface. The second printing of her recipe recommended standard red floor tiles. In the meantime, bakers who followed the original recipe may have put themselves at risk of developing mesothelioma.
Malignant mesothelioma cancer develops in the tissues lining certain body parts. It carries a life expectancy of about 18 to 31 months with treatment.
No known evidence ties this baking technique to any documented cases of mesothelioma. But experts say inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers can cause this rare cancer. As such, Child’s recommendation may have inadvertently put bakers at risk of mesothelioma. Copied from Why You Should Avoid Julia Child’s Killer 1970s Bread Recipe Tara Strandon, June 30, 2022 at Mesothelioma.com.
1907, November 16 - Oklahoma becomes the 46th state of the Union.
This month we're celebrating Indiana's Automotive Heritage at the Indiana State Fair! The Ford Model T, introduced by Detroit’s Ford Motor Company in 1908, is generally regarded as the first mass-produced and affordable automobile. The relatively low price ($440) was partly the result of Ford’s efficient fabrication, including use of the assembly line for production instead of individually handcrafting parts. By 1918, half of all the cars in the United States were Model Ts.
Indianapolis began assembling Model Ts in 1915 at a new Ford assembly plant located on East Washington Street, alleviating a bottleneck in Ford’s production. During the plant’s memorable gala opening, 5,000 people toured the building and Ford provided hundreds of Model Ts for dignitaries to drive in a two-mile long parade. Production began with 250 employees assembling 50 cars a day, and by the 1920s the factory’s 300 employees assembled 300 vehicles a day. When production ceased in 1932, almost 600,000 automobiles had come off the facility’s assembly line.
The 1923 Ford Model T Touring pictured, on loan from the Model T Ford Club of America Museum in Richmond, Indiana, is built using steel over wood frame, featuring wooden artillery wheels and pneumatic clincher tires. The suspension contains a transversely mounted semi-elliptical spring for each of the front and rear beam axles, allowing for a great deal of wheel movement to cope with the rutted dirt roads of the time.
See the Model T Touring for yourself at the Indiana State Fair where it’s one of several vehicles featured in an exhibit curated by Indiana Landmarks’ affinity group Indiana Automotive. Details at https://www.indianastatefair.com/.../celebrating-indianas...
: Model T Ford Museum; Ford Motor Company Archives; Jessica Branstetter, TWG
The Night Before Christmas 1908 Edison Studios on Archive.org. The Night Before Christmas. Here, just in time for Christmas is the Clement Wood poem as produced by the Edison Studios in 1908. It is backed mostly by old cylinder recordings from the same studio and period. It was kind of fun put them together...all from the Archive.
Did you know the iconic ball drop in Times Square dates back to New Year's Eve 1907?
This New York Times article from the following day reported that after the ball dropped, "the great shout that went up drowned out the whistles for a minute. The vocal power of the welcomers rose above even the horns and the cow bells and the rattles."
1908, January 28 - Julia Ward Howe became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Mrs. Howe was most famous for her November 18, 1861 rewritten composition, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. from the 1856 lyrics by William Steffe popular as John Brown's Body during the Civil War. See the Library of Congress Battle hymn of the republic [article].
1908, March 15 - a large sinkhole opens on Maysville Road just outside the east side of Fort Wayne from The Journal Gazette newspaper.
1908, August 7 - the Fisher and Bradshaw Co. of Delphi, Indiana, built the first school bus -- it was a closed-body horse-drawn wagon.
1908, August 29 - the city of Fort Wayne opened its first publicly-run electric utility, called City Light & Power, on the location where Science Central now stands. Copied from Science Central
Building History.
1908, September 27 - the first production Model T leaves the Ford Picquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, making 1908 the historic year that the automobile became popular. From WhatWasThere.
1908, October - Ford introduced the Model T, or "Tin Lizzie." Within months, demand was so high that the company put new orders on a hiatus.
1909, February 12 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People a civil rights organization was formed as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey and Ida B. Wells. https://naacp.org/. A February 12, 2023 post by Heather Cox Richardson on Facebook explains some background events leading to its founding. See our African Americans page.
1909, March 13
The subject of this criminal case involves the violation of postal laws by the mailing of information about...
The subject of this criminal case involves the violation of postal laws by the mailing of information about contraception and abortions, considered to be “obscene, lewd, and lascivious”. In 1909, Paula Jergler offered services to prevent and end pregnancies by mail for Hungarian immigrants. Included in the case are translations of parts of the letters, though the court deemed some of them “too indecent to be herein set forth.” The correspondence was between people seeking assistance in Defiance, Ohio and Elwood, Indiana, rural communities compared to Chicago.
The law banned the sending of “every obscene, lewd or lascivious book, pamphlet, picture, paper, letter, writing, print, or other publication of an indecent character, and every article or thing designed or intended for the prevention of conception or procuring of abortion.”
Besides the short article, there is no other mention of the case. The court documents and the docket do not mention the outcome other than the "cause being stricken from the docket."
From Criminal Case Files #4305 NAID 285156321, U.S. District Court for the Eastern (Chicago) Division of the Northern District of Illinois
1909, August 2 - the U.S. Mint issued the first Lincoln cent. It was discontinued days after its release because the designer’s initials were too prominent. This led to a frenzy to obtain the coins.
Indiana's Automotive Heritage at the Indiana State Fair! The Ford Model T, introduced by Detroit’s Ford Motor Company in 1908, is generally regarded as the first mass-produced and affordable automobile. The relatively low price ($440) was partly the result of Ford’s efficient fabrication, including use of the assembly line for production instead of individually handcrafting parts. By 1918, half of all the cars in the United States were Model Ts. 
See the Model T Touring for yourself at the Indiana State Fair where it’s one of several vehicles featured in an exhibit curated by Indiana Landmarks’ affinity group Indiana Automotive. Details at 
: Model T Ford Museum; Ford Motor Company Archives; Jessica Branstetter, TWG
