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Lightning Flat in History

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Jeff Wrangler:

--- Quote from: Penthesilea on January 20, 2012, 01:13:09 pm ---Makes me understand Ennis' fears even more. I mean, we're now almost a century further in time than 1922, but Ennis and Jack in the sixties were only 40 years apart from a local newspaper reporting stuff like the above (the real quotes, not my made up one). I doubt such reports were still common in the sixties, but neighbours in small communities probably still knew too many details like who visited, who married, and so on. Maybe even do today.

--- End quote ---

I suspect to the contrary that they were, in small-town newspapers in the U.S., anyway. My mother (d. 1995) for many years subscribed to the newspaper that was published in her own small home town. I used to skim through it when it arrived in the mail. I sort of lost track of the paper after I moved to Philadelphia (1986), but certainly well on through the 1970s at least, the West Schuylkill Herald, as the paper was called, had a "social column" that was all "news" of this nature--who visited whom, what former residents were back from out of state, all that sort of stuff. And of course even today, even the mighty New York Times still publishes wedding announcements.  ;D

Shakesthecoffecan:
My local paper used to carry those. I can go back in the microfilm and see what my parents and their siblings were up to in the 1930s, primary visiting and socializing. They used to break it down by each little community and the black people had their own "colored news" section.

Penthesilea:

--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on January 20, 2012, 02:50:53 pm ---I suspect to the contrary that they were, in small-town newspapers in the U.S., anyway. My mother (d. 1995) for many years subscribed to the newspaper that was published in her own small home town. I used to skim through it when it arrived in the mail. I sort of lost track of the paper after I moved to Philadelphia (1986), but certainly well on through the 1970s at least, the West Schuylkill Herald, as the paper was called, had a "social column" that was all "news" of this nature--who visited whom, what former residents were back from out of state, all that sort of stuff. And of course even today, even the mighty New York Times still publishes wedding announcements.  ;D

--- End quote ---


Thank you for correcting me, Jeff. I never would have thought.
Even worse then, thinking of Ennis.


Though the wedding (and death) announcements are different, IMO. People have to turn to the paper and order (and pay for) those announcements. It's not like the newspaper itself reports about the social stuff (except you're considered a celebrity).

Penthesilea:

--- Quote from: Shakesthecoffecan on January 20, 2012, 03:54:41 pm ---My local paper used to carry those. I can go back in the microfilm and see what my parents and their siblings were up to in the 1930s, primary visiting and socializing. They used to break it down by each little community and the black people had their own "colored news" section.

--- End quote ---


You can stalk your own parents. (I think we don't have a fitting smiley for this).

The whole concept is totally foreign to me. I don't think "news" like that were ever part of papers over here. Though I might be wrong a second time today. Hm, might be worth finding out...

KittyKat:
I grew up in a small community in south Texas in the late 1970s - 1980s. We used to have a weekly newspaper called "The Progress" that I think is still in existence. It had a column called "Simmons City Happenings" written by the town busybody. It would say things like, "Glenn and Becky visited so & so on Saturday night" or "after the football game on Friday night Susan and Bill went to the Dairy Queen. Susan just had sweet tea but Bill had a burger and fries".  "Henry's car broke down at the bridge and he had to walk home".

Seriously. I'm not making this up. Poor Ennis would have had an anxiety attack.

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