The whiskey merchant's diary : an urban life in the emerging Midwest / Joseph J. Mersman ; edited by Linda A. Fisher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mersman, Joseph J., 1824-1892.

Contributor:

Fisher, Linda A., 1947-2006.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mersman, Joseph J., 1824-1892--Diaries.

Mersman, Joseph J.

German Americans--Ohio--Cincinnati--19th century--Diaries.

German Americans.

German Americans--Missouri--Saint Louis--19th century--Diaries.

German Americans--Ohio--Cincinnati--Social conditions--19th century.

German Americans--Missouri--Saint Louis--Social conditions--19th century.

Liquor industry--Ohio--Cincinnati--History--19th century.

Liquor industry.

Liquor industry--Missouri--Saint Louis--History--19th century.

Cincinnati (Ohio)--History--19th century.

Cincinnati (Ohio).

Saint Louis (Mo.)--History--19th century.

Saint Louis (Mo.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (423 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Athens : Ohio University Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Joseph J. Mersman was a liquor merchant, a German American immigrant who aspired - with success - to become a self-made man. The diary he kept from 1847 to 1864 provides an intriguing account of life in Cincinnati and St. Louis - America's emerging frontier. Outside of Gold Rush diaries and emigration journals, few narrative records of the antebellum period have been published. As a record of both the man and the time in which he lived, The Whiskey Merchant's Diary is a valuable resource for social historians, providing significant details about bachelorhood, whiskey making, ballroom dancing, circus history, card games, steamboat transportation, gender roles, theater history, and Victorian etiquette. The diary is also the story of a man who confronted serious disease, and his descriptions of cholera and syphilis are exceptional. Complemented by photographs, maps, and period advertisements,

Contents:

Prologue : Two immigrant families and their start in America

Jenkins's boarding house : 8 November 1847-31 December 1847

Theater and circus : 1 January 1848-11 March 1848

Music and dancing : 12 March 1848-29 April 1848

The Miami and Erie Canal : 30 April 1848-5 May 1848

Cigars and saloons : 6 May 1848-9 August 1848

In charge of the store : 10 August 1848-1 October 1848

Mosher's boarding house : 2 October 1848-28 November 1848

Farewell to Cincinnati : 17 December 1848-17 February 1849

Starting in St. Louis : 18 February 1849-2 August 1849

Seeking a cure : 7 August 1849-19 June 1850

Courtship and marriage : 24 June 1850-11 April 1852

Settling down : 18 July 1853-25 September 1864

Epilogue: the rest of the story.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 349-366) and index.

ISBN:

0-8214-4238-4

OCLC:

658238022