{"id":14589,"date":"2016-05-23T12:25:06","date_gmt":"2016-05-23T16:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=14589"},"modified":"2017-05-12T18:30:18","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T22:30:18","slug":"jokes-of-the-civil-war-period-1861-1865","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/jokes-of-the-civil-war-period-1861-1865.html","title":{"rendered":"Jokes of the Civil War Period (1861-1865)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>Introduction<\/em><\/strong><em>: In this blog article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shares some jokes, puns and funny stories she found while searching through newspapers from the Civil War era. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Even during times of strife and tragedy, people love to laugh. Laughter is, after all, the best medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than view this as a life anomaly, think of it as healthy escapism. It\u2019s better to get through one\u2019s day with laughter than with sorrow \u2013 good advice offered by this 1863 New York newspaper.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14591\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14591\" style=\"width: 579px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A11F159271C7D239B%40GB3NEWS-11FC566741750C00%402401712-11FC56675EA6C570%404-11FC5667CDA6FEC0\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14591\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14591\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0725-1863-laughter.png\" alt=\"an article about laughter, New York Ledger newspaper article 25 July 1863\" width=\"579\" height=\"74\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0725-1863-laughter.png 579w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0725-1863-laughter-300x38.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14591\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New York Ledger (New York, New York), 25 July 1863, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So it should not surprise you to find humor sprinkled among the columns of Civil War newspapers from 1861-1865. Despite the bloodshed and sorrow caused by the war, there was still laughter to lighten the load. Although some Civil War-era jokes are not funny by today\u2019s standards, others are timeless. But either way, let\u2019s take a look at some of these old jokes so that we can all laugh along with our ancestors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Historical Perspective Needed for Some Jokes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To understand the gist of some old-time gags, such as this one from an 1862 Delaware newspaper, you\u2019ll need a little knowledge about history: \u201cIron Horses\u201d are what we now think of as steam locomotives.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14595\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14595\" style=\"width: 481px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A1134316CA3866410%40GB3NEWS-11A600681130CD78%402401340-11A6006837613348%400-11A600686287C090\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14595\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14595\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-iron-horse.png\" alt=\"an article about jokes, Peninsular News and Advertiser newspaper article 18 July 1862\" width=\"481\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-iron-horse.png 481w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-iron-horse-300x95.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14595\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peninsular News and Advertiser (Milford, Delaware), 18 July 1862, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Puns &amp; Word Plays<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Puns never go out of style, so perhaps you\u2019ve heard some of these before.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Chicago plumbing firm advertises \u201clead sinks.\u201d As if everybody didn\u2019t know that. &#8211;Boston Traveler (Boston, Massachusetts), 15 December 1874, page 1<\/li>\n<li>What kind of gaiters should a professor wear? Investi-gators! &#8211;Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), 29 April 1861, page 4<\/li>\n<li>What part of a fish weighs the most? The scales. &#8211;Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1 January 1862, page 6<\/li>\n<li>Spare the rod, and you\u2019ll have no fish for dinner. &#8211;New York Ledger (New York, New York), 24 January 1863, page 3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14597\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14597\" style=\"width: 778px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2:12758A1750F9405E@GB3NEWS-11BE44E810937C08@2401173-11BCF7B0285A69F0\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14597\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/springfield-republican-newspaper-0201-1862-adam-eve.png\" alt=\"an article about puns, Springfield Republican newspaper article 1 February 1862\" width=\"778\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/springfield-republican-newspaper-0201-1862-adam-eve.png 778w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/springfield-republican-newspaper-0201-1862-adam-eve-300x55.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/springfield-republican-newspaper-0201-1862-adam-eve-768x141.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14597\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1 February 1862, page 6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Narratives &amp; Anecdotes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Humorous stories can be used to make strong points. One such story was used by Arthur Gilman during a lecture he gave on therapy using electricity, as reported by an 1862 Massachusetts newspaper:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In illustration of this point, he related an anecdote of an old lady in Concord who had been doctored with electricity. This agent she had tried in various ways and for a long time. In relating her experience, she concluded by saying, \u201cLawful sakes, I was once struck by lightning, but it didn\u2019t do me a particle of good.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Narratives, such as this one about a schoolmaster, illustrate life in the past. Housing the teacher was a common practice, even if some found it an inconvenience.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14599\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14599\" style=\"width: 666px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A13E85F99CA63F67E%40GB3NEWS-1402590853BEF268%402401957-1401F71810CF0638%4012-1405C7CC15105D50\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14599\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14599\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-schoolmaster.png\" alt=\"an article about jokes, Frank Leslie\u2019s Illustrated Newspaper article 26 March 1864\" width=\"666\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-schoolmaster.png 666w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-schoolmaster-300x102.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Leslie\u2019s Illustrated Newspaper (New York, New York), 26 March 1864, page 13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Attitudes of the time spread into humor \u2013 even ones about patriotism. Notice how this jokester referred to how our forefathers fought, bled and died for their country.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14601\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14601\" style=\"width: 484px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2:1134316CA3866410@GB3NEWS-11A600681130CD78@2401340-11A6006837613348\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14601\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-lawyer.png\" alt=\"an article about funny stories, Peninsular News and Advertiser newspaper article 18 July 1862\" width=\"484\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-lawyer.png 484w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/peninsular-news-and-advertiser-newspaper-0718-1862-lawyer-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14601\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peninsular News and Advertiser (Milford, Delaware), 18 July 1862, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some narratives, such as this one from an 1864 Pennsylvania newspaper, remind us about aspects of everyday life that have been forgotten. For example, it wasn\u2019t that long ago that the ringing of church bells throughout the day, for various reasons, was a common practice.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A drunken fellow got out of his calculation, and was dozing in the street, when the bells roused him by their ringing for fire. \u201cNine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen,\u201d cried he; \u201cwell, if this isn\u2019t later than I ever knew it!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>\u201cWhat is the difference?\u201d Jokes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A favorite and timeless joke style, starting with \u201cWhat is the difference,\u201d is much like jokes told today \u2013 the only difference being that many of these illustrate long-forgotten parallels.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the difference between the Prince of Wales and water from a fountain? The one is heir to the throne, and the other is thrown to the air. &#8211;Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 17 January 1863, page 2<\/li>\n<li>What is the difference between a bedbug and a man sleeping with snakes under his bed? One creeps over the sleepers and the other sleeps over the creepers. &#8211;Easton Gazette (Easton, Maryland), 9 January 1864, page 1<\/li>\n<li>What is the difference between the influenza and a church organist? One stops the nose and the other knows the stop. &#8211;Easton Gazette (Easton, Maryland), 9 January 1864, page 1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14603\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14603\" style=\"width: 662px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A13E85F99CA63F67E%40GB3NEWS-1402590853BEF268%402401957-1401F71810CF0638%4012-1405C7CC15105D50\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14603\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14603\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-difference.png\" alt=\"an article about jokes, Frank Leslie\u2019s Illustrated Newspaper article 26 March 1864\" width=\"662\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-difference.png 662w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/frank-leslies-illustrated-newspaper-0326-1864-difference-300x205.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14603\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Leslie\u2019s Illustrated Newspaper (New York, New York), 26 March 1864, page 13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>War and Peace Quips<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll finish this blog article with jokes on war and peace. As could be expected, opposing sides took punches at each other during the war. Many of these jokes open old wounds, so \u2013 with the goal of not taking sides \u2013 I\u2019ve chosen to eliminate all those that flog and put down specific opponents.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14605\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14605\" style=\"width: 576px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A11F159271C7D239B%40GB3NEWS-11F9625C34C93AB8%402401306-11F9625C5043BDF8%403-11F9625C9DACE0C8\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14605\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14605\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-two-lovers.png\" alt=\"an article about jokes, New York Ledger newspaper article 14 June 1862\" width=\"576\" height=\"75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-two-lovers.png 576w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-two-lovers-300x39.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14605\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New York Ledger (New York, New York), 14 June 1862, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>There are pretended patriots who will hold anything except their tongues; keep anything except their word; and lose nothing patiently except their character. &#8211;New York Ledger (New York, New York), 24 January 1863, page 3<\/li>\n<li>They say that too many minors are enlisted in our army, but Vanity Fair thinks that the minors do a great deal better than some of the majors. &#8211;Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 3 January 1863, page 7<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI\u2019ll die for the flag,\u201d cried a treasury clerk; Quoth a soldier, \u201cMy patriot friend, look-a-here. This shedding your blood for twelve dollars a-month. Ain\u2019t like shedding red ink for twelve hundred a-year.\u201d &#8211;Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 1 February 1862, page 6<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14607\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14607\" style=\"width: 570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/doc\/newspapers\/image\/v2%3A11F159271C7D239B%40GB3NEWS-11F9625C34C93AB8%402401306-11F9625C5043BDF8%403-11F9625C9DACE0C8\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-14607\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-peace.png\" alt=\"an article about jokes, New York Ledger newspaper article 14 June 1862\" width=\"570\" height=\"126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-peace.png 570w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/new-york-ledger-newspaper-0614-1862-peace-300x66.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14607\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New York Ledger (New York, New York), 14 June 1862, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hope you\u2019ve enjoyed these jokes our ancestors may have enjoyed during the hardships of the Civil War!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Note:<\/em><\/strong> an online collection of newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/explore\/newspapers\/all?utm_source=social&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=SM_Blog_txtlnk_2014_00&s_referrer=social&s_siteloc=blog&s_trackval=SM_Blog_txtlnk_2014_00&kbid=69919&pq=1&prebuy=no&intver=&CCPRODCODE=\">Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, is not only a great way to learn about the lives of your ancestors \u2013 the old newspaper articles also help you understand American history and the times your ancestors lived in, and the news they talked about and read in their local papers \u2013 even the jokes they shared. Did any of your ancestors serve in the Civil War? Please share your stories with us in the comments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related Civil War Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/using-historical-newspapers-to-research-my-civil-war-ancestry.html\">Using Historical Newspapers to Research My Civil War Ancestry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/the-confederate-column-a-times-picayune-newspaper-feature.html\">The \u2018Confederate Column\u2019 \u2013 a Times-Picayune Newspaper Feature<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/civil-war-newspaper-research-personal-notices-letters.html\">Civil War Newspaper Research: Personal Notices &amp; Letters<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/civil-war-genealogy-old-letters-in-newspapers-research-resources.html?pq=1&amp;prebuy=no&amp;kbid=69919&amp;intver=&amp;s_referrer=Social&amp;utm_source=Social&amp;s_trackval=SM_Blog_doclink_1510_00&amp;utm_campaign=SM_Blog_doclink_1510_00&amp;s_siteloc=Blog\">Civil War Genealogy: Old Letters in Newspapers &amp; Research Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/a-confederate-soldier-writes-home.html\">A Confederate Soldier Writes Home<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this blog article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shares some jokes, puns and funny stories she found while searching through newspapers from the Civil War era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12641],"tags":[453,5322,11595,2020],"class_list":["post-14589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humor-sayings","tag-american-civil-war","tag-humor","tag-jokes","tag-newspaper-archives"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/photo-0523-2016-union-soldiers.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}