Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Rats

1. 1914 - The "Pioneer Rats" - from unpacking stoves in front of courthouse packed with shipping straw

   Article from May 9, 1914 The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1914, Pioneer rats

   1914 - The "Pioneer Rats" - from unpacking stoves in front of courthouse packed with shipping straw The Fort Wayne News And Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, May 9, 1914, Page 11.

   The "Pioneer Rats."

   The "rotary" style of stove came into use shortly afterward. "The top was round, turning on a center pin' with a crank to turn the top until the openings with the cooking utensil came over the fire," is the description given by late George W. Brackenridge. He added this bit of information: "The stoves were unloaded in front of the court house and I believe, were stored in it for a short time. The furniture for the stoves was packed in crates of straw. When these were opened, rats were found in them which escaped. These pioneer rats established the first colony, and we have never been out of rats since."

   Also page 335-336 in The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River Volume 1 by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs, Publication date: 1917 on Archive.org.

2. 🐭 can a rat's nest be a good thing? 🐀

   In 1949, preservation staff removed a rat's nest from behind a wall in the Washingtons' bedchamber. 🐀 The rat had...

   Posted by George Washington's Mount Vernon on Sunday, May 5, 2024

   Sunday, May 5, 2024 post by George Washington's Mount Vernon on Facebook:

   In 1949, preservation staff removed a rat's nest from behind a wall in the Washingtons' bedchamber.

   The rat had collected historic materials from different eras, including a woman's shoe, a paper spool with wool thread, rope, yarn, binding tape, two buttons, and scraps of cloth. Perhaps most notable was a small scrap of white cotton dimity, the fabric used in the Washingtons' bed curtains.

3. Though hospitals tried their best to remain as clean as possible with their knowledge, rats remained a consistent...

   Posted by National Museum of Civil War Medicine on Monday, July 29, 2024

   Monday, July 29, 2024 post by National Museum of Civil War Medicine on Facebook:

   Though hospitals tried their best to remain as clean as possible with their knowledge, rats remained a consistent problem throughout the war. Invading hospitals and bringing disease with them, the rodents were a constant nuisance to nurses and patients alike. A reporter from the “Daily Intelligencer” made a striking report of a rat who had “assisted” in the surgery by removing a piece of bone from the wound, and more impressive yet, the patient went on to a healthy recovery! To read more stories of miraculous survival and medical marvels, head on over to our website National Museum of Civil War Medicine and check out our article “Surgeon Rat and Other Strange Tales from Civil War Medicine”.

   Image credit “The Sick Women In Bellevue Hospital, New York, Over Run By Rats” Harpers Weekly, 1860.

4. 

   1918 - Ridding City of Rats A health campaign to rid the city of rats was started, since the pests had "accumulated during past years when garbage collection was difficult due to war and manpower shortage." from the History timeline of the Allen County Department of Health.

5. 

   How brown rats crawled off ships and conquered North American cities Laura Ungar April 3, 2024 APNews.com.

1913 - Fighting Rat Form of Health Insurance: Board Bill Rodents Amounts to Millions

Article from Jan 30, 1913 Fort Wayne Weekly Journal-Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1913, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana

1913 - Fighting Rat Form of Health Insurance: Board Bill Rodents Amounts to Millions Fort Wayne, Indiana, Thursday, January 30, 1913, Page 3

1913 - First Case For The Rat-Catcher

Article from Aug 1, 1913 The Fort Wayne Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1913, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana, Dr. crull

1913 - First Case For The Rat-Catcher The Fort Wayne Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Friday, August 1, 1913, Page 1

First Case for the Rat-Catcher - continued

Article from Aug 1, 1913 The Fort Wayne Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1913, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana, Dr. crull

First Case for the Rat-Catcher - continued The Fort Wayne Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Friday, August 1, 1913, Page 9

1913 - Pied Piper of Fort Wayne: Dr. Crull Health Officer, Official Rat-Killer

Article from Aug 4, 1913 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1913, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana, Dr. crull

1913 - Pied Piper of Fort Wayne: Dr. Crull Health Officer, Official Rat-Killer Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Monday, August 4, 1913, Page 1

1913 - Fort Wayne Has Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Rats

Article from Dec 20, 1913 Fort Wayne Daily News (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1913, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana

1913 - Fort Wayne Has Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Rats Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, December 20, 1913, Page 5

1921 - Stories of Old Ft. Wayne - No. 17 by B. J. Griswold - first family of rats

Article from Aug 14, 1921 The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 1921, Rats, Fort wayne, Indiana

1921 - Stories of Old Ft. Wayne - No. 17 by B. J. Griswold - first family of rats The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sunday, August 14, 1921, page 21 on Newspapers.com.

What Is The Difference Between Rats and Mice Jon Stoddard November 15, 2023 Imperial Pest Prevention.com a Florida pest management company. Lengthy blog describing the differences.

🐀 Happy National Pack Rat Day! Native to North America and Mexico, these cute little critters get their name from their...

Posted by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information on Friday, May 17, 2024

Friday, May 17, 2024 post by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information on Facebook:

Happy National Pack Rat Day! Native to North America and Mexico, these cute little critters get their name from their tendency to steal and hoard objects to build their complex homes and nests. They are such great builders that even thousand-year-old pack rat houses are still occupied and in use to this day!

Pack rats are also crucial to a healthy ecosystem. Feasting on plants, twigs, seeds, and even insects, pack rats store their excrement in parts of their houses called middens. Middens are rich in soil-loving nutrients such as nitrogen, making them super beneficial to other life forms. It is because of this that pack rats are considered keystone ecological engineers, meaning they are a necessary part of the ecosystem they live in! Read more about pack rats at: How Can Little Critters Teach Us About Climate?

Yes, this is a real U.S. Patent, dated December 26, 1882.

(No Model.) J. A. WILLIAMS. ANIMAL TRAP. 4 Patented Dec. 26, 1882. Urvrrn STATES PATENT Erica, JAMES A. WILLIAMS, OF FREDONIA, TEXAS. ANIMAL-TRAP. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,766, dated December 26, 1882-. Application filed August 21, 1882. (No model.) Posted at Patents.Google.com.

Also Animal Trap at PlanetPatent.com.

Gun-powered mousetrap at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

As a poster.