We’ll be out of the office until Monday, as we enjoy some time and good food with our families (and try to pry genealogical information from unsuspecting family members). On behalf of everyone at Ancestry, I’d like to wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!

In the meantime, I ran across this clipping earlier this week and thought you might get a kick out of these “helpful hints” excerpted from an 1884 newspaper.

Juliana

From The Daily Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana), 27 November 1884, page 3:

A Few Hints

Those to whom the onerous work of dissecting the turkey falls, are commended to see that the knife is sharp and also to see that they splash no gravy on fine dresses. Ladies are proverbially sweet-tempered, but you will take the enjoyment out of the day if you land a flop of gravy on their silks and satins. Beware! Take care!

Forks are useful as forks, but not as toothpicks.

Wishbones are delusive, so build not your brightest hopes on them. The smartest end of the wishbone always wins.

Be careful not to train your moustache into your mouth, and thus obstruct your eating. Wax it and it will not droop into the gravy.

When a drumstick is desired, the polite phraseology is “walker.”…

Don’t rest your elbows on the table and hold up your fork so that everyone can see what you have upon it.

Cranberries are well enough in their place, but don’t let them occupy too much space on the table-cloth.

It is more economical to be invited out to dinner than to have one of your own.

If you find a hair in the butter or stuffing, don’t go into a discussion of “Pompadour styles” or Langtry bangs.

Don’t treat your knife and fork as if they were shovels or scoops, and your mouth as if it were a coal-hopper…