Inside the Goetz Museum and historic Pony Bar, a beer charger displays the image of a Black man with a wide smile missing some teeth. The charger, a promotional tin litho wall hanging, bears the caption “Jerry’s Smile.” Not mentioned by his full name, Jeremiah Grider had a fascinating life story far more complex than the newspaper accounts published about him.
In Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Beer in Missouri, I devote a chapter to Grider’s life filled with adventure and trauma, demeaning experiences and tributes to his accomplishments. Grider’s story is a reflection of the times he lived in and a testament to his endurance through adversity.
While researching his life, I located a June 6, 1901, article in the Genoa Journal, published in Genoa, Illinois. The newspaper reprinted a reporter’s commentary about Grider that first appeared in the Omaha Bee. Media accounts of Grider reached far beyond turn of the century St. Joseph, and readers will learn why in the forthcoming book.
Meanwhile, the following clips of articles, local news, and advertisements provide some context about the Midwest and the state of the world where Grider lived. These excerpts shed light on domestic and international news from community updates to war overseas.
Toward the end, I share two clips of an article about Grider that illustrate how this particular article viewed him as a “character” and a “progressive” Black man for his race.
Chapters in Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers: A Social History of Beer in Missouri cover the tales of people connected to beer and brewing in Missouri. Further, the social histories of these people share some insight about the world they lived in and issues evident in society then. Why? People and businesses like breweries did not exist in a vacuum.
On the lighter side of the news, the Genoa Journal allocated space to print updates about the coming and going of local citizens. These one-liner accounts struck me as the social media of its day and also suggested a small-town nosiness. In 1901, Genoa was a city of around 1,100 people. A reporter who hustled enough could tap into a network of sources and gossips and jot down notes that informed the community.
Other news coverage shared notes relevant to farmers with particular pronouncements and conclusions.
A more worldly story provided a timeline of war in South Africa.
Back to more local affairs, check out Chicago-based Burcky & Milan’s menu offerings and prices. Notably, the restaurant is for both ladies and gentlemen.
Lastly, these two clips from a story about Jeremiah Grider attempted to recognize the arc of his life in backhanded fashion. He is referred to as a “character” who developed since the antebellum days of the Civil War. The war officially concluded in 1865 nearly four decades earlier. The news account applied stereotypical Black vernacular to Grider as a “befoh the wah, sah” type to describe him as a Black man. The depiction contrasted with the following (and seemingly complimentary) assertion that Grider “caught the progressive spirit with which his race has become imbued during the last quarter century.”
In studying and writing about history, applying contemporary values, knowledge, and understanding to the past as an interpretive filter requires self-awareness. That said, the news account certainly used wordy euphemisms to not overtly acknowledge slavery and emancipation as part of progress in the last quarter of the prior century.
The next clip below referred to Grider as an “ante-bellum” negro, a reference to his life during the Civil War. Language throughout the article never references the fact that Grider was a slave. This period of his life occurred before he arrived in St. Joseph. Instead, his “character” arc was cast as a negro’s transition from isolation to prominence. Strikingly, Grider isn’t recognized for his social rise or achievements because of his actions and self-determination. Rather, “the power of the press” and the St. Joseph newspaper reporter (unnamed in the article) who featured Grider as a foil for his reports were responsible for “greatness” thrust upon Jeremiah Grider. The language is utterly self-congratulatory.
Grider, illiterate at the time, was used by the St. Joseph reporter as a “man on the street.” He was asked to respond to interview questions about issues of the day. Grider’s illiteracy and his socioeconomic status as a Black man meant that he was powerless to contend against the power of the press and how his words were used. He was simply a character, a device that enabled the reporter to produce “funny stories” for the newspaper’s readership. Until he wasn’t.
Grider didn’t remain illiterate or powerless as a man in his community and former employee for the Goetz family. Several newspaper accounts featuring Grider portrayed him in specific ways to serve the purposes of the press. The greater scope of Grider’s life and accomplishments revealed a different story explored in Barons, Brewers, and Bootleggers.
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