Database searches on "picayune"?

[Kathleen Miller]

Got to work early today thinking there would be way more people at the
primary polls than there were, so I had time to do a little searching.

The earliest JSTOR has is 1903, "The Industrial Commission on
Transportation", Political Science Quarterly. William Ripley, Harvard
University.

..."I cannot feel that such evidently biased, partisan and picayune
criticisms as the one in question, not only tend to confuse the public mind
as to the real issues involved, but also by the antagonisms which they
arouse..."

It has another piece from 1903, in the American Historical Review (in
documents) which claims to be a diary written by David Knapp Pangborn - A
journey from New York to San Francisco in 1850.

"Hope I have bought the last Picayune worth of rice from the old Negro
woman at the corner..."

There were over 200 hits.
There were 270 hits in MOA, the earliest two being 1842 - one in Currency
and Exchanges refering to money and the other in The Newspapers and
Periodical Press refering to a newspaper so named.

Of the 24 hits in American Memory, some were about Picayune, Mississippi
but most of them were civil war songs refering to the "Picayune Butler." I
can only guess that it is in reference to General P.G.T. Beauregard. He was
born in St. Bernard Parish, LA outside of New Orleans. Example,

"Beauregard's Bells"

(AIR--Picayune Butler's coming, coming.)

When Beauregard was at a stand,
He rang a peal through Dixie's Land;
Ding! dong!
And on the faithful he did call,
To send their bells,--both large and small,
Ding! dong!

CHORUS:--See them coming--hear them ringing--
Rolling into New Orleans;
See them coming--hear them ringing--
Rolling into New Orleans.
Ding! dong! ding! dong!
Ding! dong! ding! dong! ding! don--g!
See them coming--hear them ringing--
Rolling into New Orleans.

Bells from churches--bells from boats,--
Bells from cows, and bells from goats;
Ding! dong!
Every kind of bell was there,
>From bronzy brown, to brassy fair;
Ding! dong!

CHORUS:--See them coming, &c.

Every Belle must send her Beau,
A contribution to the show;
Ding! dong!
Some were cracked, and some were sound,
But all to New Orleans were bound;
Ding! dong!

CHORUS:--See them coming, &c.

But soon a change came o'er the scenes,
Enacting down in New Orleans;
Ding! dong!
Lord Lovell made a grand skedaddle
In a high cocked hat, and a shanghai saddle;
Ding! dong!

(Spoken:--Why what in Jerusalem was it about, I want to know?)

CHORUS:--Picayune Butler's coming, coming,
Picayune Butler's come to town,
Picayune Butler's coming, coming,
Picayune Butler's come to town!
Ding! Dong!--Ding! Ding!
Ding! Dong! Ding!. Dong! Ding! Dong!
Picayune Butler's coming, coming,
Picayune Butler's come to town.

Old Pic, says he, "these bells shall be
A tribute sweet to Liberty."
Ding! Dong!
"No more their notes shall traitors call
Our fair Columbia to enthral:"
Ding! Dong!

CHORUS:--See them coming &c.

Now, when the Stars and Stripes once more
Shall wave in peace from shore to shore;
Ding! Dong!
Then Yankee Doodle, he shall ring
The Orleans bells,--and make them sing
Ding! Dong!

CHORUS:--See them coming--hear them ringing--
Singing--in our Country's praise;
See them coming--hear them ringing--
Singing--in our Country's praise;
Ding! dong! ding! dong!
Ding! dong! ding! dong! ding! don--g!
See them coming--hear them ringing--
Singing--in our Country's praise!


Dow Jones Databse has 571,469 hits - the earliest being a NY Times abstract
from 1969 refering to the New Orleans newspaper. Half a million hits would
be too much to search through for locality and frequency.

Hope that helps.
Kathleen E. Miller
Research Assistant to William Safire
The New York Times