Provides an account of life in Cincinnati and St Louis. This work discusses bachelorhood, whiskey making, ballroom dancing, circus history, gender roles, theater history, and Victorian etiquette. It tells how a German American businessman worked to establish himself in his newly adopted country during an era that was rife with opportunity.

Fisher's professional training as a physician makes the public health aspect of this project particularly valuable, and her annotations throughout serve to emphasize the significance of Mersman's firsthand observations.