Yes, people used contractions just like we use. They were not as common in informal speech and writing as they are today.
Early models of flashlights.
The first large-scale use of batteries in the early 1800s was their use as a power source for electrical telegraph networks.
If I am not mistaken, 'True Grit' is a fictional American Western novel, set in the 1800s. The contraction "ain't" was coined in 1706, but it may not have been the first.
Radium was discovered in 1898 !
american flag, penny, and the nickel
Watercolor was used by Filipino painters in the early 1800s.
yes
In the 1800s, common types of toilets included chamber pots, outhouses, and early versions of indoor flush toilets.
skiing was around long before the 1800s
Bridges built in the 1800s were typically constructed of wood or stone. Some bridges were also starting to be constructed of steel in the early 1800s.
The most widespread movement of the early 1800s was the temperance movement.
Braxton Hicks contractions come from a Doctor named John Braxton Hicks. He was the first doctor to ever describe what these type of contractions were. This was back in the mid-late 1800s.