Collections

Commonplace book, 1833-1842, of John C. Mercer, which includes a list of Greek derivatives, French phrases, and essays.

Julia A. Dennison memory album, 1862-1866, Milan, Indiana, in red morocco "The Pet Album" binding, published by Leavitt and Allen with black and white printed illustrations of children and their mother in activities such as bathing or playing. The album, which is a gift from her brother, contains personal advice about keeping the young mind pure and other sentimental notes from her brothers. There are signatures of acquaintainces from Indiana and Ohio, including Civil War infantry in the form of business cards. Of interest is a regimental stamp of George Dennison of the 83rd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. There is one leaf with eight locks of braided hair tied with ribbons and signed by each girl (although one lock of hair is missing).

This collection is a friendship album of Julia Nutter. The album is approximately less then a quarter filled. Entries are mostly poems or short notes and date from 1855 to 1863. Locations are those around the Boston area. The album is inscribed as follows: "Presented to Mrs. Julia M. Nutter by her friend Fannie A. Bradbury, December 25th, 1855." Later in the book Fannie also provides a poem in the shape of a diamond. In addition to entries from friends and albums, there are tipped in items like a green ribbon embroidered bookmark that states "Remember Me," a small pressed flower, and a cut out illustration from a letter. The album is also illustrated with color biblical scenes, with plain or colored protective tissue paper, and some pages are blue paper.

This collection consists of one manuscript volume created by Junius M. Fishburn. He titled it "Commonplace Book No. 1." It is unclear if he began keeping his commonplace book while he was a student at Washington College, now Washington and Lee University, or if he began after joining the faculty in 1852. The notebook is a collection of information he wanted to remember and/or revisit and includes a variety of subjects including Latin, quotes, European history, and what appear to be his own musings.

Louise C. Lamb commonplace book, 1865 with a paste in of a carte de visite of John Wilkes Booth, around 1863 by Alexander Gardner totaling 0.03 cubic feet. Quarto album with gold-stamped leather binding and central inset panel on front cover.A mostly blank commonplace book with a title page indicating that it was published by J. C. Riker, 129 Fulton St., New York. Inscribed "A happy New Year, Lou. Frank." Appears to have been pre-filled with numerous engravings, including one of Little Red Riding Hood. Many pages have been removed with scissors, though a handful of inscriptions made by individuals remain, and an ALS from S. A. Lattimore appears pasted in towards the back of the volume.

A ladies album belonging to Lucy Bradbury Bruce of Worcester County, Massachusetts which contains five engraved plates, sentiments from friends and family, three calligraphy drawings, and a watercolor theorem of a rose. Most of the well wishes are signed and dated, and many include locations. Predominately the locations and many of the signers are women including two of her sisters.

This collection contains the commonplace book belonging to a woman, possibly named Lydia from the United States, circa 1844. A commonplace manuscript book with verse neatly recorded verso and recto throughout. The book consists of twelve unpaginated leaves, ruled in pencil and partially uncut in original pink and black marbled paper wrappers. The contents are largely short verse excepts and meditative or religious in nature. However, there are several more substantial selections, "The Bower of Prayer," "Infant School Hymn," "At Rest," "Farewell sweet girl," "Bring flowers" by Felicia Hemans, and an acrostic of "Bellview" is also recorded.

Women's commonplace album with about 20 pages of inscriptions, sentiments, and verse, hand-written with signatures or initials and date.

Margaret Crockett album, MSS 16320, 1905-1933, 0.03 cubic feet is described as a commercial album with gold-stamped leather batting-stuffed covers and multi-colored gilt-edged pages, covered with a dull green hand-made fabric cover embroidered "M.C." in red thread. Front free endpaper reads "Margaret Crockett / July 1911," though one pasted entry is dated 1905 and the latest entry is from 1933. The initials RNS (Royal Naval School), is found scattered throughout the volume, as are the locations St. Margaret's on Thames and Richmond. Pages include inscriptions, original drawings and watercolors (some appearing to imitate popular children's illustrations), pasted prints, a stencil leaf spray image. Most are signed by other girls; some appear to be by Crockett herself. Notable entries include "The Tired Woman's Epitaph," "The Angel Mother," a punning entry on a shipping label, three pages filled with pasted autograph signatures, the inscription of Princess Alice of Albany, a hand-made playbill for a production of Dick Whittington's Cat, and a handful of references to WWI and nautical themes, including a poem "Beware my motherland," about the risk of German ascendency, dated 1913. A letter to Mrs. Davey from M.S. Nagasaki of Japan (1914). Quotations from Shakespeare, Omar Khayyam, Longfellow, Macaulay, Austin Dobson, Emerson and others.