Penmanship, American--History--19th century

The Carty family papers, 1815-1912, represent nearly a century of the business activities as well as the personal lives of various members of the Carty family of New Jersey. The collection also includes papers of the Shreve family, which seems to have been related to the primary family in some way. The material consists mainly of receipts, account ledgers, and personal and business correspondence.

John A. (John Andrew) Parke, likely a student in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, kept this penmanship exercise book between 1845 and 1846. Parke used the book to practice his handwriting in German Text.

The Rowell family papers, spanning the years 1846 to 1894 (bulk dates 1849 - 1853), preserves the letters exchanged by a Quaker family of Loudon, New Hampshire, recording their responses to significant social and political issues of the period leading up to the national crisis over slavery and states’ rights.

This copybook, presumably owned by John Saxon, possibly of Boston, Massachusetts, was used to practice penmanship. It also contains pasted-in newspaper clippings on the topics of farming, flowers, handwriting, frogs, Civil War battles, and women.