Search Results: 19th Century Diary from Katz Fine Manuscripts Inc.

New Jersey. Fair with no dust jacket. 1860. Softcover. On offer is a remarkable artifact from the great days of sail and maritime enterprise in 19th century America. The first page of the manuscript bears the name "OHIO" and "American Line". The author notes that this manuscript includes “Foreign List of Corespondents [sic]…and List of Vessels Arriving at Woodbury NJ, 1866, 7, 8, 9, 70…and Diary for 1867, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74,75". There is a name on the cover page - J. Standley Twells. The manuscript contains a wide variety of information and suggests that Twells may have been a shipping agent, responsible for procuring supplies or cargo for various ships that came to the harbor of Woodbury, New Jersey. Certainly, at some point, Twells became a ship Captain himself. On page 31, there is a rough diagram of a 3-masted barque showing its exterior dimensions. Throughout the manuscript, Twells records various vessels that he has business with. These include… Read More

BETHEL TOWNSHIP, LEBANON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. Good. 1802. On offer is an interesting document of early 19th century education, an original, handwritten note book covering a myriad of subjects related to mathematics. The owner and creator of this book was a man named Henry Snevely (also written as Snavely) and the book dates from 1802 - 1803. It seems Snevely was born in the United States and lived his whole life in Southeastern Pennsylvania. At the time of the creation of the book, Snevely was almost 50 years old, an established land owner in Bethel Township, Lebanon County. Why he had a book of mathematics is unknown, however, I have found records of a Henry Snavely, who taught at a school in Bethel Township from 1797 onwards. It may be likely that this book is actual not for Henry himself, but for the instruction of his students. Either way, the book presents a fantastic overview of early 18th century knowledge. The book covers a very large range of topics, however, Math pertaining to… Read More

Claverack, New York. Good+. 1802. On offer is a marvelous printed almanac from 1802. Containing 38 printed pages and 20 handwritten pages, it is an outstanding glimpse into what people considered important information. Paper bound, it measures 6 1/2 inches by 4 inches. The paper is in very good condition. There is a small burn scar on the leading edge of the pages but it is limited to the blank margin area. The 20 handwritten pages are about 40% complete. The volume is titled Stoddard's Diary: OR THE COLUMBIA ALMANACK, For the Year of our LORD 1802: It notes that it is the 'second year of the 19th Century and of American independence ... part of the 26 and 27 years. The author is Andrew Beers. It goes on to state that it contains: "... besides what is usual and necessary in Compositions of this Nature, many Things new, useful and entertaining." Printed sections include notes on human anatomy, interest tables, lunar almanac for each month of the year, a list of officers… Read More

KINGSBURY WASHINGTON COUNTY NEW YORK NY. Good. 1805. On offer is a handwritten manuscript 'Memorandum' dated Kingsbury Sept. 24th, 1805, Washington County, State of New York, Republic of North America. Eight pages, string tied, with handwriting notations on five pages, thusly three pages are blank, small hole to rear cover, affecting a couple of words. It talks about going to school on Saturdays and boarding with different people and it is a record of how many loads of wood he cut for different people for credit. Names mentioned include Isabel Haskins, John Bond, Sam'l Harris, John Patterson and Elijah Smith. This is a very interesting little diary of events in early New York State that features some lovely calligraphic penmanship.; Manuscript; 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall; HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL,… Read More

ASEA ABOARD THE NARRAGANSETT. Good+. 1851. On offer is a fascinating, though enigmatic and curious 1810 manuscript ship's log of Captain Thomas Clarke's return voyage from Russia and Norway to Bristol, Rhode Island on the ship "Narragansett". Dated September through December 1810 in many ways this is a typical 'Age of Sail' ship's log book classically filled with daily data required of all formal logs: weather, winds, sail settings, navigational details and entries related to observations and events on and about the ship in this interesting and unusual east to wet trans-Atlantic voyage in an early 19th Century merchant vessel, however it appears the book was started mid trip and begins at sea. Curiously someone after the voyage excised very neatly every other page of the journal leaving 26 otherwise well filled pages out of 44 pages in the remaining portion of the book. The 7 x 14½ book is made of handmade blue rag paper, marbled flexible covers, wear… Read More

New York, Bristol. Good. 1810. Hardcover. On offer is this 8-1/2" x 13" antique ledger with handwritten manuscript entries from 1810 - 1827 from a ship named "The Edward" out of New York. The ledger is complete from June 6, 1810 - June 1812 ends and then begins again from March 1826 - Sept.1827. The ledger stops during the War of 1812 and for a few years after. The ship traveled from New York to Bristol which was impossible during the few missing years as America was at war with Canada. Fascinating to consider that the one blank page represents the war of 1812 and then lost until 1826. Cover is rough but the inside pages are in good condition with some age toning. Approx 175 pp. ; Manuscript; 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, SHIPPING, BOATS, MARINE, MERCHANTILE, NAVY, MARITIME, NAVAL, WAR OF 1812, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS,… Read More

Very Good with no dust jacket. 1814. Softcover. On offer is a centuries-old superb example of a mathematics cipher (or cypher) book. The author's name is inscribed on the inside front cover but would require an expert in copperplate printing to decipher it. However, the date is quite clear – 1814. This handwritten journal of mathematical calculations and equations includes sections on Geometry, Algebra, Arithmetic Calculations, Weights and Measures and Money (Pounds, Shillings and Pence). The teacher was likely guided by one of the many arithmetic textbooks still in wide use in the early 1800s. He would have expected the student to memorize rules and examples and thus learn how to carry out the mathematical operations for later use in business. The 'Cases' section towards the back of the book is an example of this teaching method. Our student would have copied down the cases to follow later rather than simply a general principle. The teacher probably also expected the… Read More

GREAT BRITAIN. Very Good+. 1815. On offer is simply superb manuscript of a Royal Navy officer's exploits in the age of "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World". From the Napoleonic Wars through the rest of the 19th century, Britain ruled the world and her instrument was the Royal Navy. This outstanding manuscript details the service of one officer who sailed to 'the far side of the world' when the Royal Navy ruled the world's seas. The manuscript is 176 pages in length and is 100% complete. All pages are typed so legibility is total. Pages are 8 1/24 by 14 inches. The pages are in excellent condition. They are enclosed in a hard cardboard folder. There are several other papers with the manuscript including one of note that will be elaborated on below. John Fullerton joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in May, 1815 at 12 years of age. He began his service on HMS Larne, a 20 gun corvette. Four days in, he saw his first punishment: "... four dozen… Read More

BLOCK ISLAND RHODE ISLAND INDONESIA SANDY HOOK. Fair. 1818. On offer is a super, original manuscript relic of early 19th Century ocean going trade and commerce being a handwritten ship's log dated August 6, 1818 to March 11, 1820 detailing a 13, 661 mile voyage from Block Island of Rhode Island to Indonesia to Sandy Hook. The large folio has some 60 pages; most have three entries per page; 20 or so pages excised. The early pages had been cover as if someone paste over news clippings and scrap and then carefully removed to leave a difficult but readable text which gets much better quite soon. The ship sailed from Block Island to Gibraltar Bay; Madeira, Portugal; Cape Verde; Java, Malay Archipelago and Sunda Isles, Indonesia; Island of St. Helena to Sandy Hook. Marble sides, leather spine, covers detached, spine leather, worn. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. Overall Fair+.; Manuscript; Folio - over 12" - 15" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF,19TH CENTURY, MARINE, NAVAL, GLOBAL… Read More

Havana, Cuba: Contact of Daniel Botefeur. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1820. Non-Book. On offer is a handwritten and signed letter by Dr. William Frost (1781-1823) demanding financial settlement from Mr. C. Roberts. Dr. Frost was a surgeon from Eliot, Maine, who moved to Demarra, Cuba and owned a coffee plantation. He had multiple business dealings with the “notorious villain”, German slave trader Daniel Botefeur, who was in Cuba at the same time as Frost. SEE BIO NOTES ON FROST AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE LISTING. In this letter, Frost writes to Mr. Roberts, who owes him money and has been refusing to pay the balance. It is clear that their business dealings have been lengthy and fraught. Frost informs Roberts that Roberts’ agent, Mr. Booth, has offered to pay $33.5 less than the amount owing to Frost. The text of the letter follows: “Havana, April 8th, 1820, Mr. C. Roberts. Sir, Once more, and for the last time, I write to you on the subject of the settlement for amt..… Read More

England, Germany, France. Very Good. 1822. On offer is a Georgian era travel journal/diary dated from June 20th 1822 to September 6th 1823. Our traveller, while unidentified by the illegible signature the writer is undoubtedly the father or grandfather of famed musician and musical agent Robert Whyte from whose estate this book was apart of; and as the writer makes extensive notes and observations on this his 4th visit to Germany, Paris and London in well over 80 pages his identity may yet be revealed or confirmed upon further research. Daily entries get easier as one gets used to the author's scrawl. Illness seems to have dogged our diarist alot on this trip. Besides the illegible name on the front that we can not make out along with the title "Journal Pt 4 My 3rd Journey to Germany in June 1822". Research will, no doubt yield many, many details from this determined writer. Overall the book, 8.25 x 6.5 inches, is in very good+ condition save for some light general signs of… Read More

ALBANY, NEW YORK NY. Good+. 1822. On offer is a fascinating and fantastic 1822 New York State Agricultural Almanac. The front cover contains its defining information: "The State of New-York Agricultural Almanack for the Year of Our Lord 1822. Being the second after Bissextile or Leap Year; and (until July 4th) the Forty-Sixth of American Independence. Calculated for the Horizon and Meridian of Albany -North Latitude 42 degrees 45 minutes - from the English Observatory 73 degrees and 30 minutes west. By S. Southwick. Albany. Sold by Daniel Steele, No. 472 South Market-street. Packard & Van Benthuysen, Printers.” The almanac was owned by a man named ‘C. Coffin’ who has signed his name at the top of the cover page. The almanac contains much of the same information as others: calendars, advertisements, astrology, zoology, fables and stories, weather patterns throughout the year, information on raising livestock and planting seeds, and much more. What makes this almanac… Read More

MANCHESTER UK ROTTERDAM HAGUE NETHERLANDS HOLLAND. Good. 1824. On offer is a short but fascinating travel book of one wealthy young Englishman’s journey to Rotterdam and The Hague, Holland in 1824. It is a unique and rare look at the travel of English aristocracy in the first half of the 19th century, the last great age of the English landed gentry. The book is 30 pages in length of which writing is on every single page. Every page is filled with excursions, observations, and examples of lavish living for William Money, his father, and his cousin, as they travel first to Rotterdam and then spend over a month in The Hague, living at quite a fancy hotel, exploring the city itself, and taking day trips to landmarks around the country. The little book also includes descriptions of lavish dinners and days being waited on, driven, and doted on by servants and friends. It begins in the Summer 1824: “June 25, 1824. To commence my narrative I will give a short account of the two last days… Read More

Tompkins, Delaware DE. Good in Fair dust jacket. 1825. Full-Leather. On offer is a remarkable historical journal with many dates the earliest of which is 1825. It begins with the heading: "A bill of the Delawrae River", and lists what research suggests to be stops and business along the the Delaware River waterway. There are hundreds of names, with the dates and amounts collected from each individual. Some coded references. There are also mentions of loans, the nature of the loans and when satisfied. Though a primitive work there are numerous references to Moses L. Ogden as his family was prominent to the Delaware area from pre-Revolutionary times. We believe besides some mentions of the lumber purchases and sales that Mr. Ogden collected taxes. Delaware historians will have a grand time completing the research on this journal. Book measures 4" x 6.5", is leatherbound (very dry) and the inner pages are linen. Overall condition is good. Most of the 34 leaves are clean… Read More

STRATFORD CONNECTICUT, 1826. On offer is a fascinating, original early 19th Century 38 page manuscript diary handwritten by a 21 year old female member of the Deforest family, we believe, and living in and around Stratford Connecticut. Dated January 1826 through February 1827 we surmise she is a novice or novitiate [she is allowed home] in a not too faraway convent with frequent mentions Sister Maria, Sister Betsey, etc., and that she sits in her 'chamber' window' etc. That said she still has a life and family outside of the convent with travels to Milford, Bridgeport, Putney [north end of Stratford], and of course many, many mentions of the people around her: a friend Maria Hovey, S. Alffords, Rev. Mr. Judah, Joseph Tomlinson, Mary Mills, Mr. Levitt, Mr. Rutledge, Sarah Lewis, O. Beardslee, Mrs. Birdseye, cousins: Eliza and Sarah Deforest, Mary Deforest, Jane Mills, Delia Deforest, Uncle and Aunt Beers, Aunt Pendleton +++. Activities include religious sermons and musings, visits from… Read More

United States Legislature. Fair with no dust jacket. Hardcover. On offer is an autograph album circa 1830-1861, coinciding with the 29th through 34th United States Congresses, which ran from 1845 to 1857. The autographs contained within include 262 United States Senators and Congressmen. The majority of the autographs do not have accompanying dates, however one signer dated their entry 1843 and another dated their entry 1850. This album provides a quintessential glimpse into Antebellum Period US politics. It is clear to see, from the signatures and accompanying notation of the state from which each signer hails (some also note their home towns) , that the American legislature is still fully functional at this point. The album is easy to navigate as the owner has had all the Senators sign at the beginning of the album and then left a few blank pages before having Congressmen sign in the later pages of the album. The owner was able to gather 46 signatures of Senators from Alabama, Arkansas,… Read More

MIDDLETOWNE NEW JERSEY MONMOUTH CTY NEW YORK CITY. Good+. 1830. On offer is a fascinating, massive archive of letters, notes, diaries, and some ephemera of particular interest to researchers, historians and collectors of mid 19th century New York City and New Jersey and religion of the day. The archive is made up of two [2] main components: 1) approximately 50 diaries and notebooks and 2) approximately 69 letters of inter-family correspondence, dated from the 1830s through to the late 1870s, they are mostly by and between three people; James Hoagland of Jersey City, New Jersey; Lavinia Murray of NYC and her brother George C. Murray of Middletowne, New Jersey. Lavinia is the main recipient receiving letters, though some are in her hand, from her brother George, her cousin and one day husband James Hoagland, her mother and father and some cousins and friends. The diaries are unusual and unique as the author George Crawford [the books are unsigned but the handwriting is assuredly the same as… Read More

JAPAN, IZU NIKKI, HACHIJO-ISLAND, IZU OSHIMA. Good+. 1835. On offer is an original circa 1830s manuscript relic of early 19th Century travel being a travel diary handwritten by an unknown Japanese traveler to Hachijo-Island [the southernmost of the Izu Seven Islands], Izu Oshima, The Seven Island Chain and area. Off the coast of south eastern Japan the islands are uniquely situated where the Pacific Ocean meets the Philippine Sea. Hand stitched paper covers, title states "complete," save for worm damage, general light soiling the 6½ x 9¼ inch 100+ page book is overall G+. ; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, JAPANESE TRAVEL DIARY, IZU NIKKI, HACHIJO-ISLAND, IZU OSHIMA, THE SEVEN ISLAND CHAIN, THE RISING SUN, NIPPON, EARLY 19TH CENTURY TRAVEL, EXOTIC TRAVEL, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL,… Read More

DENMARK. Very Good. 1831. ABOUT 7 1/4" X 4 1/2". ABOUT 30 HANDWRITTEN PAGES. CARDBOARD COVERS ARE ORIGINAL, BUT CLOTH SPINE IS IN SUCH EXCELLENT CONDITION WE BELIEVE IT MAY BE A REPLACEMENT. A LITTLE BIT OF INK STAINING ON COVER AND PAGE CORNERS. ALMANAC IN DANISH, PRINTED IN COPENHAGEN, IS BOUND WITHIN. THE UNIDENTIFIED WRITER OF THE DIARY APPEARS TO BE A YOUNG DANISH MAN WHO IS WRITING IN ENGLISH - PERHAPS LIVING ELSEWHERE HE RETURNS TO THE HOME COUNTRY TO PURCHASE SUPPLIES AS HE SEEMS TO BE ENGAGED IN BUYING WHEAT, BARLEY, OATS, RAPESEED, ETC. FOR A FAMILY BUSINESS WHICH APPEARS TO BE A BREWERY. THE WEATHER, PRICES OF CROPS, POLITICAL NEWS, FANCY BALLS, GIRLS, ETC. ARE DISCUSSED. VARIOUS PLACES/EVENTS ARE MENTIONED; THE ISLANDS, WARS BETWEEN FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND, RUSSIA, POLAND AND BATTLES ARE MENTIONED AS WELL. VERY WELL WRITTEN AND MOST INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE COMING FROM A YOUNG DANISH MAN IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY AND WITH OPINIONS AND COMMENTARY ON EUROPE OF THE… Read More

MOBILE OWENTON ELYTON ALABAMA AL. Very Good. 1890. On Offer is an original 140 page copy of a typed manuscript with holograph corrections by author and Methodist Preacher the Reverend Francis Mitchell Grace whose father was noted for making the first iron from Red Mountain Alabama ore. This is a significant personal memoir about his early life in Alabama, the Civil War, Methodist Conferences in Mobile, slavery, plantation life, etc. Please note: This was acquired directly from a family descendent. BIO NOTES Aug. 13, 1904 Owenton Jefferson County Alabama, USA: From "History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 3" By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen: GRACE, FRANCIS MITCHELL, Methodist minister, teacher and editor, was born February 28, 1832 at Elyton, and died August 13, 1904, at Ownenton; son of Baylis Earle and Ann (Mitchell) Grace (q. v.). He received his early education at Elyton academy, 1837-46; graduated at East Tennessee university, 1849, with the… Read More