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Collection

George W. Chamberlin penmanship notebook, 1831-1840

1 volume

George W. Chamberlin of Bath or Ryegate, Vermont, used this notebook for penmanship practice. He copied multisyllabic words such as ambidextrous, Pennsylvania, contentment, and excommunication, as well as phrases such as "This is a Specimen of Writing by George W. Chamberlin of Bath" and "A sentence is an assemblage of words forming complete sense." One line regards the payment of $99,999 on demand for value received.

George W. Chamberlin of Bath or Ryegate, Vermont, used this notebook for penmanship practice. He copied multisyllabic words such as ambidextrous, Pennsylvania, contentment, and excommunication, as well as phrases such as "This is a Specimen of Writing by George W. Chamberlin of Bath" and "A sentence is an assemblage of words forming complete sense." One line regards the payment of $99,999 on demand for value received.

Collection

Leo Engleman cypher book, 1847-1848

1 volume

Leo Engleman worked trigonometric and surveying exercises in this cypher book from 1847 to 1848, possibly while a thirteen-year-old boy living in Pennsylvania. Many of the exercises include mathematical drawings and illustrations, and surveying examples often include additional features done in pencil and watercolor.

Leo Engleman worked trigonometric and surveying exercises in this cypher book from 1847 to 1848, possibly while a thirteen-year-old boy living in Pennsylvania. Many of the exercises include mathematical drawings and illustrations, and surveying examples often include additional features done in pencil and watercolor, such as trees, rivers, buildings, and lighthouses. A number of headings also feature watercolor embellishments and abstract or geometric designs, and the final pages of the volume include full-page watercolor designs of geometric shapes and a rose bush.

Collection

Loomis family papers, 1828-1890s

27 items

This collection contains materials relating to the Loomis family of Columbia, Connecticut, between the 1820s and 1890s, primarily concerning the education of the children Ormond P., Mary, Emily, Aurelia, and Dwight. Educational content includes penmanship exercises, cypher books, drawings, maps, and various mathematical and astronomical calculations.The collection also includes documentation of Ormond P. Loomis's teaching, classroom, and students for Fall-Winter 1829-1830. An estate inventory produced upon the death of their father, Elam Loomis, in 1855 is also present, as well as a partially completed family record. Several pieces of poetry, speech notes, and other writings by members of the Loomis family are also included.

This collection contains materials relating to the Loomis family of Columbia, Connecticut, between the 1820s and 1890s, primarily concerning the education of the children Ormond P., Mary, Emily, Aurelia, and Dwight. Educational content includes penmanship exercises, cypher books, drawings, maps, and various mathematical and astronomical calculations. Some of the illustrations and pen work are based on Eleazer Huntington's The American Penman and on "Aaron Yeomans Instructor." Two are datelined "Pine Swamp." The collection also includes documentation of Ormond P. Loomis's teaching, classroom, and students for Fall-Winter 1829-1830. An estate inventory produced upon the death of their father, Elam Loomis, in 1855 is also present, as well as a partially completed family record. Several pieces of poetry, speech notes, and other writings by members of the Loomis family are also included.

The collection's contents include:
  • Penmanship and Forms, beginning January 23, 1828 (11 pages) kept by Ormond P. Loomis, featuring elegant, different scripts and illustrations.
  • Penmanship exercise by Ormond P. Loomis: "Duties of Men," February 21, 1828; with an illustration of an American eagle and shield, with an ornate oval border.
  • "Miscellaneous Matters &c." cypher book with astronomical content by Ormond P. Loomis, March 20, 1828.
  • Two loose sheets with illustrated projections and calculations for solar eclipses in 1831 and 1836, dated April 1 and 3, 1829, produced by Ormond P. Loomis.
  • Penmanship exercise, with different versions of Ormond P. Loomis' name, phonetically spelled with Hebrew and Greek characters, May 31, 1828.
  • Illustration of an American eagle with a shield and banner, made by Ormond P. Loomis 1828.
  • Illustrations of modern winged cherubim, with a quotation beginning "O! Righteous! thou lovely thing!", made by Ormond P. Loomis on January 18, 1829.
  • Sheet of penmanship practice by Ormond P. Loomis with quotations on verso respecting eloquence, and a statement "Andrew Jackson of Tennessee President!", June 1829.
  • Illustrated projection drawn by Ormond P. Loomis of the moon's eclipse of September 2, 1830, dated March 20, 1829.
  • Illustration of an eagle with a banner by Ormond P. Loomis in 1828.
  • "Journal kept at the 3rd school District in the school society in Hebron", maintained by Ormond P. Loomis in 1829. Including a foldout of tabular information about daily school attendance by 10 students, and daily weather. Concludes with a statement about why Loomis decided to leave the profession of teacher. A separate list identifies male and female students in the School Society in Hebron by class status.
  • Two sheets with miscellaneous astronomical calculations, canal lengths, and numerical Christian Bible information produced by Ormond P. Loomis in 1830 and 1831.
  • Handmade, stab-sewn volume with poetry, literature, and biblical extracts kept by Aurelia Loomis between 1838-1841.
  • "Appendix to Report on Free Schools," compiled in 1847, possibly by Dwight Loomis before his graduation from Yale Law School.
  • Circa 1855 volume inventorying the estate of Elam Loomis.
  • Letter from Dwight Loomis to Mary Loomis dated March 26, 1863, and a copy of correspondence between Dwight Loomis and Cyrus White including a riddle about white lies dated February 21, 1889.
  • Circa 1890s bound volume of notes for a speech to the Burpee Post of the Grand Army of the Republic about the Civil War, possibly by Dwight Loomis, concerning memorialization of the Civil War dead, naturalization, suffrage, citizenship, patriotism and education.
  • Undated manuscript map of England, Ireland, and Scotland drawn by Ormond P. Loomis.
  • Newspaper clipping showing demographic information for the states and territories in the United States, [1822?].
  • Two undated pencil sketches drawn by Emily Loomis of the exterior of buildings, including the "Mill at Hartford."
  • Undated poem about Abraham Lincoln, "Hitch Your Wagon to a Star," possibly written by Dwight Loomis.
  • Undated "Family Record" for the Loomis family with entries for family members and their birth dates. Includes record of Loomis P. Ormond's death.
  • Undated cypher book kept by Mary Loomis with several patriotic and religious calligraphic exercises.
Collection

Shimer family penmanship and cypher books, 1846-1853

8 items

The collection consists of six penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Four of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

The collection consists of seven penmanship and cypher books kept by William L. Shimer, Susanna M. Shimer, and Nathan M. Shimer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 1840s and 1850s and one alphabet card with lower-case and upper-case letters. The blank books include illustrated covers and several have calligraphic titles for their sections. Five of them are dated and range from 1846 to 1853. The cypher books include exercises for arithmetic, fractions, practical geometry, accounting, and weights and measures, with many examples relating to practical issues like farming, business, and estates. Penmanship exercises include the copying of moral proverbs, common business abbreviations, strings of letters, and phrases. Two of the penmanship books are associated with writing systems: George J. Becker's The American System of Penmanship, and Bayson, Dunton and Scribner's National System of Penmanship.

Copy books include those printed or sold by:
  • Uriah Hunt & Son, Booksellers, Philadelphia
  • Leary's Cheap Book Store, Philadelphia
  • Brower, Hayes & Co., Booksellers and Stationers, Philadelphia
  • Henry J. Oerter's Cheap Book & Stationery Store, Bethlehem
  • Crosby & Ainsworth, Publishers, Boston

The cover of William L. Shimer's 1848 exercise book includes an inscription "L. Shimer, Co. A 10 reg. Militia Pa." William L. Shimer's 1850-1852 cypher book includes notations that he was attending the Gen. Taylor school and was being instructed by A. Stout, as well as geometrical drawings, calligraphic headings, and a pen-and-ink drawing of an eagle's head holding a banner that reads, "Let teh Stars and Stripes proudly float over you."

Collection

Stephentown (N.Y.) Library School District account book and William Wallace Elliot penmanship exercise book, 1838-1840

1 volume

This handmade account book contains financial accounts for the Stephentown (N.Y.) school district library, including fines imposed on individuals for late returns of books, as well as damages. This volume was repurposed later by William Wallace Elliot as a penmanship exercise book.

This handmade account book contains financial accounts of the Stephentown (N.Y.) school district library, including fines imposed on individuals for late returns of books, as well as damages. This volume was repurposed at a later date by William Wallace Elliot as a penmanship exercise book.

The final page is a "Register of damages to books." The cover is made from a scrap of a paper ream wrapper. Sections used by William for penmanship exercise feature repeated phrases and quoted passages.