NEW JERSEY, Salem.
BOWEN, Frank. Father-Daughter Generational Diaries. 39 volumes comprising diaries, receipt books, inventory lists, pocket journals;
1878, 1882, 1886, 1903-04, 1907-28;
with BOWEN, Edna (daughter), one volume for 1917.

Generational diaries are so uncommon as to be almost nonexistent. To have them span the number of years which these do is exceptional. Bowen was first errand boy, then head clerk, in his father’s dry goods store, where everything from window shades to blank books were sold in a general line of inventory.

Detailed activities and events in this trades diary. Such strongly appealing self-referential material throughout, as this retail mention of diaries, written in a diary:

“Fri., Jan. 1, 1886 / ...this is the time for blank books. / Sat.,Jan. 2, 1886 / Diaries like 111 and 211 seem to be desired. This year we have had neither. We have #18 and are sorry for it. Desireable ones are also 131, 231.

“Tues., Jan. 5, 1886 / We have sold at least three diaries to-day, and might have sold another if we had had a long one with a day to a page. Mr. Thos. Wood wanted it, and perhaps papa will try to get some in Phila. to-morrow. Robinson & Hackett have not any. Mr. Job Dixon bought one to-day after inquriing elsewhere.”

Collection comprises 40 volumes and occupies 19 inches of linear shelf space. Heights range from 7” to 4” high; from 2” wide to 5” wide; from 1/4” to 1” thick. Condition ranges from just fair to very good, as is expected with such quotidian materials as these, which were in use and at hand constantly. Many commercial and retail records as well as the life story of a young girl, daughter Edna, growing up. $6,310 postpaid.
 

No Place, No Date, but mid- to fourth quarter-19th century East Coast American.
ANONYMOUS MAKE-DO ALBUM. Comprised of two aspects: (1) printed stories, jokes, aphorisms, ephemera clipped from unknown 19th-century publications (2) pasted upon hand-written ledger, or day-book, sheets of similar age.This appealing conglomeration of humor (with the modern reader bringing worthwhile anthropoligcal insights to bear) from another century has chestnuts and howlers littered liberally throughout with no evident discimination for taste or intellect. 14" high x 7" wide, 125 pp. approx. $125 postpaid.
 

PENNSYLVANIA, Milford, Dingman Township, Pike County.
GRAVE-DIGGER JOURNAL. Personal cash book and ledger of George P. Quinn, 1861 - 1900, with records of such duties as digging graves and acting as “Over-seer of the Poor”. Included in the ledger are loose receipts regarding his land holdings, and the location in county records of property deeds. There are between 175 and 200 family names in this small book, and in the back of the ledger is a two-page section headed”Worthless Dept and Selected by Debt” with names (following) and amounts owed to Quinn:

Quick, Omstead, Blackmer, Dewitt, Carson, Bull, Cortwright, Welles, Bouham, Polion, Fulor, Pitney, Preston, Kelog, Thrall, Partrige, Thrifley, among many others.

In addition to his other duties, Quinn was an active sawyer who processed many hundreds of lumber board feet.

Leather and gold-stamped spine split, and front cover loose, though attached. Interior pages loose and remain on binding threads. Binding is scuffed paper over boards Closed 6-3/4 inches wide x 8-1/4 inches high x 1/2 inch thick, 54 pp. $475 postpaid.
 

PENNSYLVANIA, Philadelphia and NEW YORK, New York.
DADMUN, LYDIA. ONE-VOLUME EUROPEAN TRAVEL DIARY, 1922.
European travel account on land and sea, in extra-fancy, navy-blue morocco tri-folded volume, gold-stamped volume, commencing aboard the White Star vessel S.S. Majestic. Astute and detailed observations of a tourist in Europe as she progresses through the capitals. Socializing, cultural events, weather, clothes, shopping, all of it just what’s desireable in a travel document.

Lydia Dadmun social life as a debutante is chronicled in several New York Times articles (research available) from the 1920s. Her father is detailed in “The Secretary’s Report By Harvard University Class of 1890”, and notes a daughter, Lydia Estabrook Dadmun, born in 1903. George Estabrook Dadmun’s occupation was listed as banker with Harris, Forbes & Co., New York.

6-1/2” high x 4-1/4” wide x 7/8” thick with gilt edges, gold-stamped with “My Trip Abroad / Lydia Dadmun.” Surviving retailers’ label states: “Martin and Martin, Importers, Phila. and London.” Surviving blotter (unimprinted) and business card of “Rafael Sancho Minerva / Guia e Interprete / Canos de Oro, 6 / Toledo” on face with “Monumentos principales de Toledo” on reverse, in rear wallet pocket. Pen/pencil sleeve present and lacking instrument. Extra-quality goods in very good to fine condition. Slight wear to spine head and foot, much less than expected given age and utility. Leather uncracked and throughout tight and square. Dove-grey silk moire endpapers. This is a gem.$335, includes shipping and insurance.

PENNSYLVANIA, Allentown, Clarksburg, Philadelphia, Reading, and
NEW JERSEY, Cape May.
RAILROADIANA.
Item 1. LEVELS on Preliminary Line of Centreville Branch, NEPRR, Oct 1873, inscribed "L. M. Young, Levelman", with Index, 4-1/4” wide x 6-5/8” tall x 1/2” thick.

Item 2. SLOPES, continued from Book No. 1, Line A, inscribed "A. Hutchinson", 4-1/4” wide x 6-1/4” tall x 1/4” thick.

Item 3. GENERAL NOTES, Cape May Branch, ACRR, No. 1, Surveys 241, Form 2044, Transit Book, Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co. 1906. 4-1/2” wide x 7-3/8” x 5/8” thick.

Item 4. New Alignment and Track Measurement, Cape May Branch, A.C.R.R., Form 2044, Transit Book, Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co., Surveys 243, 4-5/8” wide x 7-1/4” tall x 3/8” thick.

Item 5. Topography from Egg Harbor to Brigantine Junction, Form 2044, Transit Book, Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co., Surveys 308, May 1908, 4-1/2" wide x 7-1/2" tall x 1/2" thick.

Item 6. 4, C.M.BR., A.C.R.R. Levels, Surveys 257, Form 2043, Level Book, Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co., 4-1/4" wide x 7" tall x 1/2" thick.

Item 7. Cape May Br. Topography #2, Surveys 245, Form 244, Transit Book, Philadelphia and Reading Railway Co., 4-1/2" wide x 7-1/4" tall x 3/8" thick.

Item 8. S-355., Folsom & Crum Creek, Form 2044, 11-19, 200B, Transit Book, Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co., 1925, 4-5/8" wide x 7-3/8" tall x 1/2" thick, inscribed James A. Walsh.
Eight volumes furnished as a set, $1,115 postpaid.

NEW YORK, Mumford, and Monroe County.
CAMPBELL, DORIS (neé Green). 12 volumes,
1951, 1976-78,1981-82,1984-86,1988-89.

Upstate New York near Rochester. Daily activities of Doris Campbell and husband Junior (George Campbell, Jr.) for more than 38 years. Campbell (1916 - 2001) was born to Howard and Blanche (neé Taggart) Green in LeRoy, New York. This is rich territory for researching and understanding aspects of a dynamic domestic emotional landscape. As one example of a potential topic, Campbell records her husband’s behavior. From representative passages, we learn:

“Wed - 5/17 [1989] 49^o - 79^o / Sunny - Warmer - Jr got the papers -- I spoke about getting the sink drain fixed and he started raving -- I’ve got so much to do -- the drain and the grass is growing so fast -- Next will be the septic tank--Cut a few weeds when I walked by the driveway. I watched TV--Jr slept awhile--Went to bed at 8--I went at 10—”

“Thurs 5/18 [1989] 51^o - 85^o..Cut some dandelions in A.M. Jr got nasty after dinner — I told him the water in the sink went down OK. He started to yell because I hadn’t put stuff in it lately to clean it out—Its outdoors that is plugged not inside—got very bad in p.m. ...”

“Sun 5/21 [1989] 56^o - 82^o ...Jr wanted to call Howard. I checked phone bill and said we called him last but he didnt agree--I figured calling about 9 but he called [—]. Down at the cottage. Beth sounded grand. Jr ugly afterwards. Sun came out. Wanted to cut some dandelions in P.M. but Mark was mowing--Our grass is above our knees and I didn’t want to call attention to it...”

Sun 6/4 [1989] 58^o - 72^o...I took a walk at 10--too wet--grass is so high and mosquitoes so numerous--I bauled [sic]--I wish he would do something about the grass--Hasn’t been mowed in a year...”

Twelve volumes total, comprising nine volumes in annual date books from “T. M. Skivington Independent Insurance Agency” in Caledonia,NY, measuring 5-1/4” wide x 8-1/4” high x 1/2” thick, all in plasticized leather wraps with comb bindings, all very good to excellent; one volume in college notebook of equal dimensions, and two volumes in conventional page-a-day arrangement. This is a significant modern collection with much to yield. $5,450 postpaid.


VERMONT, Waits/Waites River.
SAWYER, JOHN. 2 volumes, one each for 1884 and 1889.
Trades diaries of an accomplished, and in-demand, hired man and dairy farmer who graded roads, chopped wood, laundered clothes for hire, cleaned barns, built structures, etc. Detailed finances provided for activities, as well as church and prayer meetings he attended, and various boarding houses in which he stayed. Excellent documentation of one man’s seemingly unceasing Yankee work ethic. $1,120 postpaid.
 

CANADA, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
BELLAMY, George. One volume. 1940.
This is a land surveyor’s meticulous accounting, down to literal and figurative measurements, of daily life, along with professional and personal activities. Perceptive reports are provided as he observed the European situation and World War II from a Canadian vantage point.

6” high x 3-1/4” wide x 1” thick. Stamped on cover “Diary / 1940.” Tear into front cover edge, covers spotted and worn but not detracting. Some of the most original engrossing ever encountered—rather a squared-off, small capital hand, but clearly legible. Over all, quite fascinating. $685 postpaid.
 

CALIFORNIA, San Diego and MAINE, South Bewick.
ANONYMOUS Male. One volume. Dated 1946, recorded in printed 1906 commercial “Wanamaker Diary” blank book.
Significant record by diarist depicting family and work life, first in San Diego then South Bewick, Maine. We’ve seen more than a few diaries kept by men and this is certainly up there near the top for content...intimate details of home life, schedules, activities, family members, work, the office, church, socializing at the Officer’s Club, and on and on. The problem with this manuscript is that we don’t know the man’s name. Much of the diary is a record of his family’s move from California to Maine. He’s liberal with the exclamation points and from the way he apparently lives, he means them, as he waxes at times effusive and at times, remains reticent.

7-1/2” high x 6-1/4” wide x 1” thick, 446 numbered pages, extensive advertisements, intact integral fold-out intricate street map of Philadelphia in 1906, also botanical specimens taped in, and diary entries in this Baedecker-cum-vademecum-cum-gazeteer. Quite the production. Pink cloth over boards stamped “The Wanamaker Diary 1906”. Exterior spine chipped at foot, sunned and slight wear front and back, hinges intact, interior tight though cocked in covers. Legible engrossing in ink. $1,150 postpaid.
 

COLORADO and WASHINGTON STATE
Cosmetic & Apothecary Formularic & Day Book with Eaton Genealogy & Family Congeries
1914 - 1944

This single volume comprises several aspects of a family. It contains apothecary recipes for cosmetics, day-book accounting and business activities, Eaton genealogies, transcriptions of documents (including an 1858 Eaton/Dingle marriage certificate), food recipes, and diverse Eaton family documents relating to finances and every manner of quotidian activity.

A representative and cursory overview yields recipes for Sunshine Cake, lists of Eaton family mining stock ( 250 shares of Butterfly Terrible Gold Mining Co., certificate # 561, as one example), estate inventory lists, etc. Many place names in Colorado and Washington State.

Condition is typical considering age and utility.
Width 5" x 8-1/2" high x 1" thick. 236 pencil numbered pages. Engrossed in pencil and pen. Leather over boards, spine mostly absent, interior sewing loose, pages shaken. 
$2,875 postpaid.


VERMONT, Rutland
Lincoln Ironworks. Foundry Master Production Drawings. 
1892 – 1938

Rutland was a major source of marble as well as the railroad center of the state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lincoln Ironworks provided their own line of stone-working machines, as well as fulfilled custom orders from outside clients.

These are measured drawings on treated drafting linen, used in the fabrication and manufacture of stone-cutting equipment. Presented are working shop drawings, drafts, and blueprint masters.

167 sheets total, comprising the following:

7 double sheets at 42" x 30"

59 single sheets at 30" x 21"

46 one-half sheets at 21" x 15"

55 one-quarter sheets at 15" x 10-1/2".

Condition is good to excellent. Expected pin holes, wear is appropriate to age and utility, some minor tears along sheet edges, not detracting from overall effect. $8,750 postpaid.

MASSACHUSETTS, Boston and ITALY, Palermo.
ANONYMOUS. Nautical Diary.
One volume, ca. 1840 -50s.
With sketch (see right) of beached vessel marked "Zanoni".3" tall x 5" wide, 1/2" thick, horizontal format, patented "Ivory Paper and metallic pencil" blank book with Shepherd & Sutton, London retailers' label. Integral metal-tipped pencil/scriber survives. Heavily machined and embossed leather covers. Some pages suffer from age and legibility decreases, other pages seem as fresh as they were 160 years ago. Working brass clasp extant. Overall a delightful jewel with unplumbed mysteries awaiting the skillful researcher. $750 postpaid.

MICHIGAN, East Lansing.
Ledgers of H. K. Vedder, 1927 - 1936,
with Diaries 1873, 1875-1876, 1923-1930, 1932-1935, 1937.

Substantial level of consulting civil engineer's billing and client minutiae documenting clients in Detroit, New York, and Washington, DC. Herman Klock Vedder (b. 1866) was professor of civil engineering at Michigan Agricultural College until his retirement ca. 1925. Most ledgers include diary-like entries on some level about events or facts ancillary to client ledger entries. 

The Diaries provide rich domestic documentation by a father, academic, engineer, and school board president. Trip to Singapore in 1926. Unusual presentation of simultaneous professional and private activities of an influential public figure.

19 volumes ranging in size from 6" high x 3" wide to 5" high x 3 " wide all in good to very good condition. Occupies 10 inches of linear shelf space. Engrossing precise and legible, as expected from an engineer. $6,230 postpaid.

NEW YORK, New York
Anonymous Teacher Diary 1941-46
"Five Year" Diary with intact clasp. Highly detailed with fine engrossing, discusses war, relationships, family, school life.

6" high x 4-1/2" wide x 1-1/4" thick, heavily embossed red leather to simulate alligator, gilt-edged pages. Spine mostly absent, exposed cardboard on top corners, all else just good. Content is superior with details of movies viewed, meals eaten, activities and events attended, and WW II figures in. But, frustratingly, no name is evident. Perhaps a closer reading by an attentive researcher could unearth clues or even a proper attribution. $485 including shipping and insurance

MASSACHUSSETTS, Boston and Cape Cod; ITALY, Palermo.
ELLIS, Luther. Diary and Sailing Log. One volume. 1860.
Nautical diary kept aboard the bark "Henry Hill" with eyewitness account of the revolt in Palermo and Garibaldi's assault; written on interleaves in Old Farmers' Almanack from 1860, re-bound and re-covered in marbled paper as a diary, with retailer advertisement (Hooper, Lewis & Co., Boston) as first page. Chipping to front cover edge, else good; overall a remarkable "make-do" affair.
62 pp. 7-1/2' high x 4-1/2" wide, 1/4" thick. $1,150 postpaid.

N.P. but near NEW YORK, Ithaca
HASKIN, Clinton Able. Diary of a Farmer. One volume. 1906.
Highly detailed reporting with fine engrossing; discusses farming activities, commodity prices, relationships, family life, and agricultural methods.

6-3/4" high x 4-1/2" wide x 7/8" thick, embossed red leather, red edge-stained pages. Spine absent, exposed pasteboard front and back, all else just good. Content is superior. $745