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Friendship album of Lorinda Fitts Merriam

 Collection — Box: 1, Folder: 6
Identifier: MS-0850

Content Description

Derived from dealer description: a friendship album made from paper belonging to Lorinda Fitts Merriam of Champion, New York measuring 6 x 7.5 inches. The album dates from 1838 to 1840 and contains a variety of handwritten notes and well-wishes from friends. Some of the entries contain poetry reminiscing on the idea of friendship. The sentiments are written by individuals mostly from Champion, Laray, and Evans Mills, New York, with a few from Philadelphia. The album itself was originally produced as a book intended to be used for practicing writing, manufactured by G. & N. Sturtevant in Watertown, New York. The front cover features engravings of books, sentries, and a soldier on horseback as well as a poem about penmanship. The back cover has an engraving of the Great Seal of the United States, which is an eagle holding arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other.

Dates

  • Creation: 1838-1840

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

Lorinda Fitts Merriam was born on April 12, 1816 in Auburn, Massachusetts to Daniel Fitts (1752-1837) and Chloe White (1757-1837). She married Zelotes Doddridge Merriam (1818-1904) on August 11, 1840 and had one child, Josephine Emma Marriam Hopkins (1845-1930). She died on August 3, 1849.

There is currently no historical information available on G. & N. Sturtevant.

Biographical information provided by the bookseller.

Biographical / Historical

Friendship albums became popular in America in the 1820s, as a blossoming culture of sentimentalism made its mark on personal relationships, especially those of young people. Friends usually left their mark in an album with a poem or a drawing. These were generally not original poems or drawings but pieces copied from books or magazines. The poems were usually about friendship, religion, or womanhood, and many referenced separation of friends or even death.

Source: Good, Cassandra. "How Early-19th-Century Students Cemented Their Bonds Through Friendship Albums." Slate Magazine. May 06, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/05/history-of-friendship-in-the-early-republic-friendship-albums-created-by-students.html.

Extent

.167 Cubic Feet (1 legal sized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of a friendship album belonging to Lorinda Fitts Merriam of Champion, New York, created between 1838 and 1840.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Eclectibles in March 2019.

Condition Description

A few pages in the album are loose and should be handled with care.

Processing Information

Processed by Kristen Diehl in March 2019.

Genre / Form

Geographic

Topical

Title
Guide to the Friendship album of Lorinda Fitts Merriam
Author
Kristen Diehl
Date
2019 March
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA