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UNIDENTIFIED : 1879 - 1885 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY OF A PROMINENT SALEM NEW JERSEY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER AND LEADER AMONG THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is an original, very full manuscript diary handwritten by an unidentified, prominent citizen of Salem, New Jersey, dated 1879 through 1882. The coverless 8 x 6.5 inch book, written in sepia ink, has 448 hand numbered pages. While the writer is unknown there many, many clues that should help local researchers and historians identify the man. We learn that he is an educator, a Quaker, a carpenter and that he is 69 years old in 1879. Dozens if not hundreds of friends, visitors, business contacts are fully named. Beyond the local history and conditions of the era the writer disseminates the state of local religion and education in detail as he was a member of Board of Education and obviously a 'friend' of importance. Each entry begins with the obligatory weather report. Among the personal accounts are some current events, including the attack on President Garfield in 1881 and his subsequent death. Many of the entries relate to his activities in managing or overseeing the construction of various schools in the Salem area, including the school for "Coloured Children" on East Broadway. With some surprise we note he records hearing a sermon given by a woman preacher. The writer also operated what seems to have been a very successful insurance company. He was a trained carpenter, as evidenced in one entry where he is visited by his friend Josiah L. Haines from Philadelphia, "a fellow Apprentice at the Carpentering when we were of age..." Numerous other entries attest to his knowledge of carpentry and his overseeing work at the schools. The writer often mentions attending Meeting, and the different speakers he has heard. He makes a point of writing whether he was able to hear the speaker, indicating he is hard of hearing. There is a ledger page laid in that gives a synopsis of the contents of "Book 10" from 1874, so the diary offered here seems to be one of a series. The spine is lacking, so most of the pages are detached or becoming detached and there may be a page or pages missing from the end of the book. The first two pages have diagonal cuts to the bottom right corners causing some small loss of text. In poor condition binding wise but otherwise Fair.. Book Condition: Fair

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