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LEWIS LAWRENCE : 1873 & 1877 ORIGINAL PAIR [2] OF MANUSCRIPT DIARIES HAND WRITTEN BY A MANHATTAN MAN DETAILING HIS LIFE AND TIMES

48mo - over 3" - 4" tall. On offer is a pair of personal diaries written in the 2nd half of the 19th century in the heart of New York City. The first volume measures 4 inches by 2.5 inches and has 48 undated pages. Each page has 3-4 entries and the pages are 100% complete. The cover is intact as are all the pages. The handwriting is in pencil and some pages are seriously faded. The second volume measures 4.75 inches by 3 inches. The cover, binding and pages are in good condition. There are 60 pages and they are 100% complete. The handwriting is in pencil and fairly legible. The author is Lewis Lawrence. The first journal contains entries from 1873 through 1876. The entries take the form of 1-2 line notes with a year jotted at the end of many. Many take the form of letters sent and received: "Sent letter to Mrs. C on 12th Nov 1873"; "353 East 82nd St. Miss Harrison Sent Alcroft & Co Best glove makers in the world"; "10 o' clock Brought the services of Sunday to a close"; "Steamship the Queen arrived at Queenstown Mar 2nd, 1876." He also keeps a partial record of his daily expenditures. The 2nd volume is a dated diary for the year 1877. Again, many of the entries are brief, detailing church meetings he attends, letters sent and received and news he has received: "Mrs. L. Received a letter from Uncle H. Wilson & Victoria Connors, Township of Reach [now part of Durham Region, Ontario], Ontario Canada" [Apr 7, 1877]; "Best time on record. Steamship Germanic crosses the Atlantic in 7 days, 11 hours 37 minutes" [Apr 13, 1877]; "Railroad strike in Baltimore, Ohio and Plattsburg ..." [July 21, 1877]; "... Wreck of U.S. steamer Huron. Over 100 lives lost" [Nov 24, 1877]. This was the USS Huron, a naval gun boat, lost off North Carolina. Context suggests he attended the Methodist Church on 61st Street: "... Reception in Parsonage 61st St. MEC ... rented Pew No. 41 in 61st St. Church Price $36.00 commencing Nov 1" [Oct 22, 1877]. This diary also contains a partial record of expenses for the years as well as an address list. For a historian, they offer a glimpse into the world of one individual living in Manhattan in the later part of the 19th century. His lists of expenditures help build a picture of the cost of living at that time and a genealogist would appreciate the list of names and addresses that he includes of people with whom he is acquainted.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Fair

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