Ohio Bookseller's diary, 1869

Summary

Creator:

Anonymous

Abstract:

The Ohio Bookseller's diary chronicles the experiences of a travelling book salesman in southwestern Ohio during the early months of 1869. He also recorded accounts, poetry, and quotations throughout the year.

Extent:

1 volume

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Clements Staff and Meg Hixon, November 2011

Background

Scope and Content:

The Ohio Bookseller's diary chronicles the experiences of a travelling salesman in southwestern Ohio during the early months of 1869; he also recorded accounts, poetry, and quotations throughout the year. The author consistently wrote brief daily entries between January 1 and March 8, 1869, chiefly noting his efforts to make sales, often with little success. The diarist faithfully recorded the names of acquaintances with whom he stayed, and mentioned seeing several old college friends during his time in Yellow Springs. Daily entries ended on March 8, 1869, though the author occasionally added accounts, often related to corn, as well as poetry and quotations. On one date, he drew a a music staff, labeled with note names, and recorded facts about the Bible and about the death of George Washington.

Biographical / Historical:

The author of this volume lived in southwestern Ohio. He made a living as a travelling bookseller and frequently worked in the towns of South Charleston, Jamestown, and London. He had a son Jimmie (b. 1852), and a daughter Ella (b. 1854).

Acquisition Information:

1996. M-3250 .

Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Subjects

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Subjects:

Booksellers and bookselling--United States--History--19th century.
Traveling sales personnel.

Formats:

Diaries.

Places:

Ohio--History--19th century.