Saturday, October 18, 2014

1850s-1870s Autograph Album of 1) Sarah of Alabama & Connecticut; 2) Ida of Meriden, Connecticut


Note: See new information in the 4th-6th paragraphs on the possible identity of the album owners as Sarah Crocker and her much younger sister Ida Crocker.

1850s-1870s autograph album that belonged to two women in succession.  It was started by a Sarah, who was living at Montgomery, Alabama, in the early 1850s and moved to Meriden, Connecticut, within that same decade, perhaps with her family or perhaps alone, to attend Meriden Institute.  Some of the sentiments inscribed to her in Alabama have a "farewell" flavor.

At some point in the 1870s the album came to light and was taken over by an Ida of West Meriden, Connecticut, perhaps a student at the Corner School, as was at least one of the inscribers.

I haven't yet teased out a relationship between Sarah and Ida and am in hopes that a reader will recognize the clues and post a comment.  It's tempting to think that there might be a connection to the Ives family of Meriden, Connecticut, some of whose members moved, at least temporarily, to Alabama in the 19th century.

Note: If you scroll to the comments section, you'll see that a reader has proposed a serious theory that the album owners were members of the Crocker family, based on the more contemporary note, perhaps added by Ida, to the page signed by Samuel M. Ives at Montgomery, Alabama, on March 22, 1852.  Samuel was a member of the Ives family of Meriden, Connecticut; several members of that family spent time in business in Alabama.

The note indicates that Samuel married Julia Ann Crocker, daughter of Orsanius/Orasmus Crocker and Delia (Birdsey) Crocker of Meriden, Connecticut.  Julia had a younger sister Sarah, born in 1836, and a much younger sister Ida, born in 1857.  It wouldn't be surprising if Sarah Crocker had accompanied her married sister Julia Ann (Crocker) Ives to Montgomery, Alabama, for a visit.  And it wouldn't be surprising if the album passed from Sarah to her younger sister Ida.

So it's possible that the original owner was Sarah Delia Crocker, and the subsequent owner was Sarah's younger sister Ida L. Crocker, who died in 1921 and is buried with her parents.  I haven't yet found further information on Sarah Delia Crocker, but it seems that the album would have passed to her children if there were any living at the time of her death.


The "Fountain Album", published in New York by Cornish, Lamport & Co., is a large one, approximately 7-3/4" x 6-1/4" and contains the sentiments of 34 people from Alabama and Connecticut.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the signers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.


The album also contains six engravings interspersed throughout.

The Fountain; engraved by W. G. Jackman, New York

One of the earlier signers, Samuel E. Norton, left a three page sentiment on April 30, 1853.  He was presumably Dr. Samuel Edwin Norton, a native of South Carolina, who was a Methodist minister and a physician at Montgomery, Alabama.




William M. Ross inscribed a page to Sarah at the Meriden Institute on April 7, 1859.


As an example of the later autographs, directed to Ida, Lissa A. Beadle of West Meriden, Connecticut, inscribed a page at Corner High School on February 1, 1875.  Lissa became a teacher.


If you have a theory as to the identities of Sarah and Ida, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

A Cold Water Party, engraved by John C. McRae

Surnames in the album

?GP
? [7]GarveyPayne
BHR
BaileyHatchR?
BeadleHathawayRoss
BloodgoodIS
BronsonIvesSkidgell
CLSymonds
CampLinsleyT
DMT?
DevereuxMathewsW
DoolittleMorseWebster
Drysdale [3]N
Norton

Love's Eclipse, engraved by John C. McRae

Signers in the album   [Note: Given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]

?
  • Sarah, original album owner, who acquired her autographs from Alabama and Connecticut
  • Ida, subsequent album owner, who acquired her autographs at West Meriden and Meriden, Connecticut
  • "To Miss Sarah": B. W. W., signed at Montgomery, Alabama, on February 16, 1853
  • "To Sarah": Leonora, signed at Montgomery, Alabama, on August 31, 1852
  • "To Miss Sarah": I. M. R.
  • "To Sarah": Fanny, signed at Montgomery, Alabama, on May 2, 1853
  • "Dear Sarah": J. L. M., signed in May 1853
  • "To Sarah": Mary, signed at Montgomery, Alabama
  • "To Sarah": Emma, signed in June 1859
  • "To Sarah": H. A. L., signed at Montgomery, Alabama, on May 9, 1853
  • C. Lenney or C. Kenney
B
  • Hattie L. Bailey of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on January 19, 1876
  • Lissa A. Beadle of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed at Corner High School on February 1, 1875
  • Alice M. Bloodgood of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 2, 1875
  • "To Sarah": M. J. Bronson, signed at New Haven, Connecticut, on August 30, 1860/ At top in a later note: "Mrs. Ethel M. Cooke (Mrs. Dudley S. Cooke), 150 Old Man St., Rocky Hill"
C
  • Jessie May Camp of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 8, 1875
  • Cooke, Mrs. Ethel M. Cooke/Mrs. Dudley S. Cooke, mentioned on a page signed by M. J. Bronson
D
  • Hattie L. Devereux of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 8, 1875
  • George A. Doolittle of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 1, 1876
  • John M. Drysdale of Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 8, 1876
  • "To Ida": Katie E. Drysdale of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 8, 1876
  • James Drysdale of Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 8, 1876
G
  • Katie Garvey, signed on February 3, 1875
H
  • Mary B. Hatch of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 1, 1875
  • Susie Hathaway of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on January 18, 1875
I
  • Samuel M. Ives, signed at Montgomery, Alabama, on March 22, 1852. Later note: "Julia Ann Crocker's husband"
L
  • Jessie E. Linsley, signed at West Meriden, Connecticut, on February 2, 1875. "Always remember the word 'Trotter'"
M
  • "To Ida": Katie Mathews, signed on January 25, 1876; "your schoolmate"
  • Minnie B. Morse of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 1, 1876
N
  • 3-page sentiment written by Samuel E. Norton on April 30, 1853. Presumably Dr. Samuel Edwin Norton, a South Carolina native, in practice at Montgomery, Alabama.
P
  • "To Sarah"; Edward Payne, signed at Meriden, Connecticut, on July 24, 1859
R
  • "To Sarah": Victoria R___M, signed on May 3, 1853
  • "To Sarah": William M. Ross, signed at Meriden Institute on April 7, 1859
S
  • Ida E. Skidgell of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 2, 1875; "Little Mouse"
  • Hattie E. Symonds of West Meriden, Connecticut, signed on February 2, 1875. "Daisy Maude" & "Large Hall"
T
  • I. T. ?, possibly Tichman
W
  • "To Ida": Ella Webster, signed on February 2, 1873, "Large Hall"
"The Car of Intemperance", after the painting by J. Burns; engraved by John C. McRae

Meriden, Connecticut


The Temple of Sobriety; engraved by J. C. McRae

Thanks for stopping by!

3 comments:

  1. I don't know where this gets you, but here is some information on Julia Crocker. Born in Meriden CT to Orsanius/Orasmus Crocker. She married Samuel Ives in Montgomery, AL, but they were back in CT by 1861 when their daughter was buried. Julia was with her brother Edwin in Meriden in 1897.

    Julia had a sister Sarah and Edwin seems to have a daughter Ida.
    But then in the 1800's I think everyone had a sister Sarah and a daughter Ida.

    Under Samuel Ives' listing you say there is a later note identifying him. Can you tell if the note was added while Sarah had the book or in Ida's day?

    -------------------------
    "Alabama, Marriages
    Name: Samuel M. Ives
    Spouse's Name: Julia A. Crocker
    Event Date: 25 Mar 1852
    Event Place: Montgomery,Alabama

    but back in CT by 1861?
    Connecticut, Deaths and Burials
    Name: Lilla Ives
    Gender: Female
    Burial Date: 26 Aug 1861
    Burial Place: East Cem., Marlborough, Ct.
    Father's Name: Samuel Ives
    Mother's Name: Julia Ives

    ---------------------
    Meriden, Connecticut, City Directory, 1897
    Julia Ives, widow Samuel M, boards 304 Broad
    Edwin R Crocker, bookkeeper at W.B. Hall, house at 304 Broad

    -----------------
    Connecticut Town Records, Meriden Vital Records (ancestry.com)

    Crocker, Orsanius, b Dec 4, 1804; m Delia Birdsey, Sept 2, 1830
    Crocker, Julia Ann, d. [Orsanius & Delia], b Sept 21, 1831
    Crocker, Edwin Russell s.[Orsanius & Julia Ann], b Aug 20, 1834
    Crocker, Sarah Delia d. [Orsanius & Julia Ann], b Nov 10, 1836

    -----------------------
    1860 Census, Meriden CT
    -- no relationship information on this census

    Name Age
    O Crocker 56
    Delia Crocker 49
    Edwin Crocker 29
    Sarah Crocker 22
    Eli Crocker 10
    Ida Crocker 2 - Edwin's daughter?
    Sarah J Crocker 1 - Edwin's daughter?
    Wm Watrous 40
    Wm N Plumb 40
    Charles Harvey 20

    ReplyDelete
  2. The young Ida in 1860 was Orasmus' daughter, sister of the Julia Crocker who married Samuel Ives. And she was living with her sister Sarah (Crocker) Lincoln in Meriden in 1900.

    Ida L. Crocker
    Connecticut, Deaths and Burials
    Name: Ida L. Crocker
    Gender: Female
    Burial Place: Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
    Death Date: 1921
    Birth Date: 1857
    Father's Name: Orsamus
    Mother's Name: Delia
    Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B03745-5 , System Origin: Connecticut-EASy , GS Film number: 3344 , Reference ID: 291

    -------------------
    1900; Census Place: Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut; Roll: 144; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0328;
    Sarah Lincoln 61, Nov 1838, widowed, no children
    Ida L Crocker 42, Nov 1857, single

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very interesting! I figured there was a relationship between the album owners and the Ives family - from googling Meriden/Alabama - but don't have time on each individual piece to nail things down. (Which is why I so much appreciate your help!) The note on the page about Samuel Crocker is from the later era, so that is a tip. I've added it to the post for your and others' benefit.

    ReplyDelete