Heirlooms Reunited: 1835-1841 Autograph Album of Louisa Jedidah Porter of Vernon, Connecticut

1835-1841 autograph album that belonged to Louisa Jedidah Porter of Vernon, Connecticut. Her name is stamped on the front cover, and it was presumably Louisa who wrote her name on the first end paper. Louisa added notes to many of the pages, including the future married names of female signers; a few death dates; residences.

The album, published by David Felt of New York and Boston, measures approximately 7-3/4" by 6" and contains the sentiments of nearly 80 of Louisa's friends and, possibly, relatives. 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 an engraving on the title page and two hand-colored floral illustrations within.

From brief online research, hopefully correct: [corrections and additions welcome!]

Louisa Jedidah Porter was born February 5, 1817, at Coventry, Connecticut, the daughter of Abner and Elizabeth (Baker) Porter. Louisa's middle name came from her paternal grandmother Jedidah (Cubbusch) Porter.

There's a silhouette pinned to the back end paper. Could it be Louisa Jedidah Porter?

On 30 April 1843, Louisa married John Harmon Martin, son of Elisha and Almira (Robbins) Martin. Louisa and John had a daughter, Louisa Alice Porter Martin, born December 19, 1848 at Vernon, Connecticut. Sadly, John Harmon Martin died a few days before his daughter's birth, and his widow, Louisa Jedidah (Porter) Martin, died soon after, on January 19, 1849.

The 1850 Census shows daughter Louisa Alice Porter Martin living in the household of John and Leisa Robertson of South Windsor, Connecticut. Louisa Alice survived to adulthood and married English native Frederick Norton Smith; they moved to California.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

One signer added a colored paper-cut design to the page. She was Mary Griswold, who inscribed a page at Broad Brook, Connecticut, on March 12, 1837.

Another page was inscribed by W. W. Eaton at Tolland, Connecticut, on March 17, 1835 may have been future Connecticut senator William Wallace Eaton.

Surnames in the Album

? [6]	G	P
B	Gager	P ?
Billings	Goodell	Palmer [3]
Blish	Griswold [3]	Parsons [2]
Bosworth	Gurley	Pearl [2]
C	H	Porter [2]
Champin [2]	H ?	R
Chapman [4]	Heath	Reynolds [2]
Chase	Herick/Herrick	Ripley
Cogswell	Hinkley [2]	S
Converse	Hough	Smith [2]
Crosby	J	Sprague
D	Johns	Stiles
D ?	Joslyn	T
Dimick/Dimmick/Dimock [3]	K	Talcott [2]
Dolbeare	Kellogg [2]	Tracy [2]
E	Lumbard [2]	W
Eaton [2]	M	W ?
Ellis	McKinney	Walker
F	Merwin	Wells [3]
Fisk	N
	Niles
	Northrup

Signers in the Album [Given names within a specific surname might not be in alphabetical order.]

Eliza Ann ?, signed on May 9, 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. ? [possibly Billz or Billy and may refer to the husband's given name/nickname rather than surname].
M. Proyers or possibly M. Boyers, or M. ?, signed on March 5, 1836
W. H. T. or W. H. ?
? Fay; not sure of name. Later note: "Monson, Mass".
D. O. or D. C.. Later note: "Vernon"
?, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in 1840

Leonard Billings, signed by Vernon, Connecticut on March 5, 1835
Thomas Blish, signed at Glastonbury, Connecticut, on August 1, 1836
H. Bosworth or K. Bosworth, signed at Vernon, Connecticut in March 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. McCallum". Presumably Harriet Bosworth and Erastus McCollum; they married April 12, 1838. Erastus' first wife Lydia Corning died in 1837.

E. R. Champin, signed on November 6, 1835. Later note: "Vernon", meaning Vernon, Connecticut.
William Champin; two middle initials I can't make out. Later note: "Vernon", meaning Vernon, Connecticut
Mary Chapman of East Haddam, Connecticut
M. F. Chapman, signed at Tolland, Connecticut, on December 30, 1837. Later note: "Died February 1845". Presumably Minerva F. Chapman, who died February 4, 1845 and is buried at the North Cemetery at Tolland, Connecticut.
? Chapman, signed at Tolland, Connecticut, in January 1838
L. Chapman. Later notes: "Tolland, Conn."; "January 4, 1838"
J. Chase, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in March 1840. If a woman, perhaps Joanna Chase who married Alphonso C. Crosby.
William Cogswell, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 25, 1840. Middle initial might be T. If so, he might have been William Thompson Cogswell.
Hannah B. Converse
A. C. Crosby, signed at Broad Brook, on March 27, 1836. Perhaps Alphonso C. Crosby who married Joanna Chase.

P. M. D.
Julia A. ?, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on October 9, 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. Chapman". Possibly the Julia Ann Dimmick/Dimmock/Dimock who married Daniel Chapman on September 28, 1837.
Almira. Later note: "G. Dimmick". Louisa identified her as Almira G. Dimmock. Almira Gurley Dimmick/Dimick also inscribed the right facing page.
Almira G. Dimmock, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on February 14, 1836. Later note: "Now Mrs. Holt" . Almira Gurley Dimmock married Austin Holt at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 26, 1838. Almira also inscribed the left facing page.
Mary; later notes: "Dolbeare" [her maiden name]"; "Vernon"; and "Now Mrs. Hall" Presumably Mary A. Dolbeare who married Edward Hall on March 23, 1840

W. W. Eaton, signed at Tolland, Connecticut, on March 17, 1835. Presumably William Wallace Eaton (1816-1898); US Representative and Senator from Connecticut.
Jacob S. Eaton, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 30, 1835
Elvisa Ellis, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, signed on February 24, 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. Thompson". Elvira Ellis married Nathan P. Thompson at Tolland, Connecticut, on May 1, 1836

L. A. Fisk, signed at Rockville, Connecticut, on February 16, 1846

William A. Gager, signed at Tolland, Connecticut on July 25, 1836. Presumably William Andrew Gager, born August 31, 1813 at Tolland, Connecticut
S. Goodell, signed at Ellington, Connecticut, on January 31, 1836. Later note: "Mrs. Lathrop Pease [?]" There was a Sally Goodell who married Lotrop Pease on April 1, 1841; his name appears also as Lathrop Pease.
James M. Griswold, signed at Windsor, Connecticut, on March 20, 1837
Mary Griswold, signed at Broad Brook, Connecticut on March 12, 1837. She affixed a cut-out pattern of birds and sketched other birds.
Allen H. Griswold, signed at Windsor, Connecticut, on March 5, 1837
H. Gurley, signed in December 1838

E. S. H.
Emeline Heath. Later note: "Now Mrs. Buckminster". Connecticut record of marriage of Emeline Heath and David M. Buckminster on March 27, 1839 at Mansfield, Connecticut.
Lovina or ? Herick or Herrick, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in 1836. Later note: "Now Mrs. Ryder"
H. W. Hinkley. Later notes: "Vernon" and "Now Mrs. Tuttle, New London". Presumably Hannah W. Hinkley, who married Elizur C. Tuttle on May 17, 1843.
E. K. Hinkley; middle initial could be H.
T. G. Hough of Vernon, Connecticut, sighed on March 13, 1836

R, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on October 23, 1835. Later note: "Johns", meaning that her name was R. Johns. "Now Mrs. Holmes". Possibly Rosannah Johns who married Gilbert Holmes on December 31, 1840. Presumably the Rosannah Johns who signed the right facing page.
Lucy Ann Joslyn, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 13, 1836. Not sure of name except for Ann. Given name could be Lovy or Susy or ? Later notes: "Now Mrs. ___". A space below "Mrs. B." Name looks like Berkshire or similar. Might not be Mrs. Bx - might be a town.

Allyn Kellogg, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on December 2, 1836
2-page sentiment of E. W. Kellogg, inscribed at Vernon, Connecticut, in December 1836.

Warren Lumbard, signed at Vermon, Connecticut, on February 21, 1836. Later note: "Died at Munson, March 1837" Possibly the Warren Lumbard (1805-1837) of Brimfield, Massachusetts, who died March 26, 1837.
Lydia C. Lumbard, signed at Monson, Massachusetts, on February 21, 1836. Later note: "Now Mrs" [no name written]. Records show she married Elijah Milton Trumble.

H. F. McKinney of Easton, Pennsylvania. Later note: "Now Mrs. Teoupese [not sure of surname].
S. Roselle Merwin, signed at East Windsor, Connecticut, on April 1, 1837. Later note: Mrs. ?, possibly Burroughs or Bennett or ?

H. W. Niles, signed at Stafford, Connecticut on March 14, 1835
Nelson William Northrup, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on September 18, 1835.

S. S. P.
Mary T. Palmer, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in 1836. Later note: "Now Mrs. McLean". Presumably Mary Townsend Palmer (1814-1901) who married William McLean or William McClean
Mary T. Palmer. Later notes: "Vernon", for Vernon, Connecticut; "Now Mrs. McLean"; "Manchester", presumably Manchester, Connecticut. Presumably Mary Townsend Palmer (1814-1901) who married William McLean or William McClean
H., followed by a string of numbers, signed at Vernon, Connecticut. Later note: "Now Mrs. Little". Perhaps Harriet Palmer who married William Buckingham Little.
Elmina Parsons, signed at Enfield, Connecticut, on March 2, 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. Waters, Hartford". Presumably the Elmina Parsons (1817-1875) who married Constant Webb Watrous on October 13, 1839
William G. Parsons, signed at Broad Brook, Connecticut, on March 12, 1839. Later note: "Dead, 1842". He was born in 1815 and died October 10, 1842.
Mary, signed on April 27, 1835 at Vernon, Connecticut. Later note: "In 1836 was married to Mr. Wm. Merrick. And died March 1838 of consumption". Mary was presumably Mary Pearl, who married William Merrick at Vernon, Connecticut, on October 6, 1836.
Emmie Pearl, or Ennie Pearl, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on April 28, 1835
Louisa J. Porter of Vernon, Connecticut; album owner.
S. A. Porter, signed at Coventry, Connecticut, in January 1841

Sarah H. Reynolds, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 10, 1837. Later note: "Now Mrs. Barrows". Sarah H. Reynolds of Mansfield, Connecticut, married Fayette Barrows of Smithfield, Rhode Island, on September 21, 1841 at Mansfield, Connecticut
Adaline, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on April 12, 1835. Later notes: "Reynolds", added to the name Adaline, for Adaline Renolds. "Now Mrs. Eaton". Mansfield, Connecticut record: Jacob S. Eaton of Vernon married Adaline Reynolds of Mansfield on May 2, 1837
Emily Ripley, signed at Coventry, Connecticut, on March 29, 1835. Later note: "Now Mrs. ?". It's possible to interpret the faint writing as Champlin, and there is in fact a record for the marriage of Mary Ripley of Coventry to William M. Champlin of Montville, Connecticut, in October 1835.

William Smith, signed at Stafford, Connecticut, on May 14, 1841
H. S., signed at Stafford, Connecticut, on March 29, 1841. Later Note: "mith", added to the S., meaning the signer was H. Smith.
S. Sprague, signed at Coventry, Connecticut, on February 8, 1838
Catharine W. Stiles of Willington, signed in November. Later note: "Mrs. Vinton". Connecticut Marriage record shows a marriage on June 6, 1843, at Willington, Connecticut, between Catharine W. Stiles and William M. Vinton.

Facing pages sentiment by C. T. Talcott, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on April 5, 1835; not sure of middle initial. Possibly Charles Trumbull Talcott (1809-1899), who married Jerusha Gager.
W. H. Talcott, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on September 20, 1835.
A. W. Tracy, signed on February 8, 1836
Mrs. E. Tracy

S. A. W., signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in July 1838; not sure of middle initial.
Jane Walker, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on April 27, 1836. Later note: "Now Mrs. Perry". Presumably the Jane Walker who would marry Israel K. Perry in May 1837.
Half of the page missing. Other half has sentiment of I. Wells or J. Wells; not sure of initial.
I. Wells or J. Wells or S. Wells, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, on March 8, 1835
C. B. Wells, signed at Vernon, Connecticut on March 8, 1835
G. Albert Whitney, signed at Vernon, Connecticut, in July 1838; not sure of first initial.

Vernon, Connecticut; and the Rockwell section of Vernon

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