Saturday, June 13, 2015

1830s Autograph Album of Hannah Ballard Currier of Farmington, Maine; Before and After Marriage to Nehemiah Curtis Alexander of Harpswell, Maine


Autograph Album presented about 1836 to Hannah Ballard Currier of Farmington, Maine, by her future husband Nehemiah Curtis Alexander of Harpswell, Maine.



Nehemiah Curtis Alexander may be the "Friend" who inscribed the first page after the title.  And he inscribed another page, as N. C. Alexander on September 21, 1836.  Click on an image to enlarge it.













The album measures approximately 7-3/4" x 6" and contains the sentiments of possibly as many as 16 of Hannah Ballard Currier's relatives and friends, assuming no one inscribed more than one page.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.

The album was published by J. C. Riker of New York and contains five engravings.  Interestingly, there's a tintype tucked in, sadly not identified.  Could it be one of Hannah's daughters with Nehemiah?


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

Hannah Ballard Currier was born February 7, 1819 at Farmington, Maine, the daughter of Timothy and Eliza (Ballard) Currier.  On September 19, 1837, Hannah married Nehemiah Curtis Alexander, son of David and Sarah (Dunning) Alexander.  Hannah and Andrew had five children:
  1. Nancy Randall Alexander, born July 2, 1838 at Farmington, Maine; died December 19, 1855 at Harpswell, Maine
  2. Sarah Elizabeth Alexander, born July 25, 1841 at Farmington, Maine
  3. Hannah Maria Alexander, born April 5, 1843 at Harpswell, Maine; died May 25, 1905 at Brunswick, Maine 
  4. Louisa Bishop Alexander, born March 19, 1848 at Harpswell, Maine; married Oscar W. Smith; died March 6, 1924 at Orange, Vermont
  5. Frederic Stuart Alexander, born December 15, 1853 at Harpswell, Maine; married Rebecca Alexander Sewall; died in 1936
Interestingly, it appears that Hannah and Nehemiah named one of their daughters after Nehemiah's niece Louisa Bishop, daughter of Capt. John S. Bishop and Margaret (Alexander) Bishop.  Louisa, who was born September 22, 1823 at Harpswell, Maine, was the last person to inscribe a page in Hannah's album, dedicated to "Dear Aunt" Hannah B. Currier, so the page must have been inscribed so close to Hannah's marriage, that Louisa felt like Hannah's niece already.  Louisa would marry Richard Fay Proctor on December 9, 1852.


Nehemiah Curtis Alexander died March 20, 1870 at Harpswell, Maine; Hannah died January 1, 1872, also at Harpswell.   If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Surnames in the Album


? [6]CChaney
AAlexanderCurrier
B ?HHodgdon
BBishopJJosselyn
BrooksMM ?
ButlerSSewall
Stone/Stover or ?

Inscribers in the Album
  • Inscribed to Mrs. H. B. Alexander. Not signed or dated, but after Hannah Ballard Currier's marriage to Nehemiah Curtis Alexander in 1837.
  • Tintype of an unidentified girl
  • Louisa; inscribed to Mrs. Hannah
  • A Friend, inscribed at Farmington, Maine, on March 7, 1846; shared the page with Enna, who may or may not have been the same person
  • Enna, inscribed to "Aunty Dear".  Enna shared the page with "A Friend" who may or may not have been the same person.  Enna also inscribed an individual page as Enna R. or Enna K., on October 25, 1846.
  • H. M. S?, inscribed on 14 February 1837; not sure of name.  His surname might be Storer, Stover, Stain, Stone or ?, but it's interesting to note that there was a Henry M. Stone who married at Farmington, Maine, in 1837.
A
  • Nehemiah Curtis Alexander of Harpswell, Maine; he inscribed his initials on the title page; inscribed a page as a friend on February 14, 1837 and inscribed a page with his initials and surname on September 21, 1836
B
  • H. R. B., inscribed at Farmington, Maine, on January 30, 1840; not sure of last digit
  • Louisa, inscribed to "Dear Aunt" Hannah B. Currier. Louisa Bishop, daughter of Captain John S. Bishop and Margaret (Alexander) Bishop, who was a sister to Hannah's future husband Nehemiah Curtis Alexander. Louisa would marry Richard Fay Proctor in 1852. This inscription must have been very close to Hannah's marriage for Louisa to use the term Aunt. Hannah and Nehemiah would name one of the daughters after Louisa Bishop.
  • H. Brooks, inscribed at Farmington, Maine, on October 6, 1836
  • Otis B. Butler, inscribed on February 15, 1837
C
  • P. Chaney, inscribed at Farmington, Maine, on October 15, 1836
  • Hannah Ballard Currier of Farmington, Maine; the album was presented to her by her future husband Nehemiah Curtis Alexander of Harpswell, Maine
H
  • M. Hodgdon, inscribed on June 20, 1837
J
  • W. H. Josselyn, inscribed at Phillips, Maine, on August 18, 1837, shortly before Hannah's marriage to Nehemiah Curtis Alexander.  Presumably William Harrison Josselyn (1813-1882)
M
  • Mary ? M., inscribed at Phillips, Maine, in July 1837
S
  • C. I. Sewall or C. J. Sewall; not sure of middle initial. If C. J. Sewall, may have been Catherine J. Sewall of Farmington, Maine
  • H. M. S?, inscribed on 14 February 1837; not sure of name.  His surname might be Storer, Stover, Stain, Stone or ?, but it's interesting to note that there was a Henry M. Stone who married at Farmington, Maine, in 1837, and there was a Hannah Stover at Harpswell, Maine.

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