Monday, June 15, 2015

1830s Autograph Album of Sarah Elizabeth Smith of Exeter, New Hampshire; future wife of Rev. David Eastman


1830s autograph album that belonged to Sarah Elizabeth Smith of Exeter, New Hampshire, with entries from before and after her marriage to Reverend David Eastman, a native of Amherst, Massachusetts.

The D. E. who inscribed the last page in the album, at Andover, Massachusetts, on February 3, 1838, was, I believe, Rev. David Eastman.  He and Sarah would marry at Woburn, Massachusetts, on January 31, 1839.


Sarah may have first met Rev. Eastman at Andover, Massachusetts, when he was at Andover Theological Seminary.  Several of the inscribers mentioned the Abbott Female Seminary at Andover, and Sarah also may have been a student there.

The album measures approximately 7-1/2" by 5" and has separated over the years into a small section and a large section.  There's not title page, and I don't know if it's missing or if there ever was one.  There may be as many as 69 different well wishers, but there might be a few who left multiple sentiments.  In that era, many people signed with only initials or initials and a surname.

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.  Three pages have a hand-colored design at the top, such as that below.  One page has a black and white design at top.


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

Sarah Elizabeth Smith was born at Exeter, New Hampshire, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Smith.  Her date of birth, as listed on the Eastman stone at Leverett, Massachusetts, is October 5, 1815.  I haven't yet found the maiden name of Sarah's mother Sarah.

Three, possibly four, people named Smith inscribed pages in the album, but I don't know if they were from Sarah's immediate family or not.  They were:
  1. John Smith, who inscribed a page on January 23, 1836
  2. E. M. Smith, who inscribed a page at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 22, 1836, and was presumably the E. M. S., who inscribed the preceding page at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 22, 1836
  3. Mary M. Smith, who inscribed a page at Great Falls, New Hampshire, on April 9, 1835; the two preceding pages, unsigned, may have been part of her sentiment.
Additionally, an E. S. inscribed a page at Andover, Massachusetts, possibly a student at Abbott Female Seminary.  And an inscriber with initials I'm having a hard time interpreting called Sarah a cousin.   The page was inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1836.  The initials are possibly S. K. W. S. or S. K. W. with a flourish at the end.  If the answer jumps out at you, please leave a comment or contact me directly.


On January 31, 1839 at Woburn, Massachusetts, Sarah married David Eastman, son of John and Hepzibah (Keyes) Eastman.  David was born at Amherst, Massachusetts, on June 16, 1806.  Sarah and David had two children before Sarah died on March 3, 1843.  She's buried at Long Plain Cemetery at Leverett, Massachusetts, along with her husband and his second wife Emily (Pomeroy) Eastman.

Sarah's children:
  1. Anna Ferry Eastman (1839-1909); married Henry Cook
  2. David B. Eastman (about 1840 -presumably died before enumeration of the 1850 Census) 
If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Among the interesting pages inscribed in the album are these below.  The first was inscribed in August 1834 by someone with the initials that appear to be I. T. G, though I'd appreciate the interpretation of others.  Several people used the surname initial G; in addition, two inscribers were Elizabeth Gould and Olive Gilman, who inscribed her page at Thornton, but didn't mention a state.  The bottom page is sadly unsigned.



Surnames in the Album

? [16]DD ?LL ? [2]TT ? [2]
BB ? [4]DoaneLaneTaft
BatchelderEEastman [2]MMoodyWW ? [2]
BatesElliottMorrillWhite
BeanFFolsom [3]MorrisonWilliams [2]
BeaumontGG ? [3]Morse [2]
CC ?GilmanPPerry
CampbellGouldSS ?
CargillHHiddenSanborn [2]
CorneliusKK ?Skinner
CristySmith [5]

Inscribers in the Album - Given names within a surname might not be in alphabetical order.
  • Unsigned; an amazing page of advice
  • ?, inscribed on May 1 [no year written]
  • Unsigned; inscribed to Mrs. Sarah E. Eastman
  • M. Ann, inscribed on June 11, 1834
  • Unsigned
  • text on a page: "From my father's grave".  No other entry.
  • Unsigned
  • Unsigned 2-page sentiment inscribed on August 4, 1834
  • 2- page sentiment left by M. E. I. or M. E. S. or M. E. ?, at Andover, perhaps at Abbott Female Seminary on November 24, 1835
  • Marianne, inscribed at Abbott Female Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, in November 1836
  • Q, inscribed at Somersworth, New Hampshire on December 14, 1835
  • A.
  • Unsigned
  • Very faint; written in pencil.
  • Unsigned, but possibly inscribed by M. C. Morrison, who inscribed the following page at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 23, 1836
  • Cousin S. K. W. S. or S. K. W., inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1836; possibly a student at Abbott Female Seminary, as some of the other inscribers were.
B
  • 2-page sentiment of C. W. B.; not sure of middle initial - could be H or K or ?
  • Elizabeth B; hard to read middle initial - possibly A or L or ?
  • 2-page sentiment left by M. Ann B., on June 11, 1834
  • 2-page sentiment left by Elizabeth L. B.
  • Emeline M. Batchelder
  • E. R. Bates
  • Ursula Bean, inscribed at Great Falls, New Hampshire, on May 1, 1835
  • Miss Beaumont - could she have been in instructor at the Abbott Female Seminary?
C
  • L. C.
  • E. L. Campbell
  • John C. Cargill of Weston, Virginia, inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on June 1, 1836
  • 3-page sentiment consisting of Rev. Charles Wolfe's observations; inscribed by M. H. Cornelius 
  • Mary C. Cristy. Penciled note, presumably written by Sarah Elizabeth Smith: "Died May 1836"
D
  • L. Ann D.
  • J. Doane, inscribed on February 25, 1837
E
  • L. R. Eastman; inscribed "To my Aunt". Album owner Sarah Elizabeth Smith married Reverend David Eastman. Perhaps Lucius Root Eastman, son of Joseph and Lois (Root) Eastman
  • D. E., inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts, on February 3, 1838.  Presumably Rev. David Eastman, who would marry Sarah Elizabeth Smith on January 31, 1839
  • 3-page sentiment, inscribed by E. H. Elliott
F
  • 2-page sentiment inscribed by H. P. Folsom at Great Falls, New Hampshire, on April 6, 1835
  • Sophia Folsom, inscribed at Great Falls, presumably New Hampshire
  • Lucy W. Folsom, inscribed on August 27, 1834
G
  • I. T. G., or J. T. G., or ?, inscribed in August 1834; inscribed several lines of music and a sentiment
  • S. F. G.
  • Esther M. G.
  • Olive Gilman, inscribed at Thornton [no state written] on December 3, 1834
  • Elizabeth Gould; middle initial possibly Z or T or L or ?
H
  • Mary P. Hidden, inscribed at Abbott Female Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, on August 25, 1836
K
  • Written on the page upside down: M. Malvina K.
L
  • C. W. L.
  • M. L.
  • S. F. Lane, inscribed on September 2, 1834
M
  • M. V. Moody, inscribed at Great Falls, New Hampshire, in April 1835
  • C. W. Morrill, inscribed at Plymouth [no state written] on December 3, 1834
  • M. C. Morrison, inscribed at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 23, 1836.  May have been inscribed the previous unsigned page.
  • Thomas G. Morse, inscribed at Dover, New Hampshire, on January 10,1 836
  • Eliza J. Morse
P
  • Tamisin H. Perry
S
  • E. S., inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts; possibly a student at Abbott Female Seminary, as some other inscribers were.
  • H. E. Sanborn
  • M. C. L. Sanborn, inscribed at Andover, Massachusetts in 1838; perhaps a student at Abbott Female Seminary as some of the other inscribers were.
  • E. Skinner
  • Sarah Elizabeth Smith of Exeter, New Hampshire; album owner
  • John Smith, inscribed on January 23, 1836
  • E. M. Smith, inscribed at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 22, 1836
  • E. M. S.; .; handwriting similar to that of E. M. Smith, who inscribed the preceding page at Exeter, New Hampshire, on January 22, 1836
  • Mary M. Smith, inscribed at Great Falls, New Hampshire, on April 9, 1835. The two preceding unsigned pages may have been part of her sentiment.
T
  • 2-page sentiment left by E. O. T., or C. O. T., on July 31, 1834
  • S. T.; not sure of surname initial
  • M. A. Taft of West Boylston, Massachusetts, inscribed at Andover, Masschusetts, on June 10, 1836; possibly a student at Abbott Female Academy, as some of the other inscribers were.
W
  • W. A. W., inscribed in 1836
  • Written on the page upside down: M. Esther W.
  • B. F. White, inscribed in June 1838
  • 2-page sentiment left by T. A. Williams; not sure of first initial
  • 2 page Sentiment left by John Adams Williams on October 8, 1841

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