1848-1852 Autograph Album of Eliza A. Carter of Marietta, Ohio; Adopted Daughter of Marietta College Teacher William Slocomb

1848-1852 autograph album that belonged to Eliza A. Carter of Marietta, Ohio.  She was the adopted daughter of William Slocomb, who was a teacher at Marietta College at Marietta, Ohio.

It was presumably Eliza who wrote her name on the title page.

"The Floral Album", which measures approximately 7-1/2" by 6-1/4", was printed by J. C. Riker of 129 Fulton Street in New York City.  The album contains six beautiful hand-painted engravings and the sentiments of 19 of Eliza's relatives and friends.  An alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appears at the end of this post.

Surnames in the Album
?  [10]
Bartlett  [2]
Buell
Carpenter  [2]
Carter
Preston
Putnam
Slocomb
Woodruff

From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

Eliza A. Carter was born about 1832 in Delaware; I don't have the names of her parents.  By 1850 she was living in the household of William Slocomb and wife Seba Hand (Buell) Slocomb.  William at some point adopted Eliza, whether before his 1840 marriage to Seba or after.  William inscribed a page in Eliza's album at Marietta, Ohio, on May 20, 1848.

William Slocomb, possibly Samuel William Slocomb, a Massachusetts native, was a teacher in the early years of Marietta College at Marietta, Ohio.  According to information I found online from a Slocomb descendant, William attended theological seminary but was never ordained.

On May 11, 1852, Eliza A. Carter married Joseph Buell Ward, a nephew of Seba Hand (Buell) Slocomb.  Eliza and Joseph moved to Rochester, New York.  At some point, William and Seba joined them in their household.  Eliza, Joseph and daughter Mary Frances (Ward) Williams are buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery at Rochester, New York.  There's also a Find-a-Grave memorial for Seba Hand (Buell) Slocomb, but I didn't see one for her husband William Slocomb.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers listed after the sample pages below, please leave a comment for the benefit of fellow researchers.

Below:  Inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on May 29, 1848 by I. M. Preston and Jane S. Woodruff.  Ira Mills Preston and Jane Sophia Woodruff would marry on the date of their inscription.  Ira graduated from Marietta College in 1845 and Lane Seminary in 1848 and then served as a missionary in West Africa from 1848-1867.  The Gaboon Mission West Africa is mentioned under the place and date.

I'm not sure of the initial for the given name of the inscriber shown below and ask for readers' interpretations.  If W. H. J., he might have been William H. Jett, who was about Eliza's age.

Below:  Mary P. Carpenter; inscribed at Athens, Ohio, on July 5, 1850

Inscribers in the Album

• Unsigned; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on February 1, 1849; perhaps by Eliza herself or someone else.
• W. H. ?, inscribed on May 31, 1850 at Marietta, Ohio.  If surname began with a J, he might have been William H. Jett, born about 1832 and about the same age as album owner Eliza Carter.
• Mary E. I. or Mary E. J. or Mary E. D.
• C.; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on May 31, 1850
• M.; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on November 11, 1848
• A. E. L. or A. E. S.; inscribed on April 1, 1850
• Annie M. L., or Annie M. S.; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on February 18, 1852
• Ann Eliza W.; inscribed at Harmar, Marietta, Ohio, on April 23, 1850
• Lucy.  Frustratingly, someone has removed a tiny piece to the right of Lucy's name - might have given us her surname.
• G. W. D.; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on March 22, 1850
• Francis Bartlett; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on December 22, 1848.  Rev. Francis Bartlett
• M. B. Bartlett; presumably Margaret (Booth) Bartlett, wife of inscriber Rev. Francis Bartlett of Marietta, Ohio
• Mary E. Buell; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on March 13, 1850
• Mary P. Carpenter; inscribed at Athens, Ohio, on July 5, 1850
• Mary P. C.; possibly the Mary P. Carpenter who inscribed another page.
• Eliza A. Carter, album owner; her name written on the title page of "The Floral Album", printed by J. C. Riker of 129 Fulton Street, New York.  Eliza was born January 12, 1832 and was adopted by Marietta College teacher William Slocomb, who inscribed a page in her album.  Eliza married Joseph Buell Ward, nephew of William's wife Seba Hand (Buell) Slocomb on May 11, 1852.  More information
• I. M. Preston; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on May 29, 1848.  Mentions Gaboon Mission West Africa;  Ira Mills Preston, who shared the page with his wife Jane S. Woodruff, whom he married that same day. Ira graduated from Marietta College in 1845 and Lane Seminary in 1848 and then served as a missionary in West Africa from 1848-1867. The Gaboon Mission West Africa is mentioned under the place and date.  The Gaboon Mission West Africa
• Henry Putnam of Harmar, Marietta, Ohio, inscribed on April 10, 1849
• William Slocomb; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on May 20, 1848.  He was an early teacher at Marietta College and was the adoptive father of album owner Eliza Carter.  More information
• Jane S. Woodruff; inscribed at Marietta, Ohio, on May 29, 1848.  Mentions Gaboon Mission West Africa.  Jane Sophia Woodruff shared the page with Ira Mills Preston, whom she married that same day.  The Gaboon Mission West Africa