Thursday, April 17, 2014

1880s Autograph Album of Susan Sheneman of Chester County, Pennsylvania


1880s autograph album of Susan Sheneman, "Susie", of Chester County, Pennsylvania.

A few pages are inscribed beyond the era of the 1880s, a couple by her daughters.  Research would indicate that Susie had died by the time at least some of these pages were inscribed, so perhaps her family was attempting to keep her memory alive.

Susie's older brother, Theodore P. Sheneman presented the album to her at Christmas in 1881.  Theodore signed a page later on in the album, as well.




Susie herself inscribed a page to the people would be signing in her album.


Bessie Sheneman wrote on the inside front cover.  I don't know who Bessie was, and I don't know which era in which she signed.  Susie had an older sister named Emma E. Sheneman, but she had died by the time Susie acquired her album.


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

Susan Sheneman was born 11 April 1867 in Pennsylvania, the daughter of John and Margaret (March) Sheneman.   From what I could tell, she was the youngest of seven siblings, two of whom were the above-mentioned Theodore P. Sheneman and Samuel Milton Sheneman, who may have been the S.M.S. who signed two pages in the album with his distinctive handwriting.



On 11 March 1884 at Reading, Pennsylvania, Susan Sheneman married Mordecai Lewis DeHaven, "Lewis", son of Mordecai and Elizabeth C. (Smith) DeHaven.   Lewis was born about May 1859 in Pennsylvania.

Lewis inscribed two pages in Susie's album, one likely before their marriage and one, on the inside back cover, after.



The couple had at least two daughters and possibly a son Harvey, before Susie died on 22 January 1897.

Daughter Agnes Clara DeHaven, who was born about September 1891, two pages in her mother's album, one of them on February 8, 1898 "In Remembrance".



The page signed by Lizzie DeHaven of West Chester, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 1901, is a puzzler.  I'm wondering if Lizzie was Susie's daughter from before her marriage to Lewis or a foster daughter to the couple.  She may have been the Elizabeth Weer who became the second wife of Mordecai Lewis DeHaven about 1900.  Elizabeth was born 11 February 1879 and died 11 September 1931.  Lewis had predeceased her in 1918.


If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Surnames in the album

?     [7]
Bechtel    [2]
Cook
Cooper    [4]
Coulter
Dauman
Davis
DeHaven   [5]
Emery    [3]
Golding
Gordon    [4]
Gray
Greening
Hayman
Overday
Sheneman    [4]
Snyder
Spear    [2]
Steen    [4]
Stine
Stiteler
Tyson
Weer
Young    [2]

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

?
  • Albert, written in a child's hand
  • Initials, the last of which is definitely S. The first two might be J.E., or I. E., or J. C. or I. C. or ?
  • Renie
  • Mollie E. S., signed at Lionville, Pennsylvania
  • A. B. C.
  • Initials E. K. D., or E. R. D., signed on January 24, 1882
  • E. E. D., signed on February 2, 1882; Susie's cousin
B
  • Alma Bechtel, signed on January 28, 1883
  • Morris Bechtel
C
  • C. M. Cook of Honeybrook, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • Annie B. Cooper, signed on "1/10/82"
  • Alice B. Cooper of Anselma, Chester [Pennsylvania]
  • Marriott C. Cooper of Lionville, Pennsylvania, signed on April 6, 1882. Presumably Marriott Canby Cooper, who went on to live in Indiana and California. He wrote "butcher boy" and "cow boy" on the page, in addition to his sentiment.
  • F. Thomas Cooper of Lionville, Pennsylvania, signed on "4/5x.82". He wrote "butcher boy" on the page in addition to his sentiment.
  • William Coulter
D
  • Clara B. Dauman, signed on January 6, 1882
  • Mary A. Davis, signed on January 25, 1882
  • Myrtle P. DeHaven, presumably a relative of Susie's future husband Mordecai Louis DeHaven
  • Lewis DeHaven; Mordecai Lewis DeHaven, Susie's future husband.  "Remember me dear Susie when on these lines you look. Remember It was Lewis who wrote this in your book. L. M. DeHaven to wife".
  • Agnes DeHaven. I think this was written in Susie's book by her daughter at a remembrance on February 8, 1898, after Susie's death on 22 January 1897
  • Lizzie DeHaven of West Chester, Pennsylvania, signed on January 10, 1901; "your daughter". This would have been written after Susie's death in 1897.
  • Agnes DeHaven of R.F.D. No. 1, West Chester, Pennsylvania; Susie's daughter
E
  • W. Y. Emery, signed on March 18, 1882. "Think of me when in a distance country you stray. Paying your board on a ship bound for Chesapeake Bay."
  • A. W. Emery, Jr. of Cambria Station, Pennsylvania, signed on March 5, 1882
  • E. A. Emery of Cambria, Pennsylvania, signed on March 26, 1882
G
  • Mildred Golding, signed at Reading, Pennsylvania, on January 10 [no year written]
  • G. Gordon
  • J. Rogers Gordon of Lionville, Pennsylvania, in Chester County, signed on January 6, 1882
  • R. Gordon of Lionville, Pennsylvania, signed on January 7, 1882
  • A. Gordon of Lionville, Pennsylvania, signed on January 8, 1882
  • Nellie Gray of York County, Pennsylvania, signed on January 21, 1882
  • Mary E. Greening of Baltimore, signed on March 4 [no year written]
H
  • G. A. Hayman
O
  • Lidie A. Overday of East Coventry, signed February 10, 1882
S
  • Bessie Sheneman - name written on inside front cover. Not sure who she was. Susie had an older sister, Emma E. Sheneman, who died in 1880, before the album purchased, unless the Find-a-Grave record is in error.
  • Susie Sheneman dedicated this page to the future signers in her album.
  • Title page with inscription: "Presented by Theodore to Sue Sheneman, December 25th 1881, A.D." Theodore was Susie's older brother Theodore P. Sheneman. He also signed a page later on in the album, at Cambria, on June 18, 1882
  • S. M. S., signed on December 26, 1881; presumably Samuel Milton Sheneman, Susie's older brother, who signed another page on June 17, 1882.
  • W. H. Snyder
  • Miss Rose A. Spear, signed on February 12, 1888
  • Miss Sallie A. Spear, signed May 13, 1880
  • Johnnie K. Steen, signed on January 10, 1883
  • James H. Steen, signed at Lionville, Pennsylvania
  • Annie E. Steen, signed at Lionville, Pennsylvania, on January 10; Susie's schoolmate. Later on, someone wrote: "In Remembrance"
  • Lottie Steen, signed at Lionville, Pennsylvania, on January 18, 1882
  • M. E. Stine of Chester County, Pennsylvania, signed on December 25, 1881
  • Eva D. Stiteler
T
  • S. Tyson, signed at Howellville, on "4/8/83"
W
  • Willa Mae Weer

  • Johnie Young, signed on January 7, 1882 at Philadelphia
  • A. A. Young, signed on October 25, 1882 at Daisy farm
Chester County, Pennsylvania  [including Cambria Station, Lionville, Uwchlan and West Chester]


Thanks for stopping by!

No comments:

Post a Comment