1862-1868 Autograph Album of Samuel Isaac Stein of Platteville, Wisconsin

1863-1868 autograph album that belonged to Samuel Isaac Stein of Platteville, Wisconsin.

The album measures approximately 8" x 5-1/2" and contains the sentiments of 77 of Samuel's friends in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Illinois, with perhaps some of them his fellow soldiers in the Wisconsin 41st Infantry.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they left, appear at the end of this post.  Two inscribers affixed their photograph to the page they signed.

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

Samuel Isaac Stein was born March 24, 1839 in Treysa, Hesse-Cassel, Germany, according to his 1874 passport application.  I don't have his parents' names.  He arrived in the United States around 1860, not long before he started acquiring autographs in this album.   He enlisted as a second sergeant with Company A of the 41st Wisconsin on May 5, 1864 and mustered out a sergeant on September 23, 1864.

Samuel was working as a dry goods merchant at Platteville, Wisconsin at the time of enumeration of the 1870 Census.  At some point after that, he married Wilhelmina Sheir, "Minnie".  They had, I believe, two children, one of whom, Willie, died in childhood.  Their daughter Katherine B. Stein outlived her parents; I don't believe she married.

By 1892, according to pension records, Samuel had become an invalid.  He died in 1913; Minnie died in 1928.  If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

A few representative pages:

The page below was inscribed by Charles Potter, Hattie Potter and Henry Potter of Platteville, Wisconsin; Charles dated his inscription May 24, 1863.

E. T. Mears and A. A. Mears of Platteville, Wisconsin, inscribed a page on April 12, 1866.  They were Elias Tyler Mears and wife Agatha Ablett (Cattermole) Mears.

On the page that O. F. Griswold of White Hall, Illinois, inscribed, he referred to himself as Samuel's "fellow traveler".  He was presumably Orlando F. Griswold.

The page below was inscribed by Solomon Greenspecht at New Orleans, on October 21, 1866; by H. B. Lichtenstein; and by Charles S. Myers.

The next page in the album was inscribed by Benjamin Lichtenstein at New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 26, 1866.  He date-stamped the page with the stamp of the family company Lichtenstein Brothers and Company at 79 Gravier Street, which I believe was a cigar and cigarette manufacturer.

The Hodges family of Platteville, Wisconsin, inscribed a page: Isaac and Lucetta (Crist) Hodges and their daughter Emma O. Hodges.

Surnames in the Album

?	G	K	N	S
A	Goodell	Katzenstein	North	Sampson
Abbott	Gordon	Katzenstein	P	Scott
Alford	Gray	Katzenstein	Paine	Sheers ?
Augustine	Greenspecht	Kaump	Paine	Silverman
B	Griswold	Kaump	Penn	Siskron
Barker	H	L	Philipp	Smelker
Bartholomew	Hodges	Lichtenstein	Potter	Smelker
Basye	Hodges	Lichtenstein	Potter	Smith
Basye	Hodges	Lynn	Potter	Sprague
Bell	Hollman	M	Prideaux	Sprague
Block	Hosford	McCarn	Prideaux	Stein
Burwell	Hoyt	Mears	R	Stiles
Bushnell	Hoyt	Mears	Rewey	W
C	Hoyt	Morgan	Rewey	Wilson
Chase	Hutchins	Morris	Riege	Wright
Cheever	J	Morris	Rogers	Wyne
Clay	Jones	Morris		Wyne
D		Myers
Drinkhall

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

• Carry; shared the page with Mary A. Stiles

A

• Katie Abbott, signed on Platteville, Wisconsin, on October 16, 1863.  Shared the page with William Lynn
• Carrie M. Alford, signed at Horne [no state written], on April 27, 1863
• Julius Augustine, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 17, 1866.  Shared the page with Carrie S. Prideaux

B

• Nellie M. Barker of Platteville, Wisconsin
• Louisa Bartholomew, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on December 15, 1867.  Shared the page with Cinnie Gordon.
• I. N. Basye, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 16, 1863. Isaac Newton Basye.  Shared the page with his wife Susan (Slater) Basye
• Susan S. Basye, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 16, 1863. Susan Eleanor (Slater) Basye, wife of Isaac Newton Basye, with whom she shared the page.
• Archie W. Bell, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on March 2, 1867
• Sarah Block, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on June 24, 1863
• M. S. Burwell, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on January 1, 1864. Later note: "Died Jan 31/66". He was Minor S. Burwell, who died at age 20.
• Anna Bushnell, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 29 [no year written]

C

• L. R. Chase of Platteville, Wisconsin, signed on June 24, 1863
• C. C. Cheever, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 17, 1863
• Leora Clay; shared the page with Agnes Hosford

D

• Thomas O. Drinkhall, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 14, 1866

G

• L. L. Goodell; shared the page with N. Hutchins
• Cinnie Gordon, signed at Waupacca, Wisconsin, in December 1867.  Shared the page with Louisa Bartholomew.
• Andrew Gray, signed at New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 30, 1866
• Solomon Greenspecht, signed at New Orleans, on October 21, 1866.  Shared the page with H. B. Lichtenstein and Charles S. Myers
• O. F. Griswold of White Hall, Illinois; "fellow traveler"

H

• I. Hodges, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 17, 1866. Isaac Hodges
• L. Hodges, signed on February 22, 1867. Lucetta (Crist) Hodges, wife of Isaac Hodges
• Emma O. Hodges, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 22, 1867. Daughter of Isaac and Lucetta (Crist) Hodges.
• James V. Hollman, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on June 24 1863
• Agnes Hosford; shared the page with Leora Clay
• Henry Hoyt, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 14, 1863
• Mrs. M. A. Hoyt, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on December 8, 1867. Mary, wife of Philetus Hoyt.  Shared the page with Estella A. Hoyt
• Estella A. Hoyt, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on December 8, 1867. Daughter of Mary A. and Philetus Hoyt.  Shared the page with Mrs. Mary A. Hoyt
• N. Hutchins, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 14, 1866.  Shared the page with L. L. Goodell

J

• Willard Jones, inscribed at Neenah, Wisconsin on June 6, 1863; he affixed his photograph.

K

• William Katzenstein
• Fannie Katzenstein
• E. Katzenstein, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on May 15, 1863
• Mary J. Kaump, signed at Harrison, Wisconsin, on December 11, 1868. Shared the page with Ruth A. Kaump
• Ruth A. Kaump, signed at Harrison, Wisconsin, on December 11, 1868.  Shared the page with Mary J. Kaump

L

• H. B. Lichtenstein; shared the page with Solomon Greenspecht and Charles S. Myers
• Benjamin Lichtenstein, signed at New Orleans on October 26, 1866. He added a date stamp for the Lichtenstein Brothers & Co., at 79 Gravier St., New Orleans.
• William Lynn, signed at New Orleans, on October 21, 1866.  Shared the page with Katie Abbott

M

• S. J. McCarn, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 12, 1866.  Shared the page with E. Riege
• E. T. Mears, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 12, 1866; presumably Elias Tyler Mears.  shared the page with his wife Agatha Ablett (Cattermole) Mears.
• A. A. Mears, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on April 12, 1866; presumably Agatha Ablett (Cattermole) Mears, wife of Elias Tyler Mears.  Shared the page with her husband Elias Tyler Mears
• A. Morgan, signed at Wheatland, Wisconsin in December 1867
• Nellie M. Morris, signed at Lima, Wisconsin, on July 23, 1863. Shared the page with Josephine Morris and Maria L. Morris
• Josephine Morris; shared the page with Nellie M. Morris and Maria L. Morris.
• Maria L. Morris, signed at Lima, Wisconsin, on October 5, 1863.  Shared the page with Nellie M. Morris and Josephine Morris.
• Charles S. Myers; shared the page with Solomon Greenspecht; and H. B. Lichtenstein

N

• Mattie L. North of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, signed on February 3, 1868

P

• H. Olney Paine, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on August 18, 1863; presumably Hiram Olney Paine.
• S. O. Paine
• Emma Penn, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on June 15 [no year written]
• L. Philipp or Philips, signed at New Orleans, on October 26, 1866.  Shared the page with Theodore W. Smelker
• Charles Potter, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on May 24, 1863; he affixed his photograph. Shared the page with Hattie Potter; and Henry Potter
• Hattie Potter.  Shared the page with Charles Potter; and Henry Potter
• Henry Potter, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on May 27 [no year written, but possibly 1863 which was the date used by another inscriber on the page].  Shared the page with Charles Potter and Hattie Potter.
• Thomas Prideaux, signed at Tafton, Wisconsin, on June 10, 1863
• Carrie S. Prideaux, signed at Tafton, Wisconsin, on June 10, 1867.  Shared the page with Julius Augustine.

R

• Amaret Rewey, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 28, 1864. Amaret (Bushnell) Rewey, wife of Addison Rewey, with whom she shared the page.
•  Add. Rewey, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 28, 1864; presumably Addison Rewey, husband of Amaret (Bushnell) Rewey, with whom he shared the page.
• E. Riege, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 12, 1868.  Shared the page with S. J. McCarn
• Lottie E. Rogers

S

• Ellen L. Sampson
• John G. Scott
• Willie Sheers, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on February 23, 1863; not sure of surname.
• Carrie Silverman
• Saul S. Siskron, signed at New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 21, 1866
• Theodore W. Smelker, signed on December 24, 1864.  Shared the page with L. Phillipp or Philips
• J. P. Smelker, signed on December 24, 1864
• Rosalia M. Smith, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on December 22, 1867
• E. B. Sprague of Waupun, Wisconsin, signed on December 22, 1867
• E. B. Sprague, signed at Waupun, Wisconsin, on December 23, 1867
• Samuel I. Stein, album owner - he wrote his name on the inside front cover. Samuel Isaac Stein
• Mary A. Stiles, signed on June 19, 1863; shared the page with Carry

W

• E. M. Wilson, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on November 24, 1864
• Ellen Wright
• Benjamin F. Wyne, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 23, 1864
• Mary Wyne, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 9, 1867.  Shared the page with Cynthia F. Wyne
• Cynthia F. Wyne, signed at Platteville, Wisconsin, on July 26, 1867.  Shared the page with Mary Wyne