1873 & 1877 ORIGINAL PAIR [2] OF MANUSCRIPT DIARIES HAND WRITTEN BY A MANHATTAN MAN DETAILING HIS LIFE AND TIMES

On offer is a pair of personal diaries written in the 2nd half of the 19th century in the heart of New York City. The first volume measures 4 inches by 2.5 inches and has 48 undated pages. Each page has 3-4 entries and the pages are 100% complete. The cover is intact as are all the pages. The handwriting is in pencil and some pages are seriously faded. The second volume measures 4.75 inches by 3 inches. The cover, binding and pages are in good condition. There are 60 pages and they are 100% complete. The handwriting is in pencil and fairly legible. The author is Lewis Lawrence. The first journal contains entries from 1873 through 1876. The entries take the form of 1-2 line notes with a year jotted at the end of many. Many take the form of letters sent and received: "Sent letter to Mrs. C on 12th Nov 1873"; "353 East 82nd St. Miss Harrison Sent Alcroft & Co Best glove makers in the world"; "10 o' clock Brought the services of Sunday to a close"; "Steamship the Queen arrived at Queenstown Mar 2nd, 1876." He also keeps a partial record of his daily expenditures. The 2nd volume is a dated diary for the year 1877. Again, many of the entries are brief, detailing church meetings he attends, letters sent and received and news he has received: "Mrs. L. Received a letter from Uncle H. Wilson & Victoria Connors, Township of Reach [now part of Durham Region, Ontario], Ontario Canada" [Apr 7, 1877]; "Best time on record. Steamship Germanic crosses the Atlantic in 7 days, 11 hours 37 minutes" [Apr 13, 1877]; "Railroad strike in Baltimore, Ohio and Plattsburg ..." [July 21, 1877]; "... Wreck of U.S. steamer Huron. Over 100 lives lost" [Nov 24, 1877]. This was the USS Huron, a naval gun boat, lost off North Carolina. Context suggests he attended the Methodist Church on 61st Street: "... Reception in Parsonage 61st St. MEC ... rented Pew No. 41 in 61st St. Church Price $36.00 commencing Nov 1" [Oct 22, 1877]. This diary also contains a partial record of expenses for the years as well as an address list. For a historian, they offer a glimpse into the world of one individual living in Manhattan in the later part of the 19th century. His lists of expenditures help build a picture of the cost of living at that time and a genealogist would appreciate the list of names and addresses that he includes of people with whom he is acquainted.; Manuscript; 48mo - over 3" - 4" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF; 19TH CENTURY; 1870s; GILDED AGE; UNITED STATES; NEW YORK; LEWIS LAWRENCE; 61ST ST METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH; MANHATTAN; BRONX; USS HURON; SS GERMANIC; PRICES IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY; COST OF LIVING IN THE 1870s; NEW YORK GENEALOGY; AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL