Quality Pens are a Timeless Essential

[hewunch]

In conversation today with one of my pastors, he showed me the following picture.

He told me it is from his Great-Grandfather's journal. He was a student at what would become Old Miss in 1874.
Note the amounts listed for different items ($.25 for Livery Stable, that is to board his horse for the semester, $1 for a pocket knife, $14 for an overcoat).
Then notice the 5th line from the bottom of the page, $9 for a gold pen. As a poor college student, he spent a large sum, on a quality writing instrument.

 

[1080Wayne]

Old journals like that are always interesting reading . I would have interpreted the 25 cent livery charge as being just for the day on which he bought the clothes and pen .

 

[bugradx2]

53 cents for whiskey! That's more than boarding the horse!

 

[hewunch]

53 cents for whiskey! That's more than boarding the horse!

For medicinal purposes of course

 

[monophoto]

Note that 'hair trimming' was only 25 cents. I had a haircut last week that cost a great deal more than that!

Many years ago (at least 60 years ago), my grandmother gave me a journal that I believe she inherited from someone in her family. We don't have a lot of information on her family other than I do recall hearing her mention that her father (or perhaps grandfather) had come to the US from Ireland 'to work on the railroad'. Anyway, the journal was dated November 1877 and the title page identifies it as the work of Charles Prior, a student in Manchester, England. It has some things in common with the example shown by Hans. The journal is fragile so I only attempted to scan one page to illustrate two points.

First, the handwriting is absolutely beautiful!! The student who created this journal, was obviously well educated which suggests that he came from a well-to-do family, and according to Google maps, the street address on the title page still exists and is adjacent to the current location of Manchester University. Pens, and handwriting, were far more important to the people of that age than they are to us today.

But the other thing is that the color of the ink appears to be identical to the sample Hans provided. My guess is that these documents were written using iron-gall ink, sometimes referred to as 'registrar's ink' because it was very common in the 19th century, and in fact was required on official documents in England such as birth, baptism, and marriage records because it was so permanent.

 

[sorcerertd]

First, the handwriting is absolutely beautiful!!

Wow, that is beautiful! I wish mine were half that nice, even my printing.

 

[hewunch]

Wow, that is beautiful! I wish mine were half that nice, even my printing.

Same. Our joke is once the ink dries, it may not be understood.

 

[Woodchipper]

With the journals and letters from relatives, one might contact the local library about microfilm. A small newspaper had back issues stacked in piles in a room. I was told that the state will microfilm them at no charge.