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1863-1864

Pocket diary for 1864 used by Annie P. Merriam. The diary is brown leather-wrapped with a back cover that has a vertical, envelope-style flap that wraps over the diary’s fore edge and is secured with a tab closure that tucks into a leather loop at the front center of the front cover. The surface of the leather wrapping has an embossed diamond pattern texture with thin bands around the edges on the front and back covers and a smooth spine. Over the center of the flap, is a vertically oriented stamp with embossed text that reads [DIARY 1864]. Inside the fold of the flap is a leather pen loop that allows a pen to nestle inside the diary’s fore edge. The inside back cover has a full-length vertical pocket with a blue paper lining. The interior pages are off-white with black printed text and red, blue, yellow, and brown marbling on the top and bottom edges. Black text of varying sizes and fonts printed on the title page reads [Pocket Diary / FOR / 1864 / CONTAINING / A BLANK SPACE FOR EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR, ALMANAC, &c. / NEW YORK: / PUBLISHED ANNUALY FOR THE TRADE. / 1864.]. The text is framed by three, thin, rectangular bands with floral flourishes and curlicues at each of the four corners. The interior pages have several sections that include: [CALENDAR FOR 1864], [ECLIPSES IN 1864], [LIST OF SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR 1864], [DISTANCES AND TIME / BY RAILROAD FROM NEW YORK], [RATES OF POSTAGE], [POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES FOR 1860], [STAMP DUTIES], [ALMANAC FOR 1864], fillable entries for every day of the year, a cash account section for each month, a bill payable section for each month, and [MEMORANDA].
The name of the diary owner is inscribed in dark brown ink the top right corner of the front flyleaf and reads [Annie P. Merriam / Washington / N.C.]. And inscription by a different hand, written in black ink in the bottom left corner of the same page reads [Bro. / From Sis]. On the [CALENDAR FOR 1864] page, is a handwritten inscription in pencil that reads [Bought at Whitney [?] / 247 Main St. / Nov. 16th 1963. / by L.P Merriam for sister Annie.] inside a large left bracket. The front and back of the diary pages each have sections for three days per week. The month and year are printed in the top left and right corners of the pages with the week day and date printed at the center of each daily entry section. All of diary pages have been filled with entries written in dark brown ink and pencil. Starting with the entry written on June 18th, many of the entries through the end of the year also have cross-writing. In the [MEMORANDA] section, the first page is filled with poetry quotes from Martin Farquhar Tupper’s book, Tupper's Proverbial Philosophy: A Book of Thoughts and Arguments, Originally Treated; Also, a Thousand Lines, and Other Poems. The top of the second page is a pencil entry with the lyrics to the Civil War song “Just Before the Battle, Mother,” by George Frederick Root.
On the [June, BILLS PAYABLE] page are dried flowers and leaves with stems woven through the page and a notation in dark brown ink that reads [Gathered from inside / Ft. Macon, Wednesday, / June 8th 1864 / while viewing this / old Revolutionary relic / in C[---?] with Col McCl[---?] / A the fort[?] Lt. Edwards L[---?] / Chapl. M[---?], & May -]. On the [August, BILLS PAYABLE] page is a notation in dark brown ink that reads [Gathered in the Stanley[---?] Hospital Cemetery / Sunday-, June, 19th 1864. New Berne[sic] / N. Carolina], above empty holes on the page that most likely held flowers and/or leaves. On the [October, BILLS PAYABLE] page are dried flowers, leaves, and a wheat stalk with stems woven through the page and a notation in dark brown ink that reads [Gathered from Capt. Flusser’s grave in Stanley Hospital / Cemetery, New Berne[sic] N. Carolina. Aug. 4th 1864 -.He commanded the Miami at the fall of Plymouth / N.C. / one of the bravest officers in the Navy --]. On the [December, BILLS PAYABLE] page are dried flowers and leaves with stems woven through the page and a notation in dark brown ink that reads [Gathered in Fortress Monroe. / When on my way home / from New Berne[sic] / Aug. 31st 1864.]. Finally, on the back pastedown, in the top left corner, handwritten in black ink is the text [$4.65].

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Slavery and Freedom Objects
Documents and Manuscripts

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2024.39

plants
diaries
calendars
almanacs

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ink on paper with leather and plant material

H x W x D: 4 3/4 × 3 1/8 × 13/16 in. (12.1 × 8 × 2 cm)

Object Name • Pocket diary for 1864 used by Annie P. Merriam

nmaahc_2024.39

NMAAHC

POCKET DIARY FOR 1864 USED BY ANNIE P. MERRIAM

National Museum of African American History and Culture

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1860s

Flusser, Charles W. • Root, George Frederick • Merriam, Lucius Parker • United States Navy • Mirriam, Annie P. • Tupper, Martin Farquhar • New Bern National Cemetery

North Carolina • New York City • United States • Craven County • North and Central America • Beaufort County • Carteret County • New Bern • Washington

American South • Social reform • Education • U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865 • Poetry • Military

City • Washington • County • Beaufort County • State • North Carolina • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America • City • New Bern • County • Craven County • City • Beaufort • County • Carteret County • City • New York City • State • New York

Diaries • plants • Calendars • Almanacs

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