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What follows is a list of Colonial and Revolutionary copybooks and ciphering books from the North American manuscript holdings in the Department of Special Collections, University Libraries of Notre Dame. Copybooks and ciphering books included here date wholly or primarily from the years before 1788.
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SILAS STEPHENS COPYBOOK. 1753-1772. 1 vol., 32 cm., 49 leaves, with 91 pages of entries, mostly in Stephens' hand. The owner's inscription on the front cover of this copybook reads: "Silas Stephens His Book Anno Do[min]i 1753." Stephens was probably a resident of Connecticut; his signature appears throughout the book (though sometimes spelled "Stevens," "Stephenson," or "Stevenson"). Most of the book's lessons are written in his hand; many of these are dated, from as early as 1754 to as late as 1759. The exercises recorded in the book progress from arithmetic, to geometry, to trigonometry, to navigation, to accounting. Much of the latter part of the book is given over to mock accounts of various kinds, including ships' inventories. The only notable literary or religious content in Stephens' hand is a copy of Psalm 58, on 41v-42r. A second, more practiced hand is also evident at various points in the book; the sole date related to the entries in this second hand is 1772. MSN/COL 9250-1.
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