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What follows is a list of Early National and Antebellum 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 1788 to 1860.
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WILLIAM SLADE CIPHERING BOOKS. c1790s. 2 vols., 31 and 30 cm., 47 and 8 leaves, with 94 and 16 pages of entries in Slade's hand. An inscription on 40v of the more substantial of these two ciphering books reads: "Wm. Slade the 3rd / his Book In the fifteen year of his age / And A little Older… ." The owner probably resided in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts. The problems copied into the books relate to topics in mercantile arithmetic. MSN/EA 8804-1 to MSN/EA 8804-2-F1.
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ITHIEL ELWELL CIPHERING BOOK. c1810. 1 vol., 34 cm., 36 leaves, with 69 pages of entries in the author's hand. Fol. 1r of this homemade, leather-bound ciphering book bears the inscription "Ithiel Elwell / Buxton North". Elwell (1794-1814) was the son of Benjamin and Mehitable Elwell, of Buxton, York County, Maine. The book's exercises are copied with care; content proceeds from decimals, through proportion and fractions, to computations of interest and other topics of obvious mercantile application. MSN/EA 8806-1
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SUKY NIXON CIPHERING BOOK. 1810-1811. 1 vol., 19 cm., 24 leaves, with 48 pages of manuscript entries in Nixon's hand. A manuscript bookplate attached to the inside upper cover identifies this item as "Suky Nixon's Book, Begun December 10th 1810; aged 13 years and 17 days." The content consists of problems in simple and compound addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each lesson is meticulously copied; many are dated. The owner probably resided in or near Framingham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. MSN/EA 8800-1.
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WILLIAM TOWE (OR TOWLE) CIPHERING BOOK. 1817-1818. 1 vol., 35 cm., 124 leaves, with 243 pages of manuscript entries in a single hand. The content of this very substantial ciphering book derives from a standard reference of the day, Michael Walsh's A new system of mercantile arithmetic adapted to the commerce of the United States . . . , which appeared in multiple editions over the first quarter of the nineteenth century. A scrawled signature on 123v, and others on the wallpaper wrapped covers, suggest that the owner was a William Towe (or Towle), probably a resident of Massachusetts. The book can be dated to 1817-18. MSN/EA 8807-1-B
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LEWIS REYNOLDS CIPHERING BOOKS. 1826-1827. 2 manuscripts, 34 and 30 cm., 43 and 11 leaves, with 86 and 21 pages of entries in Reynolds' hand. Two ciphering books filled with exercises in arithmetic, kept by Lewis Reynolds of Wayne Township, Montgomery County, Indiana in 1826-27. MSN/EA 8803-1-F1 to MSN/EA 8803-2.
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JACOB R. CRIPLIVER MANUSCRIPTS. 1834-1846. 2 manuscripts, 31 and 32 cm.; 28 and 105 leaves, with 56 and 210 pages of entries in Cripliver's hand. Jacob R. Cripliver was born c1816 in Congress Township, Wayne County, Ohio. The earlier of these manuscripts is a copybook, filled with handwriting exercises completed by Cripliver from August to October 1834. The second, and larger, manuscript was initially used as a ciphering book, with 108 pages of arithmetic problems (October 1834 to June 1835) and 46 pages of day book and ledger exercises (March to December 1838). Much of the remainder of the volume is a working day book, of 25-30 pages, kept by Cripliver from 1839 to 1846. MSN/EA 8801-1 to MSN/EA 8801-2-B.
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TALLEY FAMILY MANUSCRIPTS. 1839-c1860s. 3 manuscripts, approx. 33 cm.; 82, 12, and 27 leaves, with 164, 24, and 54 pages of entries. Three manuscript books used by two generations of the Talley family of Wayne County, Ohio. The earliest and largest of the manuscripts is a ciphering book, used by Nathan Talley (1819-1895) from 1839 to 1842. It includes exercises in arithmetic, geometry, and accounting. Two later copybooks were used by Nathan Talley's son George (1855-1935); these probably date to the 1860s. MSN/EA 8802-1 to MSN/EA 8802-3.
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JAMES MCILWAINE CIPHERING BOOK. 1841. 1 vol., 32 cm., 124 leaves, with 239 pages of entries in McIlwaine's hand. James McIlwaine was born c1824 in Fayette County, Indiana. He began copying lessons into this ciphering book in 1841, when a resident of Union County, Indiana; the final date in the book, around one quarter of the way through (30r), is 22 July of that year. The lessons fall into three main sections, treating, in progression, geometry, algebra, and accounting. The book was clearly a source of pride to its owner. The handwriting and layout are meticulous, and several internal title pages are embellished in watercolor. The "Book Keeping" section includes a coordinated day book, journal, and ledger; the mock accounts are those of a New Orleans merchant. MSN/EA 8805-1-B.
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