Antiques with a Story

Good Evening, It has been awhile since I've been here. Lots of things have happened. Georgia and I were out scouting around and bought a box of fountain pens for $20. Would you imagine that one of those pens, it needed repair, sold for $170? It surprised us. I ordered 3 reference books on fountain pens this week. Maybe the next time I will know what I am doing.

I purchased some McGuffy's Readers and Spelling books last week also. One of the readers was used by at least two in a family, David and Martha Hughes. The book was copyrighted in 1844, signed first by David Hughes on October 29, 1852 and then signed by Martha Ann Hughes, who also went by Mattie H Hughes. Mattie signed her name in the back of the book on December the 20th 1878 which leads me to believe she is David's daughter.

She wrote a poem in the book which is either copied or written by her:

When virtue, consecrates the lines
And friendship, holds them dear,
Oft, may memory, bring to mind,
The hand, that placed them here.
Mattie A. Hughes

If these few lines accepted be.
Please read and think of me,
And if the same you do refuse,
Then please erase and me excuse.
Mattie A. Hughes

Columbus Grove Ohio
December the 20th, 1878

When a 9 or 10 year old girl writes like that it makes a person wonder how the rest of her life went. If she had children, grand children, great grand children, and so on until today. If she was related to me I would very proud of my Pioneer relative. Lets see, she would have been my Great Grandmother.   This book is listed at: http://www.seeauctions.com/show_item/149231/