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JOSEPH STARR HAINES : 1874 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A WELL EDUCATED, WELL ACQUAINTED NEW HAMPSHIRE MAN WHO GRADUATED DARTMOUTH WITH DISTINCTION

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer are two unique little pocket diaries from the mid-19th century. They both are slim, hardcover diaries measuring 6.5 inches by 3 inches. They both have 52 pages arranged in a week-on-two-pages layout. The first is about 10% complete and the second is about 20% complete. Both also have a number of memoranda and cash account pages with many entries. They are both in good condition. These diaries were the property of Joseph Starr Haines. Haines was born in Sacramento CA in 1852. He began his career as a teacher but later became a lawyer. After practicing law for several years, he moved to Iowa where he raised cattle. He never married. Haines passed away in 1936. Casual research has not turned up any additional biographical information. Both diaries have only a few entries. The value however lies in the references to other people that he makes in his entries, especially the pages of entries in the Memoranda sections. These are particularly interesting as Haines was only in his early twenties when he kept these. For example: "Went to the Boston theatre to see Davy Crockett" [Jan 23, 1874]. This would have been the popular touring play of its time, by Frank Murdoch. "Cane for Senator Patterson - 50 cents" [April 17, 1874]. James Patterson was a powerful American politician who served in the United States Congress and the Senate, representing New Hampshire. He is best known for his role in the Crédit Mobilier Scandal of 1873. He was found guilty of perjury and efforts were underway to expel him when his term expired. Haines obviously knew him well-enough to purchase a gift for him. "Spoke the Valedictory at the Commencement of Dartmouth College for 1874." [June 25, 1874]. This is the reference that confirms the ownership of the diaries. Haines graduated from Dartmouth in 1874 and initially taught Latin and Greek in a Manchester NH high school before joining a law firm. Haines led the life of a well-educated young gentleman. He was well-acquainted with politicians and businessmen and enjoyed some of the finer aspects of life, taking in theatre, concerts, opera and dinners. The second diary (1877) contains a number of references to stage and theatre personages: Charles Fechter [Mar 12, 1877] - French actor famous in Paris and London; Clara Louise Kellogg [Mar 16, 1877] - American-born singer; Francesca Janauschek [Apr 13, 1877] - Czech-born stage actress; Edwin Booth* [May 1, 1877] - famous American stage actor. Saw the President of the United States* today, his cabinet and the military force of the State of Massachusetts - It was a fine spectacle. Not much enthusiasm but an immense concourse of people. [June 26, 1877]. Much can be inferred from his memoranda entries and his cash accounts. In March, 1877 alone, he went out to dinners 13 times and attended 4 theatre or opera productions. This is an excellent study of the life and lifestyle of a gentleman in urban New England in the 2nd half of the 19th century. A historian or researcher would find them full of the small details that, taken together, paint a picture of a successful and educated man who has time to enjoy some of the cultural amenities developing in the United States. A researcher delving into the cultural life of America at that time could find a number of valuable cross-reference points in the entries. * Edwin Booth was the brother of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. In one of those ironic moments in history, Edwin Booth had saved the life of Lincoln's son, Robert only months before the assassination. * Republican Rutherford B Hayes was elected president in 1876 in bitterly contested election. Some southern democrats threatened to march on Washington raising the spectre of armed conflict again. Hayes and his supporter reportedly agreed to the Compromise of 1877 wherein he was allowed to assume the presidency in return for withdrawing all remaining federal troops from the former Confederate states.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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