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WILLIAM HAHN : 1890 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY THE FOUNDER AND SCION OF THE STILL IN OPERATION WM. HAHN SHOE COMPANY

48mo - over 3" - 4" tall. On offer is an excellent slim leather-bound notebook detailing an 1890 trip from Washington to Europe. The notebook spans a period from July 3, 1890 to Sept 19th, 1890. The writer is one William Hahn. The book is about 5" by 3" The leather cover is worn but intact. Entries are in ink and quite legible. There are 90 pages of quad-ruled pages of which 78 contain entries. Research suggests that this is the founder of the Wm Hahn & Co retail shoe chain which remained in business for 119 years. There are references to 'Fred' in the early pages July 6, 8, 12- Hahn had a brother Fred who managed his 2nd store. There is reference to a large sales force July 3 and numerous other references to the types of activities that a business owner would engage in. On July 12th, he notes that he purchased 2,000 pairs of shoes. He refers to returning to visit his native land which indicates he immigrated (which Hahn had from Germany in 1868 at age 18) and the destination of his trip - Germany. Hahn would have been 40 years of age when he made this trip The entries from July 3 until July 23 detail much of his work days prior to his departure. Rising early, he travelled extensively between Washington, DC and Boston and as far west as Rochester managing his accounts. The pages depict as very hard-working man who rose early, worked diligently and retired late. Late on July 23rd, he boarded his ship to begin his passage to Europe. The pages give us a detailed picture of life on board - the weather, sailing conditions, fellow travellers and day-to-day-experiences. Arose as usual. Sea still very rough. Boat rolling from one side to other. Had poor appetite for breakfast. The ship's passenger list increased by one baby boy in steerage. Collection gotten up by one of our lady passengers. Resulted in about $40.00 [July 28]. Dispatches from Hahn and children ... Dispatch I opened was from our Pets (his children) and that brought the tears thick and fast then another dose of tears when I opened [ ] ... I felt touched and could not say a word but the worst feeling is when the gang plank is hauled in and last link with the mainland is severed [July23]. July 31st, they made landfall off the English coast but he continued on with the ship to Germany. On Aug 1st, 11 men of war including the Emperor of Germany (likely a reference to a ship and not a person). His entry for Aug 13th is a moving comment about visiting his parent's graves. The entries are full of references to people he met and places he visited. ... took 6:05 train to Euiden arrived there at 9. Ben, Lara and [ ] at Depot. Meeting touching Lara very much excited she seemed overjoyed. [ ] nice young man and tries hard to make me feel comfortable [Aug 3]. Arose at 7. After breakfast went on the Koppel Strauss through [ ] to mother's grave. Lara could not speak enough of Father and mother I felt very much touched [Aug 13]. The last entry is Sept 19, noting the entry of the boat into the Potomac. This is a wonderful description of a European visit taken just before the turn of the 20th century. Rich in detail, it describes people and places that would soon be consumed in the flames of WWI. It is a remarkable resource for a historian or social historian. It sheds a different light on a man who was a prominent businessman in Washington who built a very successful and well-known retail chain that lasted for over 100 years.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good+

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