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BETSY ALLEN : 1847 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT INTRACONTINENTAL TRAVEL DIARY HANDWRITTEN BY A YOUNG WOMAN TRAVELING FROM NORWICH TO NEW YORK TO CLEVELAND TO PHILADELPHIA TO NEW YORK ALL BY THE CANAL NETWORK ESTABLISHED IN THE PRIOR 20 YEARS

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is a rare, handmade travel journal dating from early 19th century America. The paper volume is composed of 16 pages hand stitched inside a heavier paper cover. The small volume is in good condition and all pages are intact. There is some discolouration due to age but it does not affect the handwriting. The volume measures 6.5 inches by 4.25 inches and is approximately 50% complete. The journal is written in 1847 by a woman named Betsy Allen. Her home is recorded as Norwich which could refer to Norwich CT as her journey begins by travelling to New York City. Allen travelled in a great loop from New York City, up the Hudson River and into the Erie Canal. She passed through Buffalo and sailed on to Cleveland OH. From Cleveland, she travelled south by canal boat to Ellsworth OH, arriving on July 22th. She stayed in Ellsworth until Oct 19th. Daily entries often take the form of a single line or comment: "Left Norwich landing for New York sailed all day slow and sure come to New York" [July 7]; "7 o'clock came to Rochester" [July 16]; "... went into Capt Allen's boat Buffalo early in morning" [July 19]; "50¢ sail out for Cleveland" [July 20]; On Oct 19th, she left Ellsworth in the company of her father and 5 other women and began a remarkable trip back to the east coast via the Ohio and Pennsylvania canal systems. This canal route was a complex transportation system that included canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and viaducts. Construction of this network began in the early 1820's and continued for the next several decades. She travelled through places like Petersburgh, Bridgewater and Lowry. Eventually, she reached Pittsburgh. From Pittsburgh, she followed the canal through places like Johnstown and Holidaysburgh, crossing over the Juniata River by means of a rope ferry. She crossed the Susquehanna River by an aqueduct, eventually arriving at Philadelphia, after passing through Harrisburg. At Philadelphia, she boarded a steam ship for New York City and then Norwich on Oct 27th. She offers more details in her comments during this portion of her trip: "Left Ellsworth for home. Got a cup of coffee and dinner at Mr. Speers in Petersburgh ... put up early at Mr.Wells four miles from Bridgewater fare not very good" [Oct 19]; "... passed through 16 locks in the forenoon. Nothing particular this afternoon only the passage through the tunnel this is a piece of art." [Oct 21]; "... crossed the Juniata while eating by means of a rope ferry" [Oct 23]. This is an absolutely fascinating journey and her description, spare at times, provides an excellent catalogue of the canals and locks that she traversed. It is all the more remarkable because this is a woman making the trip and she obviously came from a family with the means to afford such a trip. By 1900, the canals essentially ceased to operate as railroads took over as the preferred way to move people and goods. However, the canals played a vital role in opening up the interior to move settlers west and bring raw materials and crops east to the growing cities of New York and Philadelphia. For a historian, this is an excellent first-hand account of travel around the entire system.. Illustr.: /. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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