Unknown.
[identification of item], Julia Ann Bailey Autograph Book, SPEC.RARE.0265, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Mackenzie Sommers, 2019 March; Finding aid written by: Mackenzie Sommers, March 2019.
Autograph books have existed for many years, but gained popularity in the 18th century in Dutch and Germanic countries. Fraternity societies and middle class families would collect signatures of classmates, friends, and relatives in blank books. Oftentimes, the books also contain poems, drawings and illustrations, locks of loved ones' hair, and pressed flowers. Around 1815, German immigrants brought the custom to America, where it peaked in popularity around the time of the American Civil War, 1861-1865. The custom started to morph from collecting signatures in blank books to collecting signatures of classmates and teachers. As of 2019, the original form of autograph books has mostly disappeared from American culture, but the act of collecting signatures in a yearbook from peers and teachers is still present in schools.
Julia Ann Bailey was a woman who lived during the 19th century. She lived in Middletown, Connecticut. No other information is known about her.
The Julia Ann Bailey Autograph Book is an autograph book that was owned by Julia Ann Bailey. The book bears the inscription "A small memento left behind/ Recalls an absent friend to mind," and contains poems written by friends and relatives of Bailey. It is unclear whether the poems are originals or were copied from existing poems by other authors. Also in the book are a few small drawings. The autograph book dates from 1827-1828.