Guide to the Byron H. Loomis Autograph Book, 1882 SPEC.RARE.MMS.0319 Finding aid prepared by Mackenzie Sommers Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2019 February This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2019-03-01T16:31-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Byron H. Loomis Autograph Book SPEC.RARE.MMS.0319 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 1 0.01 Cubic feet 1882 Byron H. Loomis was a resident of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio during the late nineteenth century. Autograph books are a Dutch and Germanic tradition that came to America and gained popularity during the 19th century. The Byron H. Loomis Autograph Book contains a small album decorated with an engraving of two birds building a nest in a birdhouse. Inside the album, there are poems and signatures written by relatives and friends. Some pages include small hand drawn illustrations. The album dates from 1882. (1) flat box English Loomis, Byron H. Acquisitions Information

Unknown

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Byron H. Loomis Autograph Book, SPEC.RARE.MMS.0319, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Mackenzie Sommers, 2019 February; Finding aid written by: Mackenzie Sommers, 2019 February.

 Historical Note

Byron H. Loomis was a resident of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio during the 19th century. He was born on September 18, 1868. His father was L. W. Loomis who owned and operated Loomis Hardware in Cuyahoga Falls. Byron Loomis had two siblings, Lillian M. Loomis and Irving I. Loomis.

Autographs 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. Often times, 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 still remains popular in schools with signing yearbooks.

 Scope and Contents

The Byron H. Loomis Autograph Book contains a small album decorated with an engraving of two birds building a nest in a birdhouse. Inside the album, there are poems and signatures written by relatives and friends of Byron H. Loomis. Some pages include small hand-drawn illustrations. The album dates from 1882.

 Loomis, Byron H. Autograph albums Autographs--Ohio--Cuyahoga--19th century Signatures (Writing)--Ohio--Cuyahoga Falls--19th century