Archbald, Anna & Jones, Georgina

The Fusser's Book [Courtship and Etiquette] [28 Signatures]

New York: Fox, Duffield and Company, 1905. Illustrated by Florence Wyman. New and Larger Edition.

Red cloth over the spine to illustrated paper covered boards. The boards are worn with rubbed corners. Some pages are a bit shaken but all are attached. 8.5 inches tall with 45 unnumbered pages. Owner’s name on the front free endpage with inscription ‘Jeanie Louise Millar Christmas 1905 Bayville ME'.

A book with a story….. 28 young men have added their signatures under various ‘Rules’ which are written with a light humor covering Courtship and Etiquette.

Signatures of 28 gentlemen – possibly suitors, or friends of the groom – most with a date and a university.  Many were from Harvard with mentions of M.I.T., Exter and Swarthmore. Two may have been the book owner’s brothers.

Signatures of the following (some of the school information in a different hand)

 ++++ Leo H. Lrary Harvard 1905
 ++++ Chandler W. Ireland Exter ‘09
 ++++ William R. Millar with comment Yale 1904 & Harvard Law 1907
 ++++ Harold H. Millar Swarthmore ‘10
 ++++ Warren F. Whitcher Harvard 1909
 ++++ Billy McEwuen Grad. School for Scandal
 ++++ Geo(rge) E, Cornwall Melrose H.S. 1909
 ++++ William Hickox, Jr. Harvard 1908
 ++++ R. B. Fonda ?? H.S. 1905
 ++++ Frank A. Baker M.I.T. ‘10
 ++++ Harold F Rud Williams ‘08
 ++++ Franklin T. Foule M.I.T. ’08 [Husband of book owner]
 ++++ (??) Albert G Hervey
 ++++ J. Frederick Blatz Swarthmore 1910
 ++++ G. Miles Summer
 ++++ B. T. Stephenson Harvard 1908
 ++++ George L. (?) Laureny M.I.T ‘09
 ++++ Arthur W Fonda M.H. S. 1910
 ++++ Phil Wentworth M.I.T. ‘09
 ++++ Louis Winthrop Barta Harvard 1908
 ++++ Edward P. (?) Curriber Harvard 1908
 ++++ A. C. Trego (unreadable)
 ++++ Donald L. Greenleaf Williams 1912
 ++++ Bing W. Dorn ‘Tech’ ‘09
 ++++ Mat G. Murrill Exter 1910
 ++++ R. D. Morss (?) Bowdon 1910
 ++++ Le??? T. Collins 1910
 ++++ Lewellyn M. Evans

The book’s owner Jeanie Louise Millar was born on 23 December 1890, in Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, her father, Alexander Millar, was 41 and her mother, Jennie H Wilson, was 41. She married Franklin Thompson Towle on 1 November 1913, in Plainfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts, They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 1 daughter. She lived in Plainfield, Union, New Jersey, United States for about 10 years and Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States for about 10 years.

Item #18196

Price: $24.00