Tonight I have been thinking about some old school books that I have.

The first book was published in 1863 and has a very ornate cover.

The school book is The National Fifth Reader: containing a treatise on Elocution; Exercises in Reading and Declamation; with Biographical Sketches and Copious Notes.

What a long title, and I could have even thrown in Adapted to the Use of Students in English and American Literature.

In the front cover of the book is my Great, Great Grandmother’s name: Miss Henrietta Shafer.

There is also an inscription that is signed by her teacher Lewis Munn. I believe that the school was in Sullivanville, New York.

Henrietta would have been 17 at the time the book was published, so it would have been a brand new book she was using in school.

I also have a school book that belonged to my Great, Great Grandfather, Alfred Van Duzor. He would marry Henrietta several years later after he returned from the Civil War.

This book is The Progressive Higher Arithmetic, for Schools, Academies, and Mercantile Colleges Combining the Analytical and Synthetic Methods;

Of course, there is a bit more to the title, but you can look at the picture. The book is by Horatio N. Robinson and published by Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co.

In the front cover of the book is Alfred’s signature and he also lists where he lived. He lived at Sullivanville, Chemung County, New York.

Alfred would have been 18-19 at the time the book was published, so this would have probably been for a college or trade school course.

My Grandma had also left a note in one of the books.

She states that the books were used before the Civil War, but the dates in the book are from the time during the Civil War. To me this lets me know that life continued during the war for those who were at home.

Alfred entered service in the Civil War the same year as the book was published, so he may have quit the course he was taking to go off to war.

They are definitely family heirlooms and I am amazed that I can hold these books that belonged to my ancestors 150 years ago.

Steven