Perused old ledgers and log books at my local Historical Preservation Society this weekend. It was fascinating to see those neatly and quite aesthetically pleasing entries. The Police and Fireman logs were of most interest and they were absolutely pristine. I am not a Nibber but I thought of you guys and wondered if you have ever seen those old ledgers and/or log books.
Old Style Penmanship in Ledgers and Logs
- Thread starter August West
- Start date
We have the visitor log and dip pen for our office from back in the day
My sister has my Dad's college and medical school notebooks. 1946/47 to 1952/53. Yeah, I know, pictures or it doesn't count. Next time I'm out in Ohio I'll see if I can take a few shots. What surprised me was how the paper aged along with the ink. That said, everything was legible.
My Dad let me use his "old" fountain pens to write many school papers. (Parker 51s and snorkels; Sheaffers galore) I have no idea where they all ended up. Unfortunately, my sisters and brother don't have them either.
My Dad let me use his "old" fountain pens to write many school papers. (Parker 51s and snorkels; Sheaffers galore) I have no idea where they all ended up. Unfortunately, my sisters and brother don't have them either.
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- Thread starter
- #4
It counts to me.
I went to the Kentucky School for the Deaf with my girlfriend for an event a few years ago. They took us on a tour of the museum that would be opening soon there. I was able to look through the ledgers of students that were there. They were very interesting. I do have a pic of those.
This was a blank page of one of the entries, In this case Intercourse refers to the ability to converse. I didn't take pics of any of the pages with names due to fear of offending the Deaf community at the school.
This was a blank page of one of the entries, In this case Intercourse refers to the ability to converse. I didn't take pics of any of the pages with names due to fear of offending the Deaf community at the school.
I was just talking to a friend this morning about a house deed he just found from 1963 with beautiful handwriting. I don't suppose that happens any more.
I like watching that "Who do you think you are" show with celebrities for when they look at old census sheets and the like. Really shows that great penmanship counted back in the day.
Just checked out some old census pages during a geneology search, here's one from my tree:
- Thread starter
- #9
Yes. Looked at pages of originals like that. The curator turned the pages with a glove on.
Yes. Looked at pages of originals like that. The curator turned the pages with a glove on.
What color ink were the originals? I only ever see copies. Iron-gall based ink no doubt.
- Thread starter
- #11
Mostly black/deep dark bluish but some of the banking type documents had red and green ink also. I wish I knew what questions to ask as I am bereft of knowledge on Nib. We have a great Historical Society here. It is a tiny museum and I had the place to myself. There was very little fading.
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For ledgers and items written with dip pens, I wonder what sorts of nibs were used. Some of you may be aware of my quest to find a nice flexy nib that's not necessarily needle point fine.
The loss of handwriting skills is sad. 60-70 years ago everyone wrote with fountainpens and had very good penmenship. Today the normal person can barely scratch out their name. We are poorer for it.
I don't think it's safe to say everyone had good penmanship, but people were forced to write more carefully, and almost everyone (except for the illiterate, of which there were many) wrote as the only means of correspondence other than telegram. The nature of the equipment available dictated the way people wrote, some were much more careful and deliberate than others. Disposable ball point today force the writer to use a great deal of pressure, which creates a whole different style of script.
I'd say this is true. Here's a scan of Charles Spurgeon's sermon notes. He would have penned this in the latter part of the 19th century. His handwriting isn't exactly neat. I can't read it very easily in some places.
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Excellent addition to the conversation!
If you look carefully, you'll notice that Spurgeon sometimes did not cross his "t's." This is especially noticeable on the last two lines under heading "II." The "t's" on, "It cannot but," and "Let" on the last line do not have crossed "t's."
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