A Handwritten Record of Practical Mathematics Education in Antebellum Pennsylvania 1849-1850

Author: Math and Science Notebook, Pennsylvania Education
Title: A Handwritten Record of Practical Mathematics Education in Antebellum Pennsylvania 1849-1850
Publication: 1849

Description:

Autographs & Manuscripts

Pennsylvania Education. 19th-Century Handwritten Arithmetic Notebook from Pennsylvania. Manuscript arithmetic notebook comprising 72 handwritten pages, approximately 12 × 7½ inches, completed by Henry Wismer of Plumstead, Pennsylvania, during December 1849–1850. The title page is inscribed in ink “Addition of Federal Money,” indicating the practical focus of the volume, and each leaf is systematically organized with a clear subject heading at the top followed by worked examples and handwritten computations beneath. Lessons throughout the notebook address a range of foundational nineteenth-century arithmetic topics, including “Addition of Federal Money,” “Addition and Subtraction of Decimal Fractions,” “Simple Interest,” “Compound multiplication,” and similar problem types, reflecting the mathematical competencies expected of students preparing for commerce, bookkeeping, and daily life in antebellum America.

The notebook also contains narrative word problems that provide a glimpse into the lived social context of the period. One exercise asks, “Henry was born on the 20th of the 6th month (June) 1789 and Charles on the 18th day of the 2nd month (February) 1828 — what is the difference in their ages?” Another word problem reads in part, “If corn is bought at 50ct per bushel and sold at 4.50 per bushel, what is the loss…,” illustrating the direct application of arithmetic to practical concerns such as age calculation and economic exchange. These examples demonstrate how arithmetic instruction interwove numeracy with real-world scenarios long before the standardization of printed textbooks. This notebook represents a rare student-produced manuscript that illuminates the content and methods of mathematics education in mid-nineteenth-century rural Pennsylvania. As a primary source document, it provides direct evidence of how young Americans were taught and practiced essential numerical skills during a formative period of national economic expansion, offering material insight into curriculum, pedagogy, and the everyday intellectual life of a student prior to the widespread adoption of printed arithmetic primers. Condition: The manuscript shows some dampstaining and foxing throughout, typical of a working notebook of its age, but the handwriting remains clear and legible on all pages. Overall condition: Very Good.

Seller ID: 19695

Subject: Autographs, Manuscripts & Letters, Education, Science, Medicine, Technology