An Idiosyncratic Common Place Address Book

Massachusetts, 1930. General wear. Binding is loose. Several pages loose or detached.. A one of a kind commonplace address book, that belonged to Harriet Sophia Rowley (1853-1943), which includes not only the addresses of her family and friends, but also that of local businesses she likes. Sometimes these notes are by the business name or type, but other times it is listed under the goods that is sold there. Often she makes extraneous notes about the business as well. Some examples are: "Apples, Mrs. Frank T. Ives, Amherst (Bought in 1919, good)", "Artificial Flowers, made by a one armed ex soldier, Geo. Bryant shop at 68 Emrose St. (Nov. 21) Pine Point, Springfield, MA", "Flower information. Garden Index. Copyright, 1933, S. A. Murphy, N.Y.C. Good for Xmas, a Treasure for My Garden", and "Tea Room, 'The Barn', Harvard Mass. Tel. Harvard 167, dinners a la carte. Antique shop also. Good. Arthur de Lanqis Prop." Interspersed are occasional statements of fact "Soldiers in barracks U.S. Armory grounds during World War". At the back of the address book is a list of her friends and family members' birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Additionally as they died, she made a note of that date as well. Measures 6 3/4" x 4" Harriet Sophia Rowley was born on February 16, 1853, to Warren Dunham Rowley (1800-1854) and Harriet Maria Curry (1818-1889) in New York. She had several siblings: Warren Curry Rowley (1841-1928) and Hiram Curtis Rowley (1844-1922), Sarah Cornelia Rowley (1850-1952), Nancy Helen Rowley (1846-1925), and a half sister, Nancy Davis Rowley (1837-1846). She lived in South Trenton, NJ with her family until they moved to Utica, NY In 1866. She eventually would move to Springfield, MA and lived with her brother Hiram until his death in 1922. Harriet herself died at the age of 91 on October 26, 1943.