- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Polly Dickinson Commonplace Book, 1807-1843
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Scope and Contents
Consists of a commonplace book kept by Polly Dickinson (1785-1843), a woman living in Hatfield, Massachusetts, in the early and mid 19th century. Dickinson's commonplace book roughly follows the structure outlined in John Locke's A New Method of Making Common-Place-Books. Sections contain copied poetry, hymns, essays, and biographies, including pieces about women writers and activists such as Lucy Green and Sarah Savage and texts on women's education and the abolition of slavery. There are also selections from contemporary education and elocution texts including A Methodological English Grammar (1785), American Selections in Speaking & Reading (1809), and The Young Lady's Book of Piety (1834). Dickinson also records scriptural readings and lectures by local preachers, including Dr. Joseph Lyman and Reverend Levi Pratt, both advocates for temperance and abolition, along with her own personal reflections on them. The book also contains genealogical records documenting the births and deaths of family members, close friends, and community members of Hatfield, both white and Black.
- Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by the name of the creator or by the date of acquisition.
Collection History
- Acquisition:
Purchased from Whitmore Rare Books in 2022 (AM 2022-120).
- Appraisal
No material was separated during processing.
- Processing Information
Item processed and described by Kelly Bolding in April 2022, incorporating some description provided by the dealer and the Dickinson Family Association.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Polly Dickinson Commonplace Book; General Manuscripts Miscellaneous Collection, C0140, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (mss): Box B-001872
Find More
- Existence and Location of Copies
Parts of this collection are available on microfilm, cataloged separately as RCPXM-7497696.
- Subject Terms:
- Women -- Education -- Massachusetts -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Women -- Massachusetts -- History -- 19th century -- Sources - Genre Terms:
- Commonplace books -- 19th century
- Places:
- Hatfield (Mass.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
