Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16746, Clara D. Nelson commonplace album, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Eclectibles by the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on February 19, 2020.

Biographical / Historical

Clara Danforth Sargent was born on September 26, 1845 to Daniel Sargent (1816-1887) and Mary W. Chase (1822-1920) in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. She married Harris Burpee Nelson (1843-1928) on November 17, 1868. She had 3 children, George E. Nelson (1870-1900), Eugeen L. Nelson (1871-1955), and Carl Harris Nelson (1874-1971). She and her husband were farmers in New Hampshire. She died on March 15, 1932 in Sutton, New Hampshire of influenza.

Content Description

This collection contains one notebook filled with poems and some loose newspaper clippings of printed verse. The inside front cover is signed, "Mrs. Clara D. Nelson's book." The book is full of poems copied down by Clara. Some of the poems included are "The golden side," by Mary Ann Kidder, "The old, old home," [Reverend Henry Brown], "Peace," by J.G. Whittier, and "Watching and waiting," by Marianne Farningham.

Additionally, there are thirteen poems on newspaper, eight of which have been pasted together. Lastly, a shopping list is included.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Women's Scrapbook/ Commonplace Book Collections (University of Virginia)
• Commonplace books
• Farningham, Marianne, 1834-1909
• Kidder, Mary Ann, |d 1820-1905
• Whittier, John Greenleaf, 1807-1892