Context --
everything that is around the document, which speaks to its veracity,
including, but not limited to, where the document was found, who made it, and
why, its chain of ownership since its making, and how it came to be where you,
the genealogist is examining it.
Past that, every
document is also the product of a certain time & location, and therefore
has invisible tendrils connecting it to all the conditions that caused it to be
created, and not only all the people it speaks of, but also all the people who
were involved in its creation. Hence,
for the genealogist, that ties our research into the law of that time, the
societal norms of that time, the family structure of that time, the economics
of that time, etc., etc.
Just this past week,
I was researching pension records, and one particular application went through
several cycles before being approved. I
noticed the handwriting change dramatically between an 1879 deposition and an
1888 deposition. The former was more
slanted vertical, the latter more rounded.
The former showed evidence of the ink running out; the latter not. That led me to do a bit of research on the
pens in use, wondering when fountain pens entered the scene.
I was quite
surprised that there were many patents for fountain pens in the 1850's, when
they were known as reservoir pens. They
were also a true luxury, selling for around $3.00 when a box of nibs (points)
was around 25 cents. This price
difference kept dip pens in use in schools until the early 1900's.
And the leather
insets in fancy desks, or the leather middle of desk pads, were originally
there providing a sturdy yet giving surface to prevent steel nibs from piercing
the paper.
Happily, and bitter
sweet, as in all good quests, every answer produces several new questions. My personal TODO list now includes finding a
pen with a flexible nib. It seems that
dip pens ALL had a much more flexible nib than any current standard
reservoir/fountain pen, and I am interested in seeking out one to do some
experimenting of my own in writing in the old style.
Should you be
interested in your own exploration of reservoir pens, googling "history of
fountain pens" or some variation of that can have you reading for several
hours -- and then you can progress to the pen stores! Write me if you wish about your favorites... I favor LAMY pens.
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2018
begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding
into short comments on matters genealogical. Published on Tuesday and
some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving
on.
©
2018, SE Ross