The Portland daily press., 1888-04-28
THE MAINE STATE PRESS.
LITERARY WORKSHOP.
Proof that there was once "shipped
by the grace Of God, ono hogshead
of Rum" from Boston to a Maine
Man.
[Kennehec .Iournal.l

The Journal man had the pleasure of visit
ing in his workshop. Dr. w. b. Lapham
whose writings are so well known to the
readers of history, editorials, biography, etc.
The Doctors workshop is simply furnished
and bears the marks of having been fitted up
from time to time accordingly as the de-
mands Of the author varied or increased
He calls it his working library, term which
it is impossible to apply to many Of
the private collections of books. In one
large bookcase we find almost exclusively
town histories and genealoges. Here is
every history of Maine town, which was
ever written. Plain, unpretentious looking
volumes, many Of them dry TO the ordinary
reader Some represent labors of mediocre
writer who desired to do something literary
before he passed off the stage, while others
are labors of love, the works of men whose
calling had placed them perchance in narrow
environments but whose interest in human
ity had not been restricted thereby. Some
of these cheap looking volumes are very
scarce and bring a corresponding price.
Only forty Maine towns out of five hundred
have been described by the town historian.
The book case also contains many of the
histories Of towns in Massachusetts,, New
Hampshire and Vermont. Several Of these
llJbit N6lulltS WOulu UIlLR LWtut1-uft uUl-
lars EACH Aliens history of Norridgewock
and Pierce's history of Gorham are among
those that are very scarce.
These could not as yet be termed rare old
books" yet they came from small editions
which were soon exhausted and now the his
torian or biographer frequently finds need
for just such works Hence the working
library of such an author is likely to contain
both rare old books and needful books which
become scarce and are increasing in value on
kIa onatI an~sr .nAlA-
we find a list of old Maine Registers, larger
than that in the possession of any other per-
son. Here are files of old almanacs, in all, F..
twenty kinds that were published prior to
1900. The case contains the numbers of the
old Ames Almanac between the dates 1850
and 1760; list Of Poor Richards; the
Thomas Almanac from 1876 to 1888 and the
Maine Farmers from 1919 TO 1888, nearly
complete. A purchase of bundle OF old
Christian Almanacs at the time thought to
be worth little, proved to be windfall as
they contained nearly completed sdiary,
which the former owner had kept years ago.
A prominent feature of the library is a
large number of genealogical works COM
prlSlng the names Of many of the first fami-
lies, in this and other States. Among the
titles we noticed the names Of Cushman.
Hall, Thayer, Upton, Holt, Fowler, Thurs
ton, Clapp, Vintord, etc.
Among the works of reference is COM
plete set of the Maine Agricultural Reports
from 1850 to 1887
Over the tops of the long bookcases,
drawers have have identified to contain old
papers and relics. Among these, although
the owner has made no pretense of collecting
antiquities only as be has found need, one,
who delights to revel in things wrought up
on by hands that are now part and parcel of
mother earth. will find many sources of
pleasure. Here are old navigation charts
dating back to the era when the original
Mayhower was model of ship architecture.
Beside this in the same box is a leaf from a
New England sermo delivered two hundred
and fifty years ago. How many SHORES this
one leaf elected no one knows. In another
drawer we find an old deed given by Bar
th0lomew de GregOire, the grantee of half of
Mt. Desert Along side is grant from Sir
Ferdinando Georges.
A newspaper man would need no histOri-
cal proof aside from the labored but clear
style in which these deeds are written, to
convince him that the newspapers OF that
period didn't get out two editions daily. The
Oldest writing that any of these papers show
bears the date of 1888. The bills of lading, of
which. there are several of ancient date, one
being made out to Jonathan Belcher, Boston,
Jan. IA, 1721, seem rather peculiar to the
Maine resident as he reads shipped by the
grace of God one hogshead Of rum" Delving
still further, we find by the assistance of the
0bliging author, whose sanctum we have in
vaded, an original pay roll ofIthe soldiers of
the Revolution, dated Dec. %, 1776, at Peaks
kill, then written Pixkill, NY. The paper has
tue signatures Ol the SOiul6IS dS IH6y WTOLe
them on receiving their pay. Among the
receptacles for papers is a round two quart
box, once the property of Lemuel Perham,
who kept an inn in Upton, Mass, back in
1913. This box was then used in accordance
with the custom Of that time for collecting
the hotel bills being passed around the table
at meal time. One small cabinet is devoted
to mmeentoes of the civil war, which DR..
Lapham brought with him from the service
Among these is a confederate $1,000 bond
"a akf xuhf oh
found by Mr.. Lapham in Richmond just
after its capture.