Marvel Hancock's 1799 geography assignment, Wrentham School
date: label: date made
content: 1799
notes: label: Description
content: A ink and paper handwritten geography assignment made on February 13, 1799 by Marvel Hancock of the Wrentham School in Wrentham, Massachusetts. The assignment consists of text about the size of the United States surrounded by circles containing the names of the 16 states in the Union-the original thirteen colonies plus Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee- as of the time of the assignment. The text demonstrates uncertainty about the actual size of the country at the time, which is likely because of having laid claims to unexplored or uncharted land. The states listed starting at the top and going clockwise around the center text are: North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania/ New York, New Jersey, Connecticut/ Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Kentucky/ Vermont, Georgia, South Carolina
label: Description
content: Marvel Hancock was the son of Keziah and Phillip Hancock. He was born December 4, 1772 in Wrentham and died January 25, 1838 in Wrentham. He would have been 26 when the georgraphy assignment was done, so he probably was the schoolmaster. He appears to have never married and left his estate to his brother Samuel and his numerous nieces and nephews.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Wrentham
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Education
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dr. Richard Lodish American School Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2014.0244.353
label: catalog number
content: 2014.0244.353
label: accession number
content: 2014.0244
objectType: label: Object Name
content: geography assignment
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: handwritten (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall, framed: 14 3/4 in x 18 in x 1 in; 37.465 cm x 45.72 cm x 2.54 cm
label: Measurements
content: assignment paper: 12 1/2 in x 15 1/4 in; 31.75 cm x 38.735 cm