(IOWA) A pair of diaries by storekeeper and musician Whiting

Sale 2310 - Lot 151

Price Realized: $ 344

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 250 - $ 350

(IOWA.) A pair of diaries by storekeeper and musician Whiting M. Wetherell. [122], [122] manuscript pages. Tall 12mo, detached from worn original calf covers; manuscript contents complete and readable. Cedar County, IA, 1861, 1866

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Additional Details

Whiting M. Wetherell (1836-1917) lived in Mechanicsville, Cedar County, IA, near Cedar Rapids. This lot contains two of his diaries, complete for 1861 and 1866. The earlier diary makes frequent reference to the war--the surrender of Sumter, the recruitment of volunteers, and their departure by train. The author earned money on the side by playing violin at local events, which he frequently mentions, including one topical song he added to his repertoire: "Learned Dixie off sheet music" (23 March 1861). Wetherell later enlisted and served as an officer in the 35th Iowa Regiment. Although he did not sign these diaries, he can be identified by the 2 September 1866 entry: "I am 30 years old today." with--a largely blank 1863 diary containing manuscript recipes, a memorandum book dated 1870 to 1929, an 1864 Book of Psalms, and a group of 41 tintype and carte-de-visite photographs presumed to be of friends and family members.