1820s antique CUSHING freeport me CYPHER BOOK & MARITIME LOGBOOK merchant math
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Outstanding early 1820s cipher and mathematics manuscript kept by Edward Cushing of Freeport, Maine, later continued through the 1830s–40s with added handwriting practice, ballads, tailoring accounts, and personal notes. A superb mixed-content volume from coastal Maine, blending merchant-trade arithmetic, a full maritime voyage log, genealogical notations, and original verse.
Bound in early paper-covered boards, measuring approx 8 x 12 inches, containing about 125+ pages of manuscript content.
COMMERCIAL ARITHMETIC & MERCHANT-MATH COURSE
The first and largest portion is a complete New England merchant’s arithmetic workbook, including:
Rule of Three (direct, inverse, compound)
Golden Rule, Fellowship, Alligation
Loss & Gain, Barter, Practice (extensive), Cloth & yardage problems
Buying & Selling Stock
General Average (rare in cipher books)
Interest & compound interest
Discount & Bank Discount
Equation of Payments
Numerous long-form written rules and detailed solution sets
References to 1804 Boston & Plymouth problems, typical of schoolmasters’ copied examples
This is a model-level cipher book from a student clearly preparing for trade or maritime employment.
1824 MARITIME VOYAGE LOGBOOK
Inserted after the math course is a seafaring log titled:
“A Journal of a Voyage from Edenton N. Carolina to Freeport On board the schooner Hardin, James Bacon master, 1824.”
Daily entries document:
Winds, weather, and sail handling
Anchoring, making & shortening sail
Landmarks: Alligator River, Block Island, Cape Henlopen, Sandy Hook, Long Island, etc.
Encounters with vessels and changes in company
Latitude observations
Maneuvering in coastal channels and harbors
A true working mariner’s log, uncommon to find bound into a student’s cipher book.
TAILORING & ACCOUNT ENTRIES (1830s–40s)
Later sections record clothing-making and repairs for Freeport families:
Pants, jackets, vests, shirts, alterations
Named customers including Dillingham, Bowers, Griffin, Soule, Bailey, and others
Line-item pricing in manuscript
Excellent local genealogical and occupational history.
BALLADS, POEMS & HANDWRITING EXERCISES
Multiple pages of creative writing, including:
“Lord Beakman” and other long narrative ballads
Romantic poems, moral verse, copied stanzas
Freeport place references and dates
Multiple signatures and flourishes of Edward Cushing, Howard Cushing, Robert Mann, and others
Ink doodles, decorative penwork, and small profile sketches
A rare look at the literary and social world of early 19th-century Freeport youth.
CONDITION
Early paper covers worn with age, edges rubbed, some corner loss.
Interior pages are strong early rag-content paper—thick, durable, and NOT brittle.
Writing generally clear; scattered stains, toning, and ink blotting from period use.
The final few added leaves (different paper stock) show more browning and wear, but the main cipher/log sections remain solid, flexible, and well-preserved.
SURNAME / LOCALITY INTEREST
Cushing, Mann, Dillingham, Bowers, Griffin, Soule, Bailey, Bacon (shipmaster), Denham (vessel), and numerous Freeport-area names.
VALUE ADDED
Because this contains (1) a full merchant-math cipher course, (2) a complete 1824 schooner voyage log, (3) literary compositions, (4) Freeport tailoring accounts, (5) multiple Cushing signatures, and (6) large-format early Maine manuscript, this is far above a standard cipher book.
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
- International buyers are responsible to pay VAT or other Taxes to their countries as required.
- collects and remits sales tax on behalf of several states.If you are a dealer, you can write to to file a form to become tax exempt.
LOC:
LOC2: PAPERBOXTALL13-TMKTK-F251123BDSaeo
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