Details
The Property of
A DESCENDANT OF JOHN HANCOCK (l737-l793)
HANCOCK, JOHN, Signer (Massachusetts), and EBENEZER HANCOCK. Autograph copybook, with penmanship exercises by both, as students, [Boston, l753-l754], INCLUDING EIGHT FULL PAGES IN JOHN HANCOCK'S HAND, EACH PAGE SIGNED AND DATED. 36 pages, small 4to, 186 x 155mm. (7 5/16 x 6 1/16 in.), written in a copybook, original blue stiff paper covers detached but preserved, upper cover lettered in a large copperplate hand "John Hancock's Book," and signed by Hancock at top right, the front cover split in center and stained, most leaves of the copybook loose in binding (and now separated for preservation), minor chipping at binding edge of several pages, without loss of text.
THE FUTURE SIGNER PRACTICES HIS PENMANSHIP
The very unusual survival from the childhood of this eminent American statesman. John, born in 1736/37, was the son of Rev. John Hancock, a pastor at Braintree. Upon his father's death, he and his younger brother Ebenezer were adopted by a childless uncle, the wealthy merchant Thomas Hancock of Boston. Young Hancock attended Boston Latin School, and graduated from Harvard College at age 16 in l753, the same year in which these penmanship exercises are dated. The meticulously executed exercises appear to have been undertaken by John without a writing master; at least the mottos at the top of each page are all in Hancock's hand, rather than in an instructor's. On five pages, Hancock has inscribed a motto, precept or admonishment (several apparently of his own invention, since they end with "John"). Each is then rewritten beneath, on a separate line, up to 12 times, in his well-known clear, elegant hand. Hancock has signed at the bottom of each page, with the date. On two other pages, he practices numerals from 1 to 9 arranged in narrow lines, and on one page, various two-letter combinations. The remaining 24 pages of the book are filled with similar exercises in the hand of Ebenezer; most are precisely dated at the bottom, in l757 and l758, and signed by him. John's contributions are as follows:
p.[1] "Courtesy and Humility are marks of Gentility. John"
p.[2] numerals
p.[3] "Be ashamed of your pride, not proud of your shame."
p.[4] two-letter pairs, "Am," "Bm," et.
p.[5] "Duty, Fear and Love, we owe to God above. 1234"
p.[6] numerals
p.[7] "Every Plant and Flower, shows to us God's Power"
p.[35] "Flee the Pleasure that will bite To-morrow, John"
Provenance:
1. John Hancock and his brother Ebenezer Hancock.
2. John Hancock, son of the above Ebenezer.
3. Elizabeth Lowell Hancock, daughter of the above.
4. Elizabeth Lowell Hancock Moriarty, daughter of the above.
5. Charles Hancock Wood, son of the above.
6. John Hancock Wood, son of the above.
7. The present owner, widow of the above.
A DESCENDANT OF JOHN HANCOCK (l737-l793)
HANCOCK, JOHN, Signer (Massachusetts), and EBENEZER HANCOCK. Autograph copybook, with penmanship exercises by both, as students, [Boston, l753-l754], INCLUDING EIGHT FULL PAGES IN JOHN HANCOCK'S HAND, EACH PAGE SIGNED AND DATED. 36 pages, small 4to, 186 x 155mm. (7 5/16 x 6 1/16 in.), written in a copybook, original blue stiff paper covers detached but preserved, upper cover lettered in a large copperplate hand "John Hancock's Book," and signed by Hancock at top right, the front cover split in center and stained, most leaves of the copybook loose in binding (and now separated for preservation), minor chipping at binding edge of several pages, without loss of text.
THE FUTURE SIGNER PRACTICES HIS PENMANSHIP
The very unusual survival from the childhood of this eminent American statesman. John, born in 1736/37, was the son of Rev. John Hancock, a pastor at Braintree. Upon his father's death, he and his younger brother Ebenezer were adopted by a childless uncle, the wealthy merchant Thomas Hancock of Boston. Young Hancock attended Boston Latin School, and graduated from Harvard College at age 16 in l753, the same year in which these penmanship exercises are dated. The meticulously executed exercises appear to have been undertaken by John without a writing master; at least the mottos at the top of each page are all in Hancock's hand, rather than in an instructor's. On five pages, Hancock has inscribed a motto, precept or admonishment (several apparently of his own invention, since they end with "John"). Each is then rewritten beneath, on a separate line, up to 12 times, in his well-known clear, elegant hand. Hancock has signed at the bottom of each page, with the date. On two other pages, he practices numerals from 1 to 9 arranged in narrow lines, and on one page, various two-letter combinations. The remaining 24 pages of the book are filled with similar exercises in the hand of Ebenezer; most are precisely dated at the bottom, in l757 and l758, and signed by him. John's contributions are as follows:
p.[1] "Courtesy and Humility are marks of Gentility. John"
p.[2] numerals
p.[3] "Be ashamed of your pride, not proud of your shame."
p.[4] two-letter pairs, "Am," "Bm," et.
p.[5] "Duty, Fear and Love, we owe to God above. 1234"
p.[6] numerals
p.[7] "Every Plant and Flower, shows to us God's Power"
p.[35] "Flee the Pleasure that will bite To-morrow, John"
Provenance:
1. John Hancock and his brother Ebenezer Hancock.
2. John Hancock, son of the above Ebenezer.
3. Elizabeth Lowell Hancock, daughter of the above.
4. Elizabeth Lowell Hancock Moriarty, daughter of the above.
5. Charles Hancock Wood, son of the above.
6. John Hancock Wood, son of the above.
7. The present owner, widow of the above.