The Birth
The Notes on the State of Virginia was published in Philadelphia in 1784. It was brought to life by Thomas Jefferson.
First Marks
The book was first written in by Anderson J Henshaw. He marked that he purchased the book on July 24th of 1901. It is clearly shown here that Anderson wanted to claim possession to the text because he wrote his name directly above the title. Below, the word “Book” forming another mark of possession as if to say “Anderson J Henshaw’s Book.” Since he was claiming possession of the book I believe that it was seen more as an item of value. Generally when a person writes their name in something it is because they do not want anyone else to claim it.
Hand-Me-Down
After Anderson J Henshaw was finished with the book (possibly dead) it fell into the hands of Mabel Henshaw (Later to be known as Mabel Henshaw Gardiner). Mabel Henshaw Gardiner was a teacher and a prominent member of Shepherd College after having attended there herself. Being as the two have the same last name, I assumed they are related in some way. I looked for records of Anderson Henshaw in the genealogy but could not find any type of relation between the two. Although it would be an odd coincidence if they were not related in any way. Therefore it leaves me to believe Mabel obtained the text directly from Anderson in some way. Unfortunately, there is no known date of which she obtained the book, however there is a library sticker claiming her donation of the book. Sadly, there is also no date of this donation in any of our records. I do assume however, that it was during her time as a teacher at Shepherd University because she was so dedicated to the history education of the students.
Current Status
Currently the book is being held in the Rare Books Collection at the Shepherd University’s Library. There, it waits for visits from those who are interested in the second oldest book in our library. Or, those who seek to read the Second American Edition of the Notes on the State of Virginia.
Timeline Document Link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e_PQ6JLUFugfwt0dQBn3aJOsDsGuyNSU5-FtN2-lshU/edit?usp=sharing
Genealogy of Mabel Hensaw Gardiner and Family:
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=149178670