UVA History of Childhood, Parenting, and Family Building-addition 91 Alletta Vregenburgh Lawrence commonplace book

Content Description

This addition to MSS 16758, The University of Virginia Collection on the History of Childhood, Parenting, and Family Building, contains a friendship and commonplace album compiled over thirty years, from ages seventeen to forty-seven, by Alletta Vredenburgh Lawrence (1814-1866) and a circle of contributors. The greatest number of entries date from 1831, including Alletta's own poem Slavery, which engages in a superficial way with the enslavement of Black Americans. However, the bulk of the album traces more personal preoccupations: friendship, courtship, and marriage, with sentimental poetry on memory, music, and sympathy contributed by friends and family. Sophia Maria Theresa is the most frequent contributor, alongside Alleta, pointing to a long friendship. Later entries mark Alletta's marriage to Martin Mead Lawrence and reflect on love and domestic life. Fewer entries survive from later in her life; among them are her poem 'Life's Retrospect' and a contribution from a friend mourning the loss of a mother.

Acquisition Type

Purchase

Provenance

Purchased from Magnolia Rare Books, 4 March 2026.

Language of Description

English

Script of Description

Latin

Restrictions Apply

No

Use Restrictions

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials. NoC-US: No Copyright - United States: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/