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Reminiscences of a Newburyport Nonagenarian
by Sarah Anna Emery
Published by Heritage Books, Bowie, MD, 1978. Good hardcover, no dustjacket. Tight binding, solid spine, some highlighted pages and post-it tabs, slight spine canter. 8vo, illustrated, 344 pages.
Reminiscences of a Newburyport Nonagenarian stands as Sarah Anna Emery’s vivid testament to a century of New England life, originally penned by her mother, Sarah Smith Emery (1787-1879), and edited by Sarah Anna for its 1879 debut. This 1978 facsimile, issued by Heritage Books—a Maryland press devoted to genealogical and historical reprints—revives the text with an added index. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Sarah Anna (1821-1907) distilled her mother’s oral histories into a literary artifact, capturing a Federalist-era childhood amid smuggling and social flux.
The book chronicles Sarah Smith Emery’s recollections from 1787 to 1879, rooted in Newbury and Newburyport. It opens with her youth—smuggling Irish linen during the War of 1812—then unfurls into detailed vignettes: Revolutionary War echoes, George Washington’s visit, and daily rhythms of fashion, food, and public gatherings. Edited by Sarah Anna, it draws from her mother’s tales and deceased kin, painting a granular portrait of a seafaring town’s evolution. The 1978 edition’s index enhances its utility, cataloging names and events for meticulous researchers.
The work’s marrow lies in its fusion of personal memory with historical sweep—themes of resilience, community, and contraband commerce dominate.
This 1978 Heritage Books facsimile, while not as scarce as the 1879 original, it is valued for it index and readability. Its significance lies in its unfiltered window into Newburyport’s past, a primary source bridging Revolutionary aftermath to Victorian cusp especially for collectors of Americana and maritime history.
Loc: E15
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Reminiscences of a Newburyport Nonagenarian
by Sarah Anna Emery
Published by Heritage Books, Bowie, MD, 1978. Good hardcover, no dustjacket. Tight binding, solid spine, some highlighted pages and post-it tabs, slight spine canter. 8vo, illustrated, 344 pages.
Reminiscences of a Newburyport Nonagenarian stands as Sarah Anna Emery’s vivid testament to a century of New England life, originally penned by her mother, Sarah Smith Emery (1787-1879), and edited by Sarah Anna for its 1879 debut. This 1978 facsimile, issued by Heritage Books—a Maryland press devoted to genealogical and historical reprints—revives the text with an added index. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Sarah Anna (1821-1907) distilled her mother’s oral histories into a literary artifact, capturing a Federalist-era childhood amid smuggling and social flux.
The book chronicles Sarah Smith Emery’s recollections from 1787 to 1879, rooted in Newbury and Newburyport. It opens with her youth—smuggling Irish linen during the War of 1812—then unfurls into detailed vignettes: Revolutionary War echoes, George Washington’s visit, and daily rhythms of fashion, food, and public gatherings. Edited by Sarah Anna, it draws from her mother’s tales and deceased kin, painting a granular portrait of a seafaring town’s evolution. The 1978 edition’s index enhances its utility, cataloging names and events for meticulous researchers.
The work’s marrow lies in its fusion of personal memory with historical sweep—themes of resilience, community, and contraband commerce dominate.
This 1978 Heritage Books facsimile, while not as scarce as the 1879 original, it is valued for it index and readability. Its significance lies in its unfiltered window into Newburyport’s past, a primary source bridging Revolutionary aftermath to Victorian cusp especially for collectors of Americana and maritime history.
Loc: E15
