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THIS IS A MICROFICHE of the Alden edition of Captain David Perry's memoir, a republication she produced ca 1912.
The full title of the 1822 first edition of this book is long and descriptive as was typical of that time period. It is:
"Recollections of an Old Soldier: The Life of Captain David Perry, a soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars, Containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, nowhere else recorded. Written by himself."
In her republication, Mrs. Alden was careful to keep this entire title intact.
A notice inside the original copy of this republished edition (placed on microfiche in 1970) reads:
"This book is an exact copy of the original issue and has been republished by Mrs. John Ferriss Alden, a great great granddaughter of Captain David Perry."
Mrs. John Ferris Alden's complete name was Mary Emma Bogue Alden. She prepared her manuscript by hand-copying a first edition in the holdings, probably, of a research library. In the process, some words, and in one case several lines, were unintentionally left out. She reproduced the words as exactly as possible and it took her more than one sitting to complete it, filling several notebooks.
Her final manuscript was typeset and printed at her own expense by Vredenburg & Co., Inc., in Rochester, N.Y., where she lived. She died there in 1939. Her intent was to share her progenitor's words with as many of his descendants she could find, with no though of profit. She offered a copy to any descendant who wanted a copy at the charge of $1.00, printing it on demand, ca1903-1930. (Source: Denise G. Jones, fifth great granddaughter, The Captain David Perry Web Site, c1999-.)
Due to the discovery and rise of photography in the 100 years since Captain David Perry died, Alden was able to include a photograph of "the house at Ira, Vt. where David Perry died" (taken sometime before the house burned down in the early 1900s) with that caption, on the page opposite the title page.
In addition she was able to include a photograph of Captain David Perry's gravestone [in Ira, Vermont] as a plate just after the concluding text of her edition, above which is time-honored French word for "The End ": finis. Her completed edition had 73 pages, compared to the 55 of the first edition printed by Ide.
The addition of these photographs complete the record of Captain David Perry's life in a visceral way, and added greatly to the events after his life story's publication in 1822. It provided that fact that he died in Ira, Vermont, on 2 May 2, 1826, without any changes to his record, a visual addendum, as it were.
Since Mrs. Alden didn't republish the Advertisement/Preface by the printer Simeon Ide included in his publication of the 1822 first edition, this valuable piece of writing was not preserved beyong the very rare actual first editions, for some years. William Abbatt's The Magazine of History edition in 1928 included it, but that book was rare, too, and printed for a certain clientele: university libraries, historical societies, and a certain esoteric pool of subscribers.
Microforms of the 1822 first edition, and of the Abbatt edition, eventually added to the preservation of this Advertisement and, with the rise of the Internet, The Captain David Perry Web Site (c1999-) included both it and the entire 1822 edition of Perry's Recollections, incorporating later editions' contributions and changes in a system of brackets.
The National Union Catalog [NCU] description of Perry's Recollections given below, follows here with corrective revisions in brackets by Denise G. Jones:
"The writer's life was spent in Rehoboth and Dighton, Mass., Killingby [Killingly], Conn., Plainfield, N.H., and Chelsea, Vt. [Note: He lived his final years in Ira, Vermont, where he died in 1826, and was buried.] He served in four campaigns of the French and Indian War from Massachusetts, 1758-1762 and in two campaigns of the Revolution from Connecticut, 1775-1776 [1775, and 1776-1777]."
Note: Any edition that gives the number of pages as 73 is a form of the Alden edition, either an actual book, a microform, or a reprint of hers in 1971 by Winston DeVille using her plates but with changes to the title and published under as his new imprint Polyanthos Press, Cottonport, La. (later New Orleans, La.), or a microform of that one. Anytime the pages given are 55, the book is either an actual first edition, published in 1822, or a microform of it. (Microform include microfiche and microfilm.) The only other case is where the first edition book, or a later edition, has been scanned, but the number of pages still holds true as an identifying marker between the first edition (55 pages) or the Alden/Polyanthos editions (73 pages).
In this case, the microfiche was produced in 1970, which means it is definitely a preservation of the Alden edition, since the Polyanthos edition was not published until 1971. This microfiche of the Alden edition, which is still a rare edition, is of great value in the preservation of that edition.
(Source: Denise G. Jones, The Captain David Perry Web Site, c1999-. Mrs. Jones has researched Perry's book, his life, his times, and his posterity for over 35 years.)
NOTE: For more information on Captain David Perry's book, click on “Recollections of an old soldier” AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE to go to the main Recollections page. Included are a description of Perry's life and times, excerpts, links, etc.
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Subjects
Biography, History, Autobiography, Personal narratives, Soldiers, Massachusetts provincial soldiers, British colonial history, Siege of Lousibourg, Siege of Ticonderoga, Siege of Quebec, General Montcalm, General James Wolfe, British North America, Canadian colonial history, Rangers, United States French and Indian War, 1755-1763, United States Revolutionay War, 1775-1783, Siege of Boston, United States War of 1812, 1812-1814, Thomas Macdonough, Battle of Plattsburgh, Battle of Lake ChamplainPeople
Capt. David Perry (1741-1826), Sir William Pepperell, General Montcalm, General Wolfe, Moses Hazen, Israel Putnam, George Washington, Thomas MacdonoughShowing 7 featured editions. View all 7 editions?
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Recollections of an old soldier: the life of a soldier of the French and Revolutionary wars, containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, nowhere else recorded
1971, Polyanthos Press, Inc.
in English
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Recollections of an old soldier: the life of Captan David Perry, a soldier of the French and Revolutionary wars....
1822 [date of original publication], ca1912 [republished edition], 1970 [Microfiche], Republican & Yeoman Printing Office [Republished by his great great granddaughter, Mrs. John Ferriss Alden (M.E.B. Alden), Imprint: Vredenburg & Co., Inc.], Library Resources, 1970
Microform
in English
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Recollections of an old soldier
1822, Printed at the Republican & yeoman Print. Office [Simeon Ide, printer]
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Recollections of an old soldier: the life of Captain David Perry, a soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars ...
1822 (microfilmed: 1980), Printed at the Republican & Yeoman Printing Office [Simeone Ide, printer], (microfilmed: Lost Cause Press, 198-.)
Microform
in English
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Recollections of an old soldier: the life of a soldier of the French and Revolutionary wars....
1822 [date of original publication], ca1912 [republished edition], 1970 [Microfiche], Republican & Yeoman Printing Office [Republished by his great great granddaughter, Mrs. John Ferriss Alden (M.E.B. Alden), Imprint: Vredenburg & Co., Inc.], Library Resources, 1970
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Book Details
Edition Notes
"Containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, nowhere else recorded."
The writer's life was spent in Rehoboth and Dighton, Mass., Killingby, Conn., Plainfield, N.H., and Chelsea, Vt. He served in four campaigns of the French and Indian War from Massachusetts, 1758-1762 and in two campaigns of the Revolution from Connecticut, 1775-1776.
Microfiche. Chicago : Library Resources, 1970. 1 microfiche ; 8 x 13 cm. (Library of American civilization ; LAC 40080)
s 1970 ilu n
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Work Description
As they were in those days, the full title of Capt David Perry's book is its own description:
Recollections of an old soldier. The life of Captain David Perry, a soldier of the French and revolutionary wars, containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, no-where else recorded. Written by himself.
Perry's Recollections was first printed through the generosity of a young printer and newspaper publisher, Simeon Ide (who does not mention his name), at his Republican & Yeoman Printing Office in Windsor, Vermont, 1822. Later editions include one in the early 1900s, one in 1928, and one in 1971.
Capt. David Perry (1741-1826) was born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts; raised a family in Killingly, Connecticut, and then in Plainfield, New Hampshire, where he accepted a captain's commission after the war; wrote his Recollections in Chelsea, Vermont; and lived out his old age in Ira, Vermont, where he died and is buried.
(See "The Captain David Perry Web Site" for more detailed information. Be aware that the entire site including photos is under copyright protection. Notification is posted at the top or bottom of each web page, and also under "How to Cite this Site.")
During the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), Captain David Perry served in the Massachusetts provincial forces under the British against the French and their Indian allies. He fought or served at Ticonderoga, 1758; the Siege of Quebec, 1759; Nova Scotia, 1760 and 1762; and the recapture of St. John's, Newfoundland, later in 1762.
During the American Revolution, he served as a second lieutenant at the Siege of Boston, 1775; and at as a first lieutenant at Providence, Rhode Island, during the winter of 1776-77.
The last war through which Perry lived, but in which he could not serve due to age, was the War of 1812. He devoted the end of his Recollections to that war, and to the situation in the New England States then and shortly after. His entire book was written to his posterity and future generations, but none more so than his final words.
Capt David Perry's conclusion to his book, is stirringly patriotic, written by one to whom America's new-found liberties meant so much, and who'd lived through the wars that made them so.
(Source: The Captain David Perry Web Site: Summary, http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dagjones/captdavidperry/summary.html Copyright c 1999-2013, Denise G. Jones, accessed 11 Feb 2013.)
Excerpts
DAVID PERRY
Chelsea, Vt. 1819
This is Capt David Perry's conclusion to his book, and is stirringly patriotic, written by one to whom America's new-found liberties meant so much, and who'd lived through the wars that made them so.
This incident occurred in 1760 when then-private David Perry was 18 years old and still apprenticed to a master to learn tanning and shoe-making, when not on military campaign. He was at the time of this incident serving in a detachment of provincial soldiers in the Minas Basin area of Nova Scotia as a guard against Indians, who would have probably killed them the year before when hostilities were high and the French had not yet been defeated. These Indians, likely a hunting party, all males, were members of the Micmac or Mi'qmak tribe with their chief. David reveals several things about himself: 1) his interest in hunting; 2) his willingness to engage others unlike himself in an open exchange, even their leader, and 3) his sense of humor. This is a window into David Perry's personality.
Links outside Open Library
- The Captain David Perry Web Site (c1999-)
- Recollections of an old soldier. The life of Captain David Perry, a soldier of the French and revolutionary wars (1822) on Archive.org
- Recollections of an Old Soldier: The Life of Captain David Perry, A soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars, containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, no-where else recorded. Written by Himself. (1819). (Compiled and edited by Denise G. Jones, c1998-2013. This is a derivative edition, see copyright information. Chapter breaks added by editor and are also under copyright.)
- Recollections of an old soldier (1st edition, scanned and online)
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- Created August 27, 2008
- 26 revisions
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October 8, 2017 | Edited by MARC Bot | merge duplicate works of 'Recollections of an old soldier' |
February 15, 2013 | Edited by Denise Jones | Spelling correction. |
February 15, 2013 | Edited by Denise Jones | added note |
February 15, 2013 | Edited by Denise Jones | paragraph break |
August 27, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Western Washington University MARC record |