Elizabeth Hoops notebook

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-0893

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

On the front cover is the title, handwritten in ink: “Elizabeth Hoops Cyphring Book 1814.” At the base of the label is the bookseller’s imprint: “Sold by Bennett & Walton, No. 31, Market st. Phila.” The slim, unlined notebook measures 7.5 by 6.5 inches. Doodles of flowers and capital letters appear on the inside front and back covers and on a few pages. Kept by a schoolgirl, the notebook contains math problems on the first ten pages. In 1819, the notebook was reused for song lyrics. Songs include: “The Shannon Side,” “The Girl I Left Behind Me,” “Ye Answer,” “Owen,” “The Battle of Baltimore,” “Barbara Allen,” and “Hard Times.” English poesies run perpendicular to the main text along the bottom of several pages. Inside the notebook, the owner’s last name is written four times as “Hoopes” with an “e,” contrary to the spelling on the front cover.

Dates

Creation: 1814 - 1819

Creator

Hoops, Elizabeth (Creator, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

According to the label on the front cover, the notebook was purchased from Bennett and Walton on Market Street in Philadelphia. Presumably kept by a local schoolgirl, the notebook contains a transcription of the song, "The Battle of Baltimore," which commemorates the battle on September 12-15, 1814 during the War of 1812. Following the initial assault at North Point, American forces defeated British forces at Hampstead Hill and Fort McHenry. Shortly after the battle, the song was published in a collection of songs celebrating American military victories against the British, The National Songster. The notebook also provides early evidence for the circulation of the song. A lower-class ballad set to the tune of "Yankee Doodle," "The Battle of Baltimore" preceded Francis Scott Key’s "Defence of Fort M'Henry" in the National Songster collection. Based on the same battle, the latter appealed to upper classes and became "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Source: David K. Hildebrand, "Bicentenary Essay: Two National Anthems? Some Reflections on the Two Hundredth Anniversary of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' and Its Forgotten Partner, 'The Battle of Baltimore,'" American Music 32:3 (2014): 253-271.

Extent

0.17 Cubic Feet (1 flat box (11 x 3 x 9 inches))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection consists of a notebook titled by the owner, “Elizabeth Hoops Cyphring Book 1814.” Kept by a schoolgirl, the notebook contains math problems on the first ten pages. In 1819, the notebook was reused for song lyrics. The notebook contains a transcription of the song, “The Battle of Baltimore,” which commemorates the battle on September 12-15, 1814 during the War of 1812.