January 9 Sunday – Robert M. Yost wrote from St. Louis to Sam and enclosed Mrs. Yost’s Jan 11 request for a “souvenir” — “Won’t you please send me a scrap of one of your neck ties [?]” Mr. Yost was born in Shelbyville, Mo. and wrote of going back to Hannibal and “shaking hands with the old Florida people who ‘knew Sam Clements,’ as they call you” [MTP].

January 10 Monday – William Smith wrote from the Osborne House in Morley, near Leeds, England, having received Trumbull’s volumes of Hartford history from Sam. Smith thanked him profusely and wrote he was sending as set of “Old Yorkshire,” which he said had been out of print for some time and hard to find at twice the original price.

January 11 Tuesday – Sam was in New York, having escorted his mother-in-law to the Gilsey House. He did errands and had “such a long talk with Charley” (Webster) that he left things undone.

January 12 Wednesday – Sam was still in New York, running errands, checking out the new offices of Webster & Co., and visiting with the Websters.

January 13 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Charles Webster, excited about a new book possibility, that of William Thompson Walters, proposed by William Mackay Laffan — a full color art book.

January 14 Friday – In Hartford Sam wrote to his sister, Pamela Moffett. This letter confirms the short trip to New York, probably to escort Olivia Lewis Langdon on the first leg of her trip to Elmira.

January 15 Saturday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Brown & Gross, Hartford Bookseller, ordering Thomas Babington Macaulay’s History of England (1869) and John Richard Green’s one-volume version of A Short History of the English People; both books in half-morocco [MTP; Gribben 274 & 437]. See Jan.

January 16 Sunday – The Brooklyn Eagle, p.9 ran an article from a Toledo, Ohio newspaper about a rags to riches in reverse story, and a connection with Sam that has yet to be verified:

January 17 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Belle C. Greene of Nashua N.H. about her book.

January 18 Tuesday – Sam telegraphed Worden, Webb & Co., N.Y. stockbrokers, with a buy order for 100 shares of WV at $80 [Jan. 19. from Worden].

January 19 Wednesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Charles Webster about the Henry Ward Beecher biography and the status of William Thompson Walters’ art book, which William Mackay Laffan had suggested. Sam wanted to limit an advance to $5,000 for Beecher, and $1,000 to James B.

January 20 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Rev. C.D. Crane (1849- ) of New Castle Maine, who had written asking three questions: what were the best books he might recommend for boys, for girls? And also what Everett Emerson calls the “desert island question” — that is, which books would Sam save if he could only save a few?

January 21 Friday – Sam went to New York with Livy, (or perhaps the day before), judging from his letter to Batcheller on Jan. 25 that reveals his return on Saturday, Jan. 22.

January 22 Saturday – Sam and Livy returned to Hartford, Sam playing whist (probably with Irving Bacheller and others) while Livy rested in the “palace car” [Jan. 25 to Bacheller].

January 24 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote again to Rev. C.D. Crane of Newcastle, Maine asking him to:

Dear Sir:

January 25 Tuesday – Under consideration for over a year, Webster & Co. And Adam Badeau finally signed a contract for Badeau’s Grant in Peace. Webster later insisted that some portions revealing the bitter Badeau-Grant disagreement of 1885 be edited to avoid distress to Mrs. Grant, causing Badeau to withdraw from the contract. The book was published in 1887 by S.S. Scranton & Co. Of Hartford [MTNJ 3: 270n146].

January 26 Wednesday – Charles Webster wrote to Sam, responding to his request for statistics on the sale of Grant’s Memoirs. Webster wrote that the paper used to make the book, “would make a ribbon…one inch wide which would stretch seven and one third (7 1/3) times around the world” [MTNJ 3: 275n166]. Note: no such ribbon was made.

January 27 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Dora Wheeler, answering an inquiry to visit. Livy would like nothing better, Sam answered, but Livy couldn’t.

January 30 or February 6 Sunday – In Hartford Sam wrote to John C. Kinney, editor Hartford Courant, enclosing a speech, likely for the Stationers Board of Trade dinner on Feb. 10.

January 31 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Richard Watson Gilder, editor Century Magazine. Did he want a “powerful readable short article (about 5,000 words at a rough guess?)”; Would he pay more than “of yore”? And would Gilder “crowd it into the March No.?” [MTP]. Sam was working on “English As She Is Taught,” which would appear in the Century in the April issue.

February – “Clemens became an enthusiastic pupil [of Alphonse Loisette (Marcus Dwight Larrowe)] around February 1887, receiving instruction in person and by mail.

February 1 Tuesday ca. – In Hartford Sam responded to a form letter from Mrs. John M. Holcombe for the Darby and Joan Club of Hartford, which had decided to rename itself the Century Club. Sam wrote across the form, “Dear Mrs. Holcombe. The old Clemenses have joined.” Others named on the form were Mrs. J.M. Taylor, Mrs. William Hamersley, Mrs. George Perkins, Mrs.

February 2 Wednesday – In Hartford Sam wrote a one-liner to Bruce Weston Munro in Toronto that he had not received an item Munro had sent, probably the novel Munro had written of sending [MTP]. See Oct. 21, 1881 entry for more on Munro [MTP].

February 3 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote Richard Watson Gilder, editor of Century Magazine:

February 4 Friday – In Hartford Sam finished the letter begun Feb. 3 to William Smith. He’d received Smith’s books and expressed a desire to visit Morley on his next trip to England. Both he and Livy enjoyed the “beautiful and interesting” books by Smith.