Sources: Daily Manna for Christian Pilgrims

Daily Manna for Christian Pilgrims

By Aaron Stow. Published by T. Nelson and Sons, London, Edinburgh and New York, 1879. 190 pages.

Nellie (Patterson) McGregor was given this small date book (presumably for a 12th birthday present), in which she recorded birth dates and other life events for various family members and friends. The book measures 2 3/4" wide, 4" long and 7/8" thick. The dark green binding is embossed on the front cover and spine with a black floral pattern and with gold lettering. A floral pattern is embossed over the back cover. The pages are gilt edged. The first blank page bears a handwritten inscription “To Nellie with best wishes from a friend. Dunfermline March 16 1880.”

Cover

Inscription Page

Title Page

Sample Pages

The book is intended as a general date book for no particular year, with a passage of Scripture and a brief analysis of each passage given for each day of the year. After a two page preface, the book contains a blank lined page opposite each printed page, one such pair for every two days of the year (except that January 1st and December 31st are on their own pages). There are 96 handwritten entries for various days of the year, all but two entries written in ink. Many entries were written by Nellie, a certainty based on people still living who knew her handwriting. Other entries appear to have been written by the individuals themselves, again based on known exemplars of their handwriting. The accuracy of the information suggested by the entries is considered excellent; family members still living have confirmed many of the entries based on personal knowledge, and various public records provide independent confirmation.

The people in many entries have not been identified, including some with surnames Philp, Patterson, and McGregor, strongly suggesting that they are Nellie’s relatives or in-laws. Also, multiple entries for each of several surnames, especially Black, Cochrane, Lauder and Melville, suggest that they, too, may be related. The unidentified entries are both a source of mystery and an inspiration to conduct further research into the family history. The table below shows the complete list of entries.