Featured College yearbook from first year of civil war - 1861

I didn't know they even had college yearbooks back then. Just like today, individual pics of each classmate, given to friends to sign. Just like today some of the inscriptions are long and personal, others shorter, some just signatures. Some of these young men are preparing to go to war - others will undoubtedly serve as the war drags on and the draft is instituted.

I can also tell from some of the inscriptions that the owner was planning to join the war effort starting up. One of those inscriptions is by a soon to be well known war general, Thomas Hyde. It reads: "Wishing you an early opportunity to "earn your spurs". I am as ever your friend, Thomas Hyde". Incidentally, most of these personal inscriptions are dated with the birthdate of the signer rather than the date they signed it (Hyde apparently born in 1841 in Florence Italy).

There is no cover or title page, but I pieced together that this is from Bowdoin College, Maine in 1861. Thankfully binding is intact. I was surprised each pic is 6" by 4-1/2", cut in an oval and glued to its own page. Maybe that was common then, showing how little I know about the history of photography. I included a couple of the inscriptions, one of these names the owner of the yearbook as Kenniston, though I do not know his last name. Can anyone figure out how to find out his last name?

 

Try George Beamon Kenniston, Bowdoin Class of 1862.

Debora

 

Hell, yes, though he is actually class of 1861, not 62 according to his obituary. At his entry in the yearbook, there was his picture with his signature, and relatives put a newpaper clipping of his obituary from 1918. So he did outlive the war, living to 81, and became a judge in Boothbay Harbor, and was a prisoner at Bull Run.

 

Here's his great-grandson. Might be interested in family heirloom.

https://bowdoinorient.com/2019/11/15/not-my-great-grandfathers-bowdoin-the-beauty-of-af-am-50/

Debora