Honglan Huang, “Pen’s Labyrinth: Knots, Flourishes and Figurative Drawings in Mary Serjant’s Copy Book,” in The Census, Yale Program in the History of the Book

From “Pen’s Labyrinth”: “Mary Serjant (1674-1712), the signed author of this copy book (Beinecke Osborn fb 98), was the second daughter of Cornelius and Rebecca Serjant. She was married to Benjamine Morss, a hosier, in 1692 (Mortimer 1977, 52), four years after the date signed in this copy book. Her sister Elizabeth, who was three years elder, was married to Caleb Lloyd, a grocer, one year earlier (Mortimer 1977, 50). Their father Cornelius Serjant was a soap maker and an “active Quaker from 1670s to death 1726” (Barry 1994, 61). Mary Serjant seemed to be very much influenced by her father’s affiliation to the Quaker community as she is reported to be “active in the Women’s meeting” in 1705 (Mortimer 1977, 253).” READ “Pen’s Labyrinth: Knots, Flourishes and Figurative Drawings in Mary Serjant’s Copy Book”