This family is a rather unique family. The children were precocious and very talented at tender young ages. Unfortunately, the children all died very young. Margaret Miller Davidson died at age 15. Her sister, poetess Lucretia Maria Davidson died at age 16. Margaret writes about a brother who died around 1836 (age unknown). Another brother Levi P. Davidson lived only until about age 25. Levi Davidson served in the military at Fort Leavenworth and Fort Wayne, Indian Territory. One of the interesting facets to this book is that it may have been inscribed and signed in 1841 by the brother who died in 1842. This has not been authenticated, however, take a look at the inscription and judge for yourself.

This book was published in 1841 by Lea and Blanchard, Philadelphia. The book measures 4 7/8 inches by 7 ½ inches and contains 359 pages. The book has been professionally rebound. The orange cloth cover shows no signs of wear to speak of. The spine is tight and the hinges are strong. There is an inscription on the half title page. The pages show no signs of rips. The book has occasional light foxing. Exceptions noted, the overall condition of this lovely old book is very good.

Contents:

Biography
Remains
A Tale, written at the age of fifteen
Poetical Remains
To my Mother
Pride and Modesty
Versification of the Twenty-third Psalm
To Brother L-
For Mamma
To Mamma
To a Flower
Stanzas
Essay on Nature
Home
The Majesty of God
From the Forty-second Psalm
Hymn of the Fire-Worshippers
Enigma
To a Little Cousin at Christmas
On reading Childe Harold
Invocation
Christmas Hymn
Evening
Enigma
To the Deity
To my Sister Lucretia
Prophecy
Enigma
Essay on the Sacred Writings
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Versification from Ossian
To my dear Mamma
On the Death of Mrs. F.H. Webb
To the Evening Star
To my Father
On Nature
To the Infidel
On the Mind
On the Hope of my Brother’s Return
To my Mother
Boabdil el Chico’s Farewell to Granada
The Shunamite
Belshazzar’s Feast
To my Mother on Christmas Day
On visiting the Panorama of Geneva
The Funeral Bell
Lines on receiving a Blank-book from my Mother
To Fancy
Invocation to Spring
From the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Psalm
Stanzas
Letter to a Poetical Correspondent
Stanzas
Versification from Ossian
To the muse, after my Brother’s Death
Lines on hearing some Passages read from Mrs. Hemans’ “Records of Woman”
An Appeal for the Blind
The Smiles of Nature
On a Rose Received from Miss Sedgwick
The Church-Going Bell
Fragment
Fragment
On returning to Ballston
Twilight
ON the Departure of a Brother
Lines written after reading Accounts of the Death of Martyrs
On reading Cowper’s Poems
Stanzas
Fragment
Imitation of a Scotch Ballad
Ere, Thou didst Form
A Fragment
Fragment of the Spectre Bridegroom
Elegy upon Leo, and old House-Dog
Morning
Lines written after she herself began to fear the her disease was past remedy
to my Old Home at Plattsburgh
Fame
On my Mother’s Fiftieth Birthday
The Storm hath Passed By
Epitaph on a Young Robin
To a Moonbeam
Evening
A Poetical Letter to Henrietta
Lines on seeing some fragments from the Tomb of Virgil
A Short Sketch of the most important ideas contained in Cousin’s “Introduction to the History of Philosophy”
Brief N Notes from Cousin’s Philosophy
Lenore

Excerpt:
The reading world has long set a cherishing value on the name of Lucretia Davidson, a lovely American girl, who, after giving early promise of rare poetic excellence, was snatched from existence in the seventeenth year of her age. An interesting biography of Arts, was published shortly after her death; another has since appeared form the classic pen of Miss Sedgwick, and her name has derived additional celebrity in Great Britain from an able article by Robert Southey, inserted some years since in the London Quarterly Review.

An intimate acquaintance in early life with some of the relatives of Miss Davidson had caused me, while in Europe, to read with great interest every thing concerning her; when, therefore, in 1833, about a year after my return to the United States, I was told, while in New York, that Mrs. Davidson, the mother of the deceased, was in the city and desirous of consulting me about a new edition of her daughter’s works, I lost no time in waiting upon her. Her appearance corresponded with the interesting idea given of her in her daughter’s biography; she was feeble and emaciated, and supported by pillows in an easy chair, but here were the lingerings of grace and beauty in her form and features, and her eye still beamed with intelligence and sensibility.

While conversing with her on the subject of her daughter’s works, I observed a young girl, apparently not more than eleven years o age, moving quietly about her; occasionally arranging a pillow, and at the same time listening earnestly to our conversation. There was an intellectual beauty about this child that struck me; and that was heightened by a blushing diffidence when Mrs. Davidson presented her to me as her daughter Margaret. Shortly afterwards, on her leaving the room, her mother, seeing that she had attracted my attention, spoke of her has having evinced the same early poetical talent that had distinguished her sister, and as evidence, showed me several copies of her verses remarkable for such a child. On further inquiry I found that she had very nearly the same moral and physical constitution, and was prone to the same feverish excitement of the mind, and kindling of the imagination that had acted so powerfully on the fragile frame of her sister Lucretia. I cautioned her mother, therefore, against fostering her poetic vein, and advised such studies and pursuits as would tend to strengthen her judgment, calm and regulate the sensibilities, and enlarge that common sense which is the only safe foundation for all intellectual superstructure…
End excerpt

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