The Montgomery Historical Society has properties scattered about the town, and each site is filled with all types of historical items; from books, personal items, business, and other items pertinent to the history of Montgomery. And it is incredible to see how the pieces on display, and how they played their part in a household or business in Montgomery from 130-187 years ago, in what was essentially their modern times. And it’s easy to place yourself in a house that does not have modern plumbing, or a bathroom, or any other modern convenience that we enjoy today to see how they lived their lives. Each site in the historical society’s collection has items that would boggle the mind of a Millenial or Gen Z’r, things like a collar box or bed warmer that were state of the art before modern conditioned air, played important parts in how citizens presented themselves in society, or how we prepared for the simple act of preparing ourselves for a good night’s sleep.
For this inaugural column, an item from the flagship site of the Montgomery Historical Society, the N.H. Davis Pioneer Complex & Museum, there is a book by Jane Austen ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ the personal copy of Lelia Eugenia (Walkup) Davis (1861-1941), the wife of John F. Davis (1857-1941); who was the son of Nathaniel Hart Davis (1815-1893), and his wife Sarah Elizabeth (White) Davis (1827-1904).
John and Lelia were married on August 25th, 1891 in Monroe, Union County, North Carolina, before settling in Montgomery. The book itself, for being a minimum of 134 years old, is in rather good shape, and could use a little tender loving care from a book binder. The book was published by the A.L. Burt Company of New York City, which existed from 1883-1937. It’s undated, but compared to younger books online dated to 1908, the print is not as crisp and shows evidence of being older.
Lelia personally wrote ‘Mrs. John Davis, Montgomery, Tex,’ on the opening page, more than likely written with a metal nibbed dip pen and ink, which was the most common form of personal writing before fountain pens became more popular. And you can tell from the quality of the ink, that individuals made their own back then, that it has stood the test of time. 
Such a book that Mrs. Davis enjoyed could have been considered a personal treasurer, and even though it was not a first edition offering from England from 1811, it easily could have been considered a status symbol in Montgomery, and may have been read by her children, other family and close friends. John and Lelia together had three children, Marjorie, Nathaniel, and Samuel, and the couple died within days of each other in February 1941. The book is a prized item in the Montgomery Historical Societies collection, but it is just one of the thousands of items that have a connection to Montgomery and its valuable history that has played its part in shaping The Great State of Texas.