In education circles there has been a debate brewing over whether cursive handwriting should be taught.
By 1850, Spencerian Script had been widely adopted in schools as well as in the business community. With the advent of typewriters it began to fade away in the early 1900s. By the 1920s, schools began adopting the Palmer Method. It was considered more streamlined, less laborious and faster technique.
Of note, the Spencerian had some quirky traits, which one sees a lot in early documents of Lassen County. A double “s” such as Lassen, looks like a “p.” This was evident in the short-lived Lassen Post Office in the Willow Creek Valley that only operated from June 19, 1874, to July 14, 1875. Some records cite it as “Lapen,” due to the penmanship of Edward Bonyman, its first and only postmaster.
Beautiful alright!
Interesting!
Differences like an upper-case S looking like a P to contemporaries creates confusion for amateur researches/transcribers when transcribing old records!