The Educator (Volume 45) - IAMPETH

18
J. D. WILLIAMS . .
The Pioneer Penman
One of the jri'eatest penmen in the
world was the late John D. Williams,
born in 1829 and died in 1871. There
were few great penmen during' his
time, but those who at that time made
penmanship their profession were
careful students and their woi'k was
original and of a high standard. One
of the first penman to create flourishing,
I believe was Piatt Rogers Spencei-,
but it was John D. Williams who
really brought flourishing up to such a
high degree of perfection. He also
brought the art of engrossing up to
a higher degree of skill and perfection.
Originality was one of Mr. Williams
outstanding gifts, and he did
work that would even today make the
best penmen marvel at his skill. He
was, I believe, one of the first penmen
who moulded harmonious curves
of light and shade into beautiful forms
of birds swans stags and eagles guided
solely by his genius, his true eye and
steady hand, and the gift of creating
these forms so they looked lifelike and
real.
Mr. Williams evidently spent his life
in and arouijd Washington, D. C.
where he did his wonderful work in
penmanship. I am not sure where he
was boin, but in 1863, during the Civil
War, he drifted into Washington, D.
C. and enlisted as a private in the
Second Regiment, Dist. of Columbia
Volunteers, under the command of
Colonel C. M. Alexander. Mr. Williams
showed Col. Alexander a few
of his fine specimens of penmanship
and asked to be detailed as a clerk.
Col. Alexandei', who himself was interested
in penmanship, was charmed
with Williams skill with the pen, and
felt that such skill should not be hidden
in a regimental office, so he obtained
for him a position under Colonel
Ruggles. Assistant Adjutant General
of the War Department. Mr. Williams
skillful penwork in the War Department
excited much wonder and
the records of that office will always
bear testimony to his skill as a penman.
After finishing the special work assigned
him at the War Department,
he returned to his regiment. Again
he was detailed for some special work,
this time at General Augers' Headquarteis,
later he was transferred lo
the office of General Slough, Military
Governor of Alexandria, Va. Here he
remained until the war was over and
he was honorably mustered out of
service.
After his discharge from the armv
he was engaged by a Business College
in Washington, D. C. where he
did considerable penwork and taught
penmanship. One of his students at
this time was J. W. Swank, who did
much penwork and engrossing in
Washington, D. C. Mr. Swank tells
about a piece of engrossing done by
Mr. Williams to be presented to Colonel
Alexander by members of his
regiment. He executed this piece of
engrossing in an army tent, on a messtable,
without any mechanical tools
except a pair of parallel rulers, a
compass-pen and a camel's hair brush,
and yet he did such a high grade, beautiful
piece of engrossing, that Mr.
Swank never ceases to wonder how
Mr. Williams could, under such conditions,
execute such a masterpiece.
John D. Williams
Mr. Williams was a wonderful teacher
as well as a penman. Like many
of our greatest penmen, he died while
comparatively a young man. However
his work will live on for many generations,
and thousands of penmen
have been blessed by the pioneer penman
who blazed the trail into the almost
unknown realms of flourished
forms upon which the penmen of today,
with few exceptions have and
will travel. He had a wonderful
knowledge of form, and his masterpieces
rest on the fact that he was
the originator of forms, so well proportioned
and lifelike that even today
his work will rival that of the very
best penman.
ADJ. F. O. ANDERSON.
Hibbing, Minn., Oct. 4, 1939.
One of the best works of John D.
Williams was Gems of Penmanship
by Williams and Packard, (now out
of print) a book 10 by 12 inches. It
is one of the outstanding contributions
to penmanship.
It contained a flourished type of
Business Writing, and some "of the
finest Ornamental specimens ever pub-
lished. The flourishes in this book are
superb. The work also contains many
fine alphabets used by the engrosser
a half-century ago. These alphabets
and specimens are to this day referred
to by artists for inspiration.
On the walls of The Zanerian is one
of John D. William's original flourishes.
It is 30 x 50 inches, and is typical
of many pieces of work which this
skillful penman did. Anyone visiting
Columbus is invited to inspect this
original piece of work.
EDITOR.
W. LeRoy Brown, the Engrosser of
Cleveland, Ohio, was a recent visitor
in our office.
ENJOYS THE EDUCATOR
I received my first copy of The Educator
and have certainly enjoyed evei-y
j
page of it. The magazine means so
much more to me since I have been
to Columbus and have met you all.
MAUDE VANDIVER,
608 S. First St.
Montrose, Colo.
Miss Vandiver attended the 1939
Zanerian Summer School. She writes !
both business and ornamental well and
does fine work in roundhand and lettering.
VERY HELPFUL
As a teacher, I have found The Educator
a valuable aid; particularly in
inspiring the students to finer things
in writing.
HAROLD F. HUDSON,
Beacon College,
Wilmington, Del.
DR. TARKINGTON JOINS
GREGG STAFF
Robeit N. Tarkington has resigned
from the position of director of the
division of commerce, Hofstra College
of New York University, Hempstead,
New York, to join the staff
of the Gregg Publishing Company as
representative foi' the states of South
Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Dr. Tarkington graduated from the
Northeastern State Teachers College,
Tahloquah, Oklahoma, with the degree
of A.B. and fiom Oklahoma Agricultural
and Mechanical College, Stillwater,
with the degree of M.S. He
took his doctorate in education at New
York University. He is a member of
Pi Omega Pi, Delta Pi Epsilon, and
Phi Delta Kappa.
Dr. Tarkington's broad experience
as a classroom teacher and head of
the department of commerce in several
high schools and teachers' colleges
qualifies him eminently for his
new duties. l