De Souza, Mary Ann, fl. 1858

Mary Ann De Souza, apparently a young woman from Philadelphia, made and presented this friendship album to Esther Bolster in 1858. An additional inscription in the album reads "A gift of affection from Anne Bolster to her friend Mrs. [?] Brice, March 13, 1874." Anne Bolster may have been a relative of Esther Bolster who inherited the album as a family keepsake.

Additional names that appear in the album include Henry De Souza, whose name is listed in the 1860 Philadelphia census as a clerk at 134 Chestnut Street, age 42; and George J. Bolster. The relationship of these two individuals to Mary Ann De Souza and Esther Bolster is unknown, though they may have been brothers or spouses who contributed to the friendship album.

Biographical information derived from collection.