American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Featuring Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana & Historical Documents

Brass and leather construction. Unidentified manufacturer. Working condition with good optics. Approx. 6 1/2 in. (l) x 5 1/4 in. (w); 8 1/2 in. length when fully extended including the lens shades on the front of barrels. One side boldly inscribed beneath lens shade "J.D. Markel" and other side with faint cursive inscriptions, perhaps in two different hands: "Bought of F.J. Pe[?] / C.T.[?] Young [?]." (Wear to leather, tarnish, but generally good condition.)

Consignor relates that the glasses were purchased in Colorado, where there is a grave registration in the Colorado State Veterans Cemetery (also known as Homelake Cemetery) identified to Civil War veteran "J.H. Markel / Co. I. / 50th N.Y. Engrs."  HDS locates Jacob H. Markell [sic], a 20-year old who enlisted on 8/23/1862 at Waterloo, NY as a private and mustered into Co. I, NY 50th Engineers. HDS further indicates that Markell was promoted to the role of "Artificer" before he was mustered out on 6/13/1865 at Fort Barry, VA, and that upon his death in 1908 he was buried in Homelake Cemetery, Colorado.