William Judd, born in 1743, served as a major in the Connecticut militia and then as a captain in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. A graduate of Yale, he was described as a "respectable but not a great" lawyer. He passed away in 1804. Judd wrote entries from August 10, 1775 to February 21, 1776, describing his experiences during the war. The diary, now part of the Society of Cincinnati collection, was in poor condition. The spine of the unoriginal leather cover had deteriorated, resulting in the front and back board detaching. The pages were discolored and brittle with tears and losses throughout. The final page had the most significant loss. 

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Treatment Overview 

• The textblock was paginated, disbound, and surface cleaned with cosmetic sponges and a soft brush. 

• Iron gall ink inscriptions were tested positive for the presence of free iron (II) ions using bathophenanthroline test strips. 

• Folios were saturated with ethanol to prevent the differential expansion of the paper and ink, then washed in pH adjusted deionized water to reduce discoloration and acidity. Paper mends, accretions, adhesive, and the back fly leaf were mechanically removed. 

• Leaves were washed in in a calcium phytate solution to inhibit further iron gall ink corrosion, and then submerged in a calcium bicarbonate solution to add an alkaline reserve. 

• Folios were sized in 0.25% w/v gelatin solution and allowed to dry. 

• Leaves were humidified before tears and losses were mended using toned mulberry paper and a mixture of wheat starch paste and methyl cellulose. 

• The diary was resewn and the spine was lined in preparation for a paper wrapper. 

• A four flap enclosure was constructed for the previous leather cover, endleaves, and sewing thread. The enclosed material was housed with the book in a handmade clamshell box. 

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