Extremely rare and important Notre Dame document. This document is a "Certificate Of Membership of the Scientific Association of Notre Dame." The document reads, "This is to certify that Mr. Mark M. Foote of Burlington State of Iowa was, on the 28th day of February 1872 unanimously elected an active member of the Scientific Association of Notre Dame." The certificate states that the purpose of the association was "interchanging and advancing Scientific Knowledge, mainly through the Press." The certificate praises the "gentlemanly conduct and Literary and Scientifc ability" of Foote, but the interior of the certificate is intact. The document is approximately 7x9". It has many tears around the edges. It does have evidence of scrap-booking and irregular paper loss around the edges. Some minor staining.

Recently discovered in an estate sale in Brookfield, IL, one of the thrilling finds of 2019. The collection of Mark N. Foote, class of 1873 Notre Dame graduate, this includes the earliest known image of Cap Anson in a baseball uniform. Acknowledged as the greatest player of the 19th century, despite his racial intolerance, which led to the color line being established in the 20th century.  Anson’s father sent his son Adrian to the high school at Notre Dame in 1866 thru 1888. These pieces are not only valued for the Cap Anson connection but for their historical context for one of America’s great educational institutes.