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Collection

Grew family collection, 1790, 1795

2 items

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

This collection consists of a commonplace book (approximately 50 pages) compiled by Ann Greene after 1790, and an account of a 44-day voyage John Grew and his family took from Liverpool to Boston in the summer of 1795. The 22-page travel diary also includes an 8-page copy of a letter Mary Grew, John Grew's mother, wrote to her family in England upon her arrival in Boston.

Ann Greene's commonplace book has two parts: 33 pages of transcribed poetry (24 poems) begin at the front cover, and 15 additional pages of personal reflections and letter drafts begin at the back cover. Much of the poetry was originally written by British authors whose work circulated widely in the eighteenth century, such as James Boswell, James Thomson, William Cowper, and Elizabeth Singer Rowe. Greene occasionally recorded the volume and page from which she transcribed poems. The other portion of the volume contains personal resolutions about making good use of one's time, interspersed with light-hearted notes about beaux or friends.

The travel diary records the Grew family's emigration from Birmingham England, to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1795. Daily entries, written between May 23 and July 8, 1795, detail several aspects of the voyage, such as the weather, passing ships, maritime wildlife, and the ship's progress. The diarist also mentioned an instance when another vessel mistook their ship for a French privateer, and the effects of a tumultuous storm.

The final 8 pages contain a copy of a letter Mary Coltman Grew (1756-1834) wrote to her mother in England from Boston, Massachusetts (July 24, 1795). She detailed her initial impressions of the city and of local customs. Among other topics, she reflected on the climate, housing, servants, dress, food, and religious customs. She also related an anecdote about Benjamin Franklin, who reportedly distributed printed cards to strangers in order to preempt any inquiries about him.

Collection

History of the Four Quarters of the Globe, 1791-1793

1 volume

This volume, compiled between 1791 and 1793, contains detailed geographical, historical, and other descriptive accounts of Western Europe and the Americas, as well as a general history of astronomy. Appendices include an index of geographic locations and a general timeline of world history, with a focus on Biblical events and European affairs. This is the third volume of a 3-volume work.

This is the third and final volume of a multi-volume work (pages 508-966) written by "I. C. Junr." between November 3, 1791, and March 4, 1793. The cover of the 460-page volume is hand-tooled in gold leaf and bears the title "Manuscript Account from Germany to Turkey in Europe with a Description of America Finishing with a Copious Explanation of the Terrestrial & Celestial Globes." The author's concluding remarks refer to it as a "History of the Four Quarters of the Globe," begun around November 1789 (p. 880). The work includes geographic, historic, and descriptive accounts of Western Europe and the Americas, a geographic index, a timeline of events in world history, a general history of astronomy, and an index. He notes that the previous volumes described Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

The book begins with a partial description of Germany, continued from the previous volume. Further geographically-organized sections focus on other Continental powers, islands in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, and the Americas. Each section opens with a general description of a nation's history, geography, people, cities, and (sometimes) important buildings. The author included information on soil quality, climate, and the people, often commenting separately on men and women, and on common religious beliefs. Charts, lists, or other quantitative data accompany some of the descriptions. The author treated several "American States" individually, though New England is described as a singular entity.

The appendices include a table of geographical information about cities, islands, and landmarks (pp. 882-889); a timeline of world history from the Creation of the World in 4004 BC to 1784 AD, focusing on Europe and listing Biblical events, deaths of notable people, and political developments (pp. 890-904); a history of astronomy (pp. 905-917); and additional information on land, water, tides, winds, and stars (pp. 918-965). Celestial information includes tables of zodiac signs (p. 926) and a list of constellations (pp. 927-928). The geographical information is followed by definitions, solutions, problems, and paradoxes (pp. 939-965). The mathematical, navigational, and geographical problems and solutions are presented in a question-and-answer teaching format (similar to Isaac Watts's The Knowledge of the Heavens and the Earth Made Easy or Joseph Randall's A System of Geography, for example).

Collection

Eighteenth-century commonplace book, "Of & in North America", 1791-1795

67 pages

This commonplace book, marked Volume II, contains extracts of newspapers and books, largely from the Philadelphia area, but also including London and other locations. The subject matter is wide-ranging, from "Aphorisms on Man" by Johann Lavater to copies of an article on the unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania. A portion of the articles pertain to agriculture, including methods of preserving seeds, methods of keeping mice from eating grain, and notes on high-yielding crops.

This commonplace book, marked Volume II, contains extracts of newspapers and books, largely from the Philadelphia area, but also including London and other locations. The subject matter is wide-ranging, from "Aphorisms on Man" by Johann Lavater to copies of an article on the unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania. One respects a Springfield neighborhood cat that would return with captured quails and rabbits. A portion of the articles pertain to agriculture, including methods of preserving seeds, methods of keeping mice from eating grain, and notes on high-yielding crops.

Among the newspapers represented are the Pennsylvania Mercury, Philadelphia Gazette, Columbian Magazine, Federal Gazette, London General Advertiser, Dunlap's and Claypool's Daily Advertiser, and Universal Magazine.

The following list suggests the breadth of subjects that interested the compiler:

  • French Revolution (Pennsylvania Mercury, February 1, 1791)
  • Publius Lentulus's letter to Caesar describing Jesus Christ (apparently published in a newspaper, June 1, 1791)
  • Aphorisms on Man by Johann Lavater
  • A Thomas Paine letter in answer to Burke's attack on the French Revolution (Columbian Magazine, April 1791)
  • Available returns of the census (Federal Gazette, August 31, 1791)
  • An article on a London woman, age 117 ("a London paper")
  • An article on Forsyth's discovery of a process of regenerating trees (London General Advertiser, July 9, [1791?])
  • Relationship between the style and substance of a composition
  • "An etemporal [sic.] Sermon on Malt. preached at the request of two Scholars, by a lover of Ale, out of a hallow Tree"
  • "Out of W. Robertson's Charles V," American edition, volume II, page 352.
  • An article on a Philadelphia man, age 108 (Pennsylvania Gazette, December 26, 1792)
  • A review of William Coxe's Travels in Switzerland
  • "Cyder," a brief article on apple trees that produced extraordinary amounts of apples ("Boston," October 7, 1793)
  • Notes on the births and deaths of prominent French persons (Dunlap's and Claypool's Daily Advertiser, January 31, 1794)
  • An article on a Springfield neighborhood cat that would return with captured quails and rabbits (Dunlap's Paper, February 3, 1794)
  • An article on an enslaved mother who gave birth to a child with two heads--one white, one black (Philadelphia Gazette, March 12, 1794)
  • A description of the development of Cooperstown (Philadelphia Gazette, May 2, 1794)
  • On the incomprehensibility of 270,000,000 (London Morning Chronicle, 1794)
  • A method of preserving seeds (Universal Magazine, November 1793)
  • A method of preventing mice from eating grain
  • Values of states' exports (Philadelphia Gazette, June 9, 1794)
  • A poem on whiskey (Philadelphia Gazette, August 13, 1794)
  • Temperatures at New Milford, Connecticut (July 22)
  • Brief notes on a bean plant that produced 250 pods at Scituate (September 25, 1794)
  • An earthquake at Smyrna (Dunlap's Paper, October 23, 1794)
  • The unearthing of human remains at Hanover, Pennsylvania (General Advertiser, January 14, 1795)
  • On matrimony (Philadelphia Gazette, February 23, 1795)

Collection

Pennsylvania County Officials, 1791-1815

1 volume

This volume contains lists of county-level officials in Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

This volume contains 29 pages of lists of county-level officials in Pennsylvania from 1791-1815. The first sections are comprised of lists of sheriffs (12 pages) and treasurers (12 pages), organized by county. The names of all sheriffs and some treasurers are accompanied by dates. The third section is a 3-page list of "prothonotaries." One name is listed for each county, with the name of the "county town." This list is followed by the names of supreme court clerks (1 page). One later page has two additional names accompanied by county names and dates, though the office held by each, if any, is unknown.

Collection

Winchester (Conn.) sermons, 1791-1845 (majority within 1810-1845)

21 items

This collection contains 21 individually bound sermons and religious lectures delivered primarily in Winchester, Connecticut, in the early 1800s. The sermons cover a variety of religious topics, and include several lectures from a series based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

This collection contains 21 individually bound sermons and religious lectures delivered primarily in Winchester, Connecticut, in the early 1800s. The sermons cover a variety of religious topics, and include several lectures from a series based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The pastor utilized shorthand abbreviations for common words.

At the top of some sermons, the author recorded dates on which the sermons were delivered and the location at which they were delivered when not at Winchester (often in towns across northwestern Connecticut). The earliest sermon was delivered at "Preston" on August 1, 1791, and is numbered 236. Sermon topics, based on verses copied from the King James Version of the Bible, included the doctrines of salvation and repentance, Christian life, and the author's 35th anniversary with his congregation ("Sickbed Reflections," January 31, 1843).

Four additional sermons form part of a series of "Catechetical Lectures," delivered between November 23, 1811 (lecture I) and April 16, 1819 (lecture XV). The first considers the history of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the others touch upon individual questions taken from the document. Additionally, the collection includes part of a notebook containing notes on sermons given by various speakers between April 20, 1832, and April 21, 1833.

Collection

Eighteenth-century cypher book, 1793

24 pages (1 volume)

This currently unidentified student's cypher book contains mathematical rules and examples largely in the service of commerce. Entries relate to the addition of money, addition of Troy weight, addition of dry measure, subtraction, a numeration table, a multiplication table, the Golden Rule (i.e. the rule of three), and similar concepts. Currency in this volume is almost exclusively British coinage, but at least one problem references conversion of British pounds into the (newly created) U.S. dollar. The covers of the volume are (apparently re-used) canvas, possibly sailcloth. The cypher book was owned by the Higgins family of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and it contains names of Higgins family members, but the author is yet undetermined.
Collection

Philadelphia (Pa.) Surveyor's Notebook, 1795-1802

1 volume

A Philadelphia surveyor recorded methodological information, distances, and other measurements pertaining to the city's streets in this 176-page volume, dated 1795-1802.

A Philadelphia surveyor recorded methodological information, distances, and other measurements pertaining to the city's streets in this 176-page volume, dated 1795-1802.

The surveyor typically recorded distances from a specified starting point, usually an existing street. Many of the entries adhere to the following form: "From [street] along [street or direction] to [location or street] is [number] feet." The volume also includes tables of distances and several maps.

The surveyor sometimes noted the dates on which he took his measurements, and occasionally shared the names of his fellow surveyors. Entries often include lot and house owners' names, or identify commercial properties, such as the "Survey of the Brew House" (p. 38). Measurements related to waste disposal include "field notes of a Survey of the natural chanel of Peggs Run as it appears at the present time" (1798, pp. 59-61a) and a description of the "common sewer" (62a).

The author also occasionally wrote about his methodology; in one entry, he noted, "In order to set the two pair of sights to my surveying instruments at right angles to each other the Meridian of the Box or Card plate makes an angle to the right hand of the Meridian of the Index plate of 7½ minutes" (December 3, 1799, p. 13a). The notebook contains 1 personal entry; on September 24, 1795, the author "Paid to Mrs. Lehnyder 6 Dollars to give to my Wash woman for a Quarter's washing" (p. 1).

Other Surveyors Mentioned:
  • Brooke, Robert, 1770-1821
  • Forepaugh, [George?]
  • Huston, [John?]
  • Kessler, John
  • Miller
  • Sowder
  • Story
Collection

New York Surveyors collection, 1795-1851 (majority within 1803-1821)

0.75 linear feet

The New York Surveyors collection is made up of documents, notes, and maps related to property ownership. The bulk of the material is comprised of surveyors' notes and manuscript maps of private properties.

The New York Surveyors collection is made up of documents, notes, and maps related to property ownership. The Documents series (21 items) has indentures and other items pertaining to ownership of real property in the state of New York, particularly in Albany and Greene Counties. The Field Notes series (4 items) contains 3 sets of notes by unidentified surveyors and a field book that belonged to H. A. [Whitlock?]. The notes concern surveys of farms and other properties in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Surveys series (140 items) comprises the bulk of the collection and consists of notes and maps of surveys conducted between 1794 and 1821; one item is dated April 20, 1831. The surveys, which relate to private property, often have descriptions of the area, and some items have notes about the reasons for conducting the surveys, usually related to sales. Some of the material pertains to members of the Ten Eyck family.

Collection

George Erving collection, 1796-1816

13 items

The George Erving collection consists of letters and a document about Erving's financial affairs, such as his attempt to receive compensation after fleeing his Boston home during the Revolution. Other items include letters that Erving wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo.

This collection contains 12 letters and 1 document about George Erving's financial affairs and Boston commerce in the early 19th century. Eight items pertain to Erving, including letters that he wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo, and incoming letters from merchants in Boston and England. In one letter to Waldo, Erving complained about his inability to receive compensation from the British government following the British evacuation of Boston in 1776 (February 19, 1796), and one document grants him power of attorney for his nephew. The remaining 5 items relate to life in Massachusetts in the early 19th century; writers commented on the tea trade (January 26, 1802), vacationing (August 23, 1816), and the death of Salmon Chase (August 12, 1806), among other subjects.

Collection

Carver Tract documents, 1796-1836 (majority within 1796)

6 items

This collection is made up of legal documents and memorandums pertaining to the chain of ownership of a 2,000 acre property. The tract was a part of the land allegedly granted to Jonathan Carver from the Naudowessie Indians during his 1766-1768 journey to present-day Wisconsin and Minnesota.

This collection (6 items) consists of legal documents and memorandums pertaining to the chain of ownership of a 2,000 acre property. The tract was a part of the land allegedly granted to Jonathan Carver from the Naudowessie Indians during his 1766-1768 journey to present-day Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The first 2 partially printed documents, numbered 188 and 189 and signed by John C. Fox, Simeon Avery, and Ezekiel Webb, each grant 1,000 acres of the Carver land to the bearer (February 6, 1796). The third item is an indenture to transfer the land from Benoni Adams to James W. Howard, both of New York City (September 12, 1796). In a document dated November 8, 1836, Seth Whalen of Milton, New York, granted Isaac Nash power of attorney for dealing with the same property. The final 2 items are manuscript memorandums listing the chain of ownership of these 2,000 acres and binding a group of Vermont residents to the Carver heirs for the sum of $200,000. The first memorandum includes small drawings of the tortoise and snake totems of the Naudowessie chiefs who allegedly granted the lands to Jonathan Carver.