Collections

This diary records the sermon notes and spiritual reflections of an unnamed member of Boston's Brattle Street church between March 1772 and April 1775.

This diary records the sermon notes and spiritual reflections of an unnamed member of Boston's Brattle Street church between March 1772 and April 1775.

The diarist wrote each "Sabbath evening" as well as on occasions when s/he attended special Fast-day services or religious lectures. Entries also appear in the middle of a week when someone the diarist knew died suddenly. Other entries of note include those in which the writer was unable to attend worship because of "bruises I received by a fall from a Sley" [16 Jan. 1774] and because of a smallpox outbreak [26 March 1775].

A typical Sabbath entry opens with thanks to God for the favor to attend "his House," gives an account of who preached and from what text for both the morning and afternoon services, and offers a short reflection on or explanation of the sermon. The writer also examined his/her spiritual state and beseeched God for mercy and for his/her heart to be bent to God's will. Additionally, many entries feature anywhere from a few lines to the complete set of stanzas for hymns from English writers like Isaac Watts and the Wesley brothers.

The diarist mentioned hearing sermons from approximately twenty ministers over this three-year span, including Dr. Samuel Cooper, Dr. Charles Chauncy, Dr. Andrew Eliot, Mr. Joseph Howe, Mr. John Hunt, and Dr. Mather Byles, all of whom were ministers at some of the city's largest churches.

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son.

The Daniel Morgan collection is made up of 63 financial records, legal documents, correspondence, and other items related to General Daniel Morgan and to Willoughby Morgan, his son. The majority of the collection consists of accounts, bonds, promissory notes, and other documents pertaining to Daniel Morgan's financial affairs. Accounts and invoices record Morgan's purchases of clothing, wagon-related equipment and services, and other items. Some of the later items do not concern Morgan directly but have his legal endorsement. Also included are two outgoing letters by Morgan, a 9-page legal document about a lawsuit against Morgan, and a deposition that Morgan gave in a different dispute. Other items are a bond regarding Morgan's marriage to Abigail Curry (March 30, 1773) and Morgan's political address to the citizens of Allegheny County about politics and the militia (January 17, 1795). Three of the documents pertain to enslaved and free African Americans (November 6, 1773; June 13, 1789; and March 28, 1799). Later items mostly pertain to the estate of Willoughby Morgan, Daniel Morgan's son. James Graham wrote two letters to unknown recipients in 1847 and 1856 about his efforts to write Daniel Morgan's biography, which he subsequently published.

Printed items include a map of the surrender of Yorktown (undated), a newspaper article from a Winchester, Virginia, paper about the possible disinterment of Daniel Morgan's remains (August 18, 1951), and printed portraits of Daniel Morgan with manuscript and facsimile autographs.

The Hair documents, ephemera, and prints collection is comprised of 103 items, mostly printed materials related to hair, shaving, and wigs. Included are ephemeral advertisements, trade cards and price lists, government acts relating to hair and wigs, manuscript letters and indentures, caricatures and cartoons, broadsides, sheet music, other miscellaneous prints, and one braided lock of hair.

The Hair Documents, Ephemera, and Prints collection is comprised of 103 items, mostly printed materials related to hair, shaving, and wigs. Included are ephemeral advertisements, trade cards and price lists, government acts from British monarchs George II and George III relating to hair and wigs, manuscript letters and indentures, caricatures and cartoons, broadsides, sheet music, other miscellaneous prints, and one braided lock of hair. The material spans from 1717 to the late 1980s, with the bulk of materials dating from the late eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century. A majority of the materials are from England, although some are from Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Scotland. Many of the items are satirical and are commentary on fashion and the idea that the local barber was the "jack of all trades." Two similar items, a comical manuscript resume of "Isaac Morgan" and a fictitious advertisement for the varied services of "Isaac Factotum" offer exaggerated illustrations of how a barber did more than cut hair. Of interest is a series of mid-nineteenth century Valentines which center around the love-lives of barbers. Also included is a letter from Alex Campbell to his relative John Campbell, the Cashier of the Royal Bank of Scotland during the Jacobite rising of 1745. There is also sheet music from the composer (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), A Pastoral Song, better known as My Mother bids me bind my hair. Of note are prints by British satirists William Hogarth, Isaac and George Cruikshank, and Thomas Rowlandson.

The HMS Levant and HMS Arethusa log book contains daily records about the weather, navigation, and incidences that occurred during the commissions of both ships while sailing in the Mediterranean and the English Channel.

This vellum-bound log book (15cm x 19cm) contains 259 pages of tabular data respecting voyages of the HMS Levant (1775-1776, 223 pages) and, beginning in the back of the volume, the HMS Arethusa (1777, 36 pages). Additional pages in the volume are either blank, or contain empty tables. The flyleaf is inscribed with the name of William Browell and with the names of the two ships and their commanders. The flyleaf also includes a pen-and-ink drawing of a man wearing a formal headdress or hairstyle, with curls above the ear and a single ponytail at the nape of the neck.

The HMS Levant and HMS Arethusa log book contains a daily record of locations, movements, sails, surroundings, weather, discipline, and out-of-the-ordinary occurrences. The log keeper recorded data in tables with columns marked "H" (the hour of the day), "K" (speed in knots), "F" (depth of the water in fathoms), "Courses," "Winds," and the date. Details about the positioning of sails, winds, and directional courses are included. Crew discipline is mentioned throughout the text, which involved floggings for reasons of insolence, drunkenness, going ashore without leave, fighting, and neglect of duty.

HMS Levant

The HMS Levantlog book spans approximately the first year and a half of the American War of Independence, beginning on Friday, June 23, 1775, and ending on Sunday November 24, 1776. In addition to regular data, the book documents navigational coordinates and landmarks from the ship's travels in the English Channel, North Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea, and along the coasts and surrounding islands of England, Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria, and Italy. Noteworthy locations sighted or visited by the Levant include Lizard Point, the Scilly Islands, Lisbon, Cádiz, Gibraltar Bay, Majorca, Marseilles, Sardinia, the Bay of Naples, and Algiers.

From the commencement of the ship's voyage in June until late September, the ship traveled as part of the Mediterranean fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Robert Mann. The Levant log book contains references to Mann's flagship, theMedway, the Royal Oak (under Captain Peter Parker), the Enterprise, the Exeter, the Worcester, the Alarm, and the Zephyr. Early entries of the log book contain some description of pursuing and halting ships from England and America (one from Pennsylvania and one from Maryland). Other ships encountered by the Levant hailed from Amsterdam, Genoa, Martinique, Cádiz, Jamaica, and Antigua. The author also described exercising the ship's guns and practicing tactical fleet formations (forming a line of battle abreast, a line of battle ahead, and the bow and quarter).

On July 13, 1775, the ship's foremast was damaged near the Scilly lighthouse, but was repaired in Gibraltar Bay the following month.

Interactions with other ships, both friend and foe, occur regularly throughout the log. On March 7, 1776, while sailing in Algiers Bay, the sighting of a Dutch Man-of-War was reported: "Sail'd hence the Dutch man of war the garison saluted Capt. Murray with 5 guns at is going on shore, we return'd an equal number. Sent the slaves on shore." The crew of the Levant also encountered the Dey of Algiers who "sent onboard as a Present 3 live Bullocks of sheep with bread & Vegetables to the ship comp'y." (March 7, 1776).

From October 27, 1776 until November 15, 1776 the Levant traveled as part of a convoy with at least three vessels, including the sloop Neptune, theCharles, and theHope. The writer recorded the seizure of an American ship, the Argo, on November 18, 1776. After indicating that a sail was spotted to the southwest, the HMS Levant "spoke the chase and found her to be American ship from Charles Town bound to Bordeaux. Loaded with rices and indigo. Hoisted the boat out and sent it on board of her with the 2nd Lieut who immediately took command of her as a prize."

HMS Arethusa

The HMS Arethusa log book was kept between March 23, 1777 and June 3, 1777. Beginning its journey near Belém Tower in Lisbon, the Arethusa sailed through Cape Roxant and past the Isle of Portland. The volume covers the ship's travels along southern England with a convoy to Spithead Harbour, where the ship remained anchored between April 15, 1777 and May 19, 1777. During its time in harbor, the Arethusa underwent repairs, and its decks were washed in hot vinegar and smoked with charcoal, tobacco, and tar almost daily.

The Arethusa encountered other ships during this time, most of them British. They included the Romney, a ship of the line under Vice Admiral John Montagu, the privateer Terrible, the sloop Hawke, the Centaur, the Invincible, the Brilliant, the Resolution, and the Cameleon. On, April 7, the Arethusa encountered a Dutch ship, and on March 24, a Spanish battle ship.

Arnold and John Nesbitt of London, England, received these six monthly reports for the Mount Nesbitt sugar plantation in Saint John Parish, Grenada, between October 1777 and March 1778. Each document is headed "Journal of the Proceedings on Mount Nesbitt Estate." The tabular reports include daily numerical data on the numbers of enslaved workers on the plantation and the types of work being performed, including watch and stock keepers, "Black tradesmen," domestics, and as part of great and small gangs. Days where no plantation work was undertaken were noted, such as on Sundays, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The tables also document numbers of enslaved people identified as "Sick & Lame," "Superannuated" or children; the deaths and births of the month identified by name; and the numbers who ran away. The reports also record numbers of livestock, weather, and provisions broached. General remarks include particulars of agricultural tasks, plantation maintenance, and other labor undertaken by the enslaved, work demanded of the sick, names of enslaved people who escaped and were recaptured, and notable events like the meal served on Christmas.

Arnold and John Nesbitt of London, England, received these six monthly reports for the Mount Nesbitt sugar plantation in Saint John Parish, Grenada, between October 1777 and March 1778. Each document is headed "Journal of the Proceedings on Mount Nesbitt Estate." The tabular reports include daily numerical data on the numbers of enslaved workers on the plantation and the types of work being performed, including watch and stock keepers, "Black tradesmen," domestics, and as part of great and small gangs. Days where no plantation work was undertaken were noted, such as on Sundays, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The tables also document numbers of enslaved people identified as "Sick & Lame," "Superannuated" or children; the deaths and births of the month identified by name; and the numbers who ran away. The reports also record numbers of livestock, weather, and provisions broached. General remarks include particulars of agricultural tasks, plantation maintenance, and other labor undertaken by the enslaved, work demanded of the sick, names of enslaved people who escaped and were recaptured, and notable events like the meal served on Christmas.

This collection is made up of 27 legal documents and financial records pertaining to residents of Marblehead, Massachusetts, between 1730 and 1812.

This collection is made up of 27 partially printed legal documents and financial records pertaining to residents of Marblehead, Massachusetts, between 1730 and 1812. Sixteen items are statements of monthly and annual taxes that individual Marblehead residents owed between 1780 and 1812; most are addressed to Benjamin Lancey (or Lansey). The remaining items pertain to financial agreements, real property ownership and sales, and shipping. Two indentures concern the division of large residential buildings and provide detailed information about the rooms and passages belonging to each owner. One financial document relates to the town's fishing industry, and two relate to the schooner Sally: a bill of sale and an insurance policy.

Additional legal documents include an appointment of guardianship and a plaintiff's bill for legal costs incurred during a case in the Circuit Court of Common Pleas for the Middle Circuit.

This 32-page manuscript notebook, dated to the second half of the eighteenth century, is an instruction manual for the systematic use of color in mapmaking. Though the writer and exact date of publication are unknown, it is assumed that the writer was a master mapmaker and that this notebook was meant to be distributed to students who were learning how to make maps. An English translation of the notebook is published in "Coloring Manuscript Maps in the Eighteenth Century," Clements Library Occasional Bulletin 4 (January 2017): 5-11.

This 32-page manuscript notebook, dated to the second half of the eighteenth century, is an instruction manual on the systematic use of color in mapmaking. Though the writer and exact date of publication are unknown, it is assumed that the writer was a master mapmaker and that this notebook was meant to be distributed to students who were learning how to make maps. An English translation of the notebook is published in "Coloring Manuscript Maps in the Eighteenth Century," Clements Library Occasional Bulletin 4 (January 2017): 5-11.

The writer begins by explaining the process that one should follow when preparing and using colors for a map. After the writer explains how to mix colors, they offer detailed notes about the use of eight main colors; a palette of those colors is found on page three of the manuscript. Throughout the rest of the manuscript, the writer explains how to mix colors and correctly render features like cultivated lands, meadows, pastures, woods, vineyards, mountains, trees, hedges, rocks, quarries, sand, and rivers. Interspersed throughout the manuscript is the writer's observations about common mapmaking mistakes and diagrams illustrating different techniques.

The Pennsylvania Iron Furnace collection is made up of accounts, receipts, and correspondence pertaining to iron furnaces in the state of Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The Pennsylvania Iron Furnace collection is made up of accounts, receipts, and correspondence related to iron furnaces in the state of Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Of the 11 financial records, 9 pertain to the Joanna Furnace in Berks County, Pennsylvania, including tax receipts and accounts related to its founders. An early document between Samuel Van Lear and James Old (September 11, 1777-May 25, 1782) and records of iron received from the French Creek Slitting Mill (June 4, 1802-December 14, 1802) are also present. The collection has letters written by Peter Astor at the Green Lane Forge (July 30, 1783), Robert Coleman at Elizabeth Furnace (February 7, 1798, and April 14, 1798), and Waters Dewees at Laurel Forge (April 11, 1803). The correspondence mostly concerns financial affairs.

The Philadelphia Merchant account book contains financial records for a Philadelphia merchant during the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. This merchant traded primarily in cloth and in finished clothing products, and held accounts with a number of women among his many customers.

The Philadelphia Merchant account book (168 pages) contains financial records for a Philadelphia merchant during the years leading up to the Revolutionary War (April 10, 1771-March 1, 1776). This merchant traded primarily in cloth and in finished clothing products, and held accounts with a number of women among his many customers. He primarily received goods from firms in London and the West Indies. Samuel Howell, also a merchant, was one customer, and the accounts also record the sale of several sets of gloves, among other items, to Lydia and Elizabeth Hyde, who had been active in the city's opposition to the Stamp Act. The account book reflects the deep ties North American merchants had to Great Britain, and often records accounts with firms operating out of London. Several of the book's entries also mention different cargo ships and their ports of call, including a number of locations in the West Indies. Though fabric dominates the accounts kept in this volume, at least one entry covered ordinary household expenses, including "Repairs pd. scraping the Rooms," "Expences pd. for 3 Pints black Sand," and "1 paper Ink powder" (June 29, 1771).

This collection contains letters, legal documents, receipts, and printed images related to mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1705-1976. The content pertains to Philadelphia commerce and politics, as well as to mayors' personal affairs.

This collection contains 52 individual letters, legal documents, receipts, and printed images related to 25 mayors of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The content pertains to Philadelphia commerce and politics, as well as to mayors' personal affairs.

• Four 18th-century documents, bearing the Philadelphia city seal and ordering the sheriff to assemble 24-person juries. Joseph Willcox (March 13, 1705), Nathan Stanbury (December 18, 1706), Richard Hill (June 17, 1715), and Thomas Lawrence (December 18, 1764)
• A letter from John Inskeep to the Common Council, discussing administrative issues and forwarding "a copy of a letter…from Thomas Howell at New York containing propositions to furnish the Corporation of this city with three engines of a peculiar kind which he imported from England for the Corporation of New York" (December 4, 1800)
• A partially printed order to apprehend Francis Barrett for being "an idle drunk or vagrant following no legal visible means for a support," signed by Robert Wharton (November 16, 1815)
• A letter to Joseph Watson from Benneville Keim, president of the Farmer's Bank of Reading, regarding counterfeiting issues (May 16, 1827)
• A letter from John M. Scott respecting his fire insurance policy and investments (July 11, 1827)
• A letter of recommendation for "William Magill, late proprietor and Editor of the 'Daily Keystone,' for a Situation in the Customs. He has been an efficient co. laborer in the Democratic ranks, battled faithfully and long to maintain the continued supremacy of the Party, and is in our opinion highly entitled to a position commensurate with his services and merits," signed by Richard Vaux and others (November 1846)
• Appointment of Addison B. Burk as Philadelphia's official delegate to the 1911 National Rivers and Harbors Congress, by John E. Reyburn (November 10, 1911)
• 11 partially printed receipts from the Department of Receiver of Taxes for "city and school taxes" paid by Margaret B. Stewart, George F. Caldwell, and Elsie M. Caldwell (1919-1929)
• Brief notes from 20th-century mayors responding to requests for autographs