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This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, financial records, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Salem, New York, and its residents, primarily from the 1780s-1890s.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, financial records, newspaper clippings, and other items related to Salem, New York, and its residents, primarily from the 1780s-1890s. Many of the items were once bound together.

The Correspondence series is comprised of around 60 incoming and outgoing letters related to Salem, New York, and to the history of the state of New York. Early letters between residents of Salem and other locales concern a wide range of topics including education, political offices and appointments, and legal cases. After 1856, most items are incoming letters to James Gibson, a native of Salem who was state senator, judge, and president of the Washington Academy. Three letters written during the Civil War concern military commissions and officers. Many of Gibson's incoming letters, particularly later items, relate to his genealogical work; some correspondents offered or requested information about their ancestors.

The Documents series contains over 140 indentures, financial records, petitions, and other items, primarily related to residents of Salem, New York, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the indentures concern land ownership in Washington, County, New York, and personal financial agreements. Other material relates to the Washington Academy, including a list of pupils. Legal orders largely concern private debts, and one document pertains to a local election. Some documents have newspaper clippings pasted onto them, and others were once bound together. One item is a diploma that the Washington Academy issued to James McEl. A group of land indentures is housed in a large bound volume.

The collection's Printed Items include articles, programs, and newspaper clippings. The majority of newspaper clippings concern the Washington Academy in Salem, New York. Other articles concern the "Bench and Bar of Washington County," the Bancroft Public Library, and the family of William Williams. Some clippings are pasted onto large sheets of paper, with manuscript annotations; a small number of complete newspapers are present. The series also has several copies of a program from the dedication ceremony of the Bancroft Public Library in July 1890.

The Photograph, Essay, Notes, and Fragments series is made up of items pertaining to Salem, New York. The carte-de-visite photograph depicts J. B. Steele. The various notes, essay, and fragments pertain to genealogy.

This journal contains Samuel Lightfoot's notes about surveys he conducted in southeastern Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. An account book, dated primarily in the 1780s, is laid into the volume.

This journal (around 200 pages) contains Samuel Lightfoot's notes about surveys he conducted in southeastern Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. An account book (30 pages), dated primarily in the late 1780s, is laid into the volume.

Samuel Lightfoot recorded information about surveys he conducted in Berks, Chester, Lancaster, and Lehigh Counties, Pennsylvania, from June 8, 1739-December 2, 1757. A 73-page section covering September 1743-March 1753 is missing. Lightfoot made detailed notes about his work, including the names of his customers and property owners and the boundaries of surveyed tracts.

The first 2 pages of the small account book pertain to "Outstanding Debts Due To Samuel Lightfoot," with a list of names and monetary amounts. The remaining 28 pages concern an anonymous author's personal finances from June 3, 1786-September 13, 1788. The accounts consist of brief notes about individual transactions, which often involved farm labor, such as haying or threshing, and the sale of potatoes. At least one laborer was a woman. A memorandum on the back of the volume concerns the sale of a tract of land by David Davis to George Davis. The account book also has a note laid inside it, indicating the extent of a lot of land owned by Thomas Lloyd.

This collection contains 4 Christian sermons written and delivered in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The sermons concern topics such as faith and salvation, circumcision, and the death of George Washington.

These 4 sermons were first delivered in or around 1773 (20 pages), 1784 (12 pages), 1799 or 1800 (16 pages), and 1807 (12 pages). The item dating from 1799 or 1800 is a funeral sermon for George Washington discussing his life, legacy, and death. The others concern topics such as circumcision, faith and unification in Jesus Christ, and salvation.

This collection is made up of 570 pages of handwritten extracts from Thomas Hutchinson's diary, dated between February 1770 and March 1780. An unknown copyist transcribed and summarized the diary in the late 18th or early 19th century.

This collection is made up of 570 pages of extracts from Thomas Hutchinson's diary, dated between February 1774 and March 1780. An unknown copyist transcribed and summarized the diary in the late 18th or early 19th century. The manuscript includes notations, additions, and corrections.

"Extracts from Gov. H.'s [Dia]ry," begins in England, after Hutchinson's exile from Massachusetts. Hutchinson frequently remarked on political and military circumstances related to Great Britain and the American colonies. The diary includes the author's interactions with and thoughts on many prominent public individuals. Hutchinson occasionally wrote about personal and family matters, such as his son's ailing health in early 1780.

This 238-page volume contains an unknown writer's opinions on the Revolutionary War and proposed military strategies, composed September-October 1776 and February 1778. Among other topics, the author discussed the relationship between land and naval forces and their relative strengths, explained possible ways in which economic affairs might affect the progress of the war, and promoted a strategy of dissolving the unity of the colonies. This volume belonged to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, and includes his bookplate.

This 238-page volume contains an unknown writer's opinions on the Revolutionary War and proposed military strategies, composed September-October 1776 and February 1778. Among other topics, the author discussed the relationship between land and naval forces and their relative strengths, explained possible ways in which economic affairs might affect the progress of the war, and promoted a strategy of dissolving the unity of the colonies.

The volume is divided into two primary sections, with the author offering his thoughts on the war in late 1776 (pp. 1-146) and in early 1778 (pp. 147-238). Introductory remarks at the beginning of the first section suggest that the author intended his treatise for members of the British government. He focused on financial and economic affairs, such as the colonies' different currencies, the effects of privateering, and the difficulty of funding a war. In addition, he presented detailed proposals for British action, often revolving around a strategy of dissolving the colonies' confederacy. Some suggestions focused on specific cities or colonies.

The second section of the volume contains similar thoughts and strategies, with a focus on the differences between land and sea power. Though the author believed a British victory unlikely, he encouraged the government to focus on naval actions rather than land forces. Despite his skepticism, he concluded by affirming that the rebellion could be defeated by disrupting colonial unity and conquering Georgia by military force.

This volume belonged to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, and includes his bookplate.

This student notebook contains Latin-language treatises on logic, metaphysics, and related subjects, composed around 1720. The book also includes a few pages of sermon notes, an example of a Porphyrian Tree, and additional notes by later owners.

The bulk of this volume is comprised of Latin-language treatises about logic, metaphysics, and related concepts, written or copied around 1720. Each section is broken into multiple chapters, some with appendices. The volume also includes small groups of shorter writings in Latin and an example of the Porphyrian Tree. The Latin writings are infrequently interrupted by additional entries, such as a few pages of English-language notes from an August 1761 sermon based on a verse from 2nd Corinthians. Notations throughout the volume refer to William Potts, Georgius M. Conchie, George Potts, and William McCauly (with several variations on the spelling of the surname).