Notebook of James Lovell, 1757-1760

Marbled paper-covered handwritten notebook of James Lovell. The volume contains three texts written in Latin, “Praecellentissime Domine,” dated 1757, an untitled text beginning, “Cogitanti mihi et superiorum revolti…” dated 1759, and Lovell’s funeral oration for Tutor Henry Flynt titled “Oratio funebris” dated 1760. The Latin texts are followed by blank pages and the volume ends with an untitled English text about orators that begins, “Ridiculous certainly is that Practice of some...” The last page of the text includes the marginal notes: “John Winthrop Esqr. Hollisian Professor” and, “For T.H. of Carolina.” There are verses attributed to the London Magazine written on the inside front cover.

Title supplied by cataloger. Received in the Harvard College Library on December 11, 1933 with Bright funds.

James Lovell (1737-1814), a Massachusetts congressman, was born on October 31, 1731 in Boston, Mass. He received an AB from Harvard College in 1756 and an AM in 1759. Known as a strong orator, he made the valedictory speech at the 1759 Commencement, and later delivered the funeral sermon for Tutor Henry Flynt (1675-1760) in Holden Chapel in February 1760. Lovell worked as a Boston schoolmaster after graduation from Harvard, and was an active member of the Sons of Liberty. The British arrested Lovell as a dissident on June 29, 1775 and he was imprisoned until November 1776. On January 8, 1777, Lovell was elected to the Continental Congress and served until 1782. Lovell was a Boston tax collector from 1784 to 1788 and Customs Officer of Boston in 1778 and 1789, before being promoted to a federal Collectorship in 1809. Lovell died on July 15, 1814.

A manuscript copy of Lovell's funeral oration, copied and translated by Isaac Mansfield (Harvard AB 1742), is also available in the Harvard University Archives (HUG 1399.8).