Student notebook of Thomas Prince, ca. 1707

Paper notebook in Latin on classical Greek grammar. The name "Thomas Prince" appears on the first page. The manuscript is undated. Based on the signature, this volume is assumed to have belonged to Thomas Prince, Sr., although it is undated and may have indeed belonged to Thomas Prince, Jr.

Three sheets of paper sewn together and a single half-sheet inserted.

Thomas Prince (1687-1758), co-pastor of Boston's Old South Church, was born to Samuel and Mercy (Hinckley) Prince on May 15, 1687 in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Graduating from Harvard College in 1707, he briefly taught school and spent several years preaching in England. While in England, he completed the requirements for the A.M. degree, which was granted him by Harvard in 1710. Returning to America in 1717, he became co-pastor of Boston’s Old South Church the following year, a position he held until his death in 1758. Prince also had interests in book-collecting and history. In 1736, he published the first volume of his Chronological history of New-England, which was completed in 1755. Together with his son, Thomas (1722-1748), Prince published the first religious serial in America, The Christian History, which supported the Great Awakening. He died in Boston on October 22, 1758. His library was bequeathed to the Old South Church; the remains of his library are today in the Boston Public Library.

Thomas Prince (1722-1748) was born to Thomas and Deborah (Denny) Prince on February 27, 1721/22 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Entering Harvard College in year, he was placed at the head of his class, a distinction paid him in honor of his father. Prince earned his AB in 1740, and remained at Harvard for three more years, earning his M.A. in 1743. With his father, he began publishing The Christian History in the spring of 1743 in support of the Great Awakening; the title ceased publication two years later. Until his death of consumption on September 30, 1748, Prince worked for his father as secretary and business manager.