Surveyors' division of Kittery farm between Nicholas Shapleigh and John Shapleigh, Jan. 12, 1739/40, with paper wrapper from 1798

Paper wrapper reads: "Nicholas Shapleigh & John Shapleigh / Division of farm at Kittery / Recorded January 31st, 1798 / 17 cents duty." The legal document establishing the division of the land is signed by each of the three surveyors: Nicholas Morrell(?), William Fry, and Daniel Emery.

Letter from John Quincy Adams to his brother, Thomas Boylston Adams, 1786 July 2

This letter was written by John Quincy Adams on July 2, 1786 to his younger brother, Thomas Boylston Adams, who was then staying with their uncle, the Reverend John Shaw, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In the letter, John gives Thomas advice on life as a student at Harvard, instructing him to choose his friends carefully, to favor those who are virtuous and studious over those who are idle and prone to vice, to maintain an "unblemished moral reputation," and to spend as much as six hours each day studying in order to excel as a scholar.

Letters from John Hubbard Church to William Jenks, 1795-1798

John Hubbard Church wrote these twelve letters to his friend and classmate William Jenks between 1795 and 1798. Church wrote the letters from Boston, Rutland, Cambridge, and Chatham in Massachusetts and from Somers, Connecticut; they were sent to Jenks in Cambridge and Boston, where for a time he worked as an usher in Mr. Vinall's school and Mr. Webb's school. Church's letters touch on various subjects, ranging from his increased interest in theology and his theological studies under Charles Backus to his seasickness during a sailing voyage to Cape Cod. Church also informs Jenks of what he is reading, including works by John Locke, P. Brydone, James Beattie, John Gillies, Plutarch, and Alexander Pope. He describes his work teaching that children of the Sears family in Chatham, Massachusetts, where he appears to have spent a significant amount of time between 1795 and 1797. Church's letters are at times very personal, and he often expresses great affection for Jenks and their friendship.

Payment order for John Tompson, 1765 July 1

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds to student John Tompson (Harvard AB 1765), signed by Thomas Foxcroft, Charles Chauncey, Thomas Waite, and Daniel Marsh. Tompson's name is spelled "Thomson" on the document.

Payment order for John Edwards on behalf of his son, 1768 July 1

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds to John Edwards for use by his son, signed by Thomas Foxcroft, Charles Chauncey, Thomas Waite, Jonathan Williams, and Daniel Marsh.

Payment order for John Popkin, 1792 July 16

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds John Popkin for use by his son, signed by John Clarke, David Tilden, and James Morrill.

Payment order for Levi Frisbie, 1798 November 1

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds to Levi Frisbie for use by his son, signed by David Tilden, and James Morrill.

Payment order for Timothy Alden, 1798 November 26

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds to Timothy Alden for use by his son signed by John Clarke, David Tilden, and James Morrill.

The Laws of Harvard College, 1798-1799

Bound copy of the 1798 College Laws printed by John & Thomas Fleet, in a modern hardcover binding. The copy is interleaved with unlined pages that include handwritten notes about the laws, often dated in late 1799. The annotations are attributed to a Latin tutor at the College.

The Laws of Harvard College, 1798

Bound copy of the 1798 College Laws printed by John & Thomas Fleet, in a modern hardcover binding and once owned by Eliphalet Pearson, the Harvard Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages from 1786 until 1806. The copy is interleaved with blank pages and includes occasional annotations in the margins.

The Laws of Harvard College, 1798

Bound copy of the 1798 College Laws printed by John & Thomas Fleet in modern cardboard binding. Inscribed "T. B. Gannett 1809" on the cover page.

[Admittatur of John Law (Harvard AB 1804)], 1802 March 1

Published copy of the 1798 College Laws with the admittatur of undergraduate John Law signed by President Joseph Willard on March 1, 1802.