List of books donated by Francis Bernard, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, undated

Bracketed annotation made by John Langdon Sibley in Feb. 1842: "The books on this & the three succeeding pages, I find on examination, to have been given by Gov. Bernard." On the fourth page, presumably also in 1842, Sibley wrote: "This is a list of donations by Gov. Bernard, & not by Hollis."

Midwife's testimony, Bristol Co. Massachusetts, 1727

Manuscript testimony, dated April 11, 1727, regarding the declaration of the paternity of a child out of wedlock born to Charity Caswell, probably in January of 1727. Signed by midwife Mary Crossman; also by Sarah Dean and Elizabeth Caswell.

Triennial Catalogue annotated by Jeremy Belknap, 1791

The collection holds a heavily interleaved 1791 Triennial Catalogue annotated, in part, by Jeremy Belknap. A note by Harvard Librarian John Langdon Sibley, on the verso of the flyleaf, indicates a second annotator: "It should be observed that this catalogue is in the handwriting of two persons, Dr. Belknap & probably interlineations & additions by Rev. Dr. [John] Eliot. The interlineing part should not be too confidently relied on for accuracy. J. L. Sibley, April 14, 1848." The volume contains biographical notes, newspaper clippings, excerpts from manuscript and printed sources such as New England's First Fruits, the manuscript memoirs of Charles Chauncey, and John Winthrop's Journal, and a 1795 letter from Isaac Mansfield. In the letter, Mansfield references an item he believed to be written by his grandfather, Ames Cheever (Harvard AB 1707), and briefly describes his grandfather. A list of election sermon orators with dates is also pasted into the inside back cover, along with an obituary of the Rev. John Wales (Harvard AB 1728) from the Boston Post-Boy, March 4, 1765.

Harvard Library bookplate collection, 1764-1960

This collection contains samples of bookplate labels that were pasted into books held in the libraries of Harvard University, dating from 1764 to 1960. The collection includes bookplates arranged chronologically and bookplates of the Harvard College Library and departmental libraries arranged alphabetically. The collection also contains correspondence related to bookplates, dating from 1918 to 1921, and a list of printed seals used in Harvard College Library. Some of the bookplates include handwritten inscriptions, while others are blank. There are six 18th century bookplates with inscriptions documenting gifts and bequests made following the 1764 fire that destroyed the bulk of Harvard's Library from Marblehead, Massachusetts, minister John Barnard (1681-1770; Harvard AB 1700); New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth (1696-1770; Harvard AB 1715); Portsmouth, New Hampshire, merchant Thomas Wibird (1706-1765; Harvard AB 1728); and merchant Thomas Lee (died 1787) of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Motion for change of venue in the case of the Inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay Colony v. Charles Paxton, October 1761

A motion that the case not be tried in Suffolk County, on the grounds that the judges and jurors were residents of the colony. Pratt was attorney to Paxton, an attorney and commissioner of customs, who had incurred a debt to the Colony.

Notes of cases decided in the Superior and Supreme Judicial Courts of Massachusetts from 1772 to 1789: taken by the Hon. William Cushing, one of the judges during that period and most of the time Chief Justice

Notes of cases taken by Judge William Cushing during his tenure on the Massachusetts superior and supreme courts. (Formerly MS 2141.)

Record of cases before the magistrate of Agawan, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1638-1702

Contains a record of cases before magistrate William Pynchon from 1639 to 1650. Notes are continued by his son, John, from 1652 to 1701. Included also are a record of marriages (1665-1702), a list of freemen, and a record of freemen meetings (1660-1696).

Deed of sale of property, Hingham, Massachusetts, 1686

Deed acknowledging Sprague's sale of land in Hingham to Israel Fering. Signed by Sprague, Nathaniel Beale, Sr., and John Parsens, Jr.

Precedents book of Massachusetts law, 1775

A commonplace book kept by Parsons outling various legal issues including getting a negro with child, slander, deceit, bills of exchange, debt,assault and battery, quantum meruit by a physician, ejectment, covenant, and liberty of the yard. Many of these topics include also forms of declaration.

Alphabetical catalog of Harvard College graduates through 1767, 1767

This hard-bound manuscript catalog alphabetically lists the men who graduated from Harvard College between 1642 and 1767. It is believed to be the first such list compiled. Entries contain each graduate's surname (in English), given name (in Latin), year of graduation, and occasional additional information. Francis Foxcroft (A.B. 1712) compiled the catalog. Entries for those who graduated between 1764 and 1767 have been added at the end of each alphabetical section.