[Deed between William Porter and Oliver Hildrith], 1808 March 31

Printed land deed between grantor William Porter, a brick-layer, and grantee Oliver Hildrith, a cordwainer, for a lot of land on Winsor street in Cambridge.

Letters from Anne Preble to William Tudor,

Two letters regarding commissions executed by Tudor on her behalf and on behalf of Elizabeth Degen.

The life and times of Anne Royall

by Sarah Harvey Porter.

Dissolution of partnership with Charles Turner, 1808

This folder contains two handwritten documents, dated January 27, 1808, and April 22, 1808, related to the dissolution of the partnership between William Croswell and Charles Turner.

Financial bills and receipts, 1807-1808

This folder contains five bills and receipts for purchases made by William Croswell in Liverpool, England.

Publishing agreement for the celestial planisphere, 1808 June 18

Handwritten agreement between Croswell and geographer William Faden of Westminster, Massachusetts, for the engraving and printing of three maps.

Diary entries, 1808

This folder contains five documents with diary entries written by Croswell in London and Liverpool.

1794, Triennial catalogues annotated by William Winthrop, 1794-1812.

Leather and marbled hardcover binding. Substantially annotated. The volume consists of pages from the published catalogues pasted into a blank volume. The bulk of the volume is comprised of the printed list of graduate names found in the Triennial Catalogue accompanied by handwritten biographical information, usually a sentence in length. It begins with a handwritten section titled "Settled Ministers (in the first Parish in Cambridge)." The entries generally contain a residence, date of death (abbreviated ob), age of death (abbreviated ae), and professional information. While the 1794 Catalogue comprises the majority of the volume, names were added from Triennial Catalogues through the 1812 edition. An example of an entry, for John Hancock (Harvard AB 1754), reads “Rep. for Boston, Maj. Gen. Militia. Ob. Octo. 8. 1793 AE 57 Son of Rev. John of Brantree [sic]." A March 27, 1798 letter to Judge Richard Cranch (1726-1818) from Jeremy Belknap (1744-1798, Harvard AB 1762) pasted into the back of the volume. Written only two months before his death, Belknap describes his plan to "go thro’ the whole Catalogue of the graduates of Harvard College, & relate all that’s proper to be related." Four leaves of biographical notes for the classes of 1642-1686 towards the beginning of the volume are in a different hand with the note "Rev Dr. Holmes's handwriting."

Letters from Delia Jarvis Tudor to her son, William Tudor,

Three letters addressed to Tudor at Oaklands. Mrs. Tudor recounts social gatherings and various conversations in detail, local gossip, and the activities of family members.

Letters from William Tudor to his father, William Tudor,

Three letters written from London. In one, Tudor describes a debate he attended in Parliament regarding the Orders in Council and the escalating tension between the United States and England. One undated letter is missing pages, but appears to have been written some time in 1808. In it, Tudor writes at length about his unmarried sister Delia’s prospects.

William Blair Townsend letter and receipt books, 1743-1805, bulk 1744-1777

The collection consists of two volumes, which date from 1743 to 1805, spanning his whole career as a merchant. Volume one is a letter book containing Townsend's business correspondence from November 23, 1743 to December 12, 1774. Most of the letters were written to American (many in North Carolina) and British (predominately in London) merchants. His earliest letters document his efforts to establish himself as a trader. Over time his letters turn to illustrate the common problems faced by many merchants: damaged goods, overpriced goods, embargos, and high freight costs. Particularly enlightening are his comments on the challenges of doing business throughout the French and Indian War and the years leading up to the American Revolution. He most frequently corresponded with London merchants Champion & Hayley, Lane & Booth, Lane Son & Fraser, Harrison & Ansley, and Leeds merchant Samuel Elam. In addition he frequently corresponded with Eliakim Palmer, colonial agent and merchant in London, as well as Dr. Walley Chauncy of North Carolina. He dealt in a wide variety of goods including molasses, rum, tar, medicines, pitch, saddles, tallow, hides, skins, pickled beef and pork, and wine. The letters also document Townsend's involvement in the slave trade through his occasional purchases of slaves.