Commonplace book of Nathaniel Freeman, 1786-1787

Nathaniel Freeman made entries in this commonplace book between 1786 and 1787, while he was an undergraduate at Harvard College. The book includes the notes Freeman took during three of Hollis Professor Samuel Williams' "Course of Experimental Lectures," and cover Williams' lectures on "The Nature & Properties of Matter," "Attraction & Repulsion," and "The Nature, Kind, & Affections [?] of Motion." These notes also include one diagram. The book also includes forensic compositions on the subjects of capital punishment, the probability of "the immortality of the soul," and "whether there be any disinterested benevolence." It also includes a poem Freeman composed for his uncle, Edmund Freeman; an anecdote about Philojocus and Gripus; an essay called "Character"; a draft of a letter to the Harvard Corporation requesting that, in light of the public debt, the Commencement ceremonies be held privately to lower expenses and exhibit the merits of economy; and an "epistle" to his father, requesting money. This epistle begins: "Most honored sire, / Thy son, poor Nat, in humble strains, / Impell'd by want, thy generous bounty claims."

Grammatica graeca, 1763

Bound volume containing a handwritten Greek grammar compiled by Joseph Drury beginning in 1763. The last sixteen pages contain a historical poem beginning, “Mason might once assert a Poets Claim. / But he must needs write.” The poem contains references to the “Great Patriot P—,“ the Roman conquest of Gall, Caeser, Versailles, and includes the verses, “How the King doth all his Cooks excel / Besides he longs to kiss his P / Saving your presence Louis keeps a whore.”

Documents: concerning North American Atlantic coastal areas : manuscript, [17--]

Acts, reports, petitions, court opinions, and other documents, spanning 1680-1725, concerning Antigua, Barbados, the Carolinas, St. Christopher [Saint Kitts], Jamaica, New York, Virginia, and other areas on the Atlantic coast.

Popery a complex falsehood: or an attempt to clear and evidence, that it is so, in a lecture had at Harvard College in Cambridge, New England, on May 10th, 1769

The hand-sewn notebook contains a 30-page manuscript draft of the Dudleian lecture delivered by Samuel Mather on May 10, 1769 at Harvard College. The sermon begins with the Biblical text 2 Thess. 11:11, 12. The copy includes a small number of edits and struck-out words. The item has unattached pages and is in fragile condition. The lecture was never published.

Adirondack Mountains Region, New York, 1876 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Map of the New York wilderness : to accompany Wallace's Descriptive guide to the Adirondacks, by W. W. Ely. It was published by G. W. & C. B. Colton & Co. in 1876. Scale [1:253,440]. Covers the Adirondack Mountains Region including portions of St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Lewis, Herkimer, Hamilton, Essex, Oneida, Warren, and Saratoga Counties. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 18N NAD83 projection. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as roads, railroads, hotels, and township and county boundaries and more. Relief is shown by hachures and spot heights. Includes inset: [Northeastern states]. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Long Island, New York & Connecticut, 1863 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Map of Long Island and the southern part of Connecticut. It was published by J.H. Colton in 1863. Scale [ca. 1:165,000]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the North American Datum 1983, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 18N projected coordinate system. All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, index maps, legends, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as drainage, cities and other human settlements, shoreline features, roads, railroads, canals, post offices, churches, mills and factories, township and county boundaries, and more. Relief shown by hachures. Depths shown by soundings. Includes also inset of Greater New York.This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of originators, ground condition dates, scales, and map purposes.

[ Book of predictions] : manuscript, 1785-1812

Book of yearly predictions about the sultan, his family, ministers, grand mufti, etc. Records for years 1199-1227 AH [1785-1812 AD]. Year run from nevrūz to nevrūz (beginning of spring). Predictions concern political affairs and state of health of various individuals. Predictions about weather conditions and the eclipses also included. Separate section at end of each year's entry breaks down predictions into months. Manuscript apparently the author's working copy and probably the sole copy.

Docket books and fee book, 1791-1806

Consists of 7 notebooks and 1 account book. Notebooks list cases heard before the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas for Middlesex and Worcester counties and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (March 1794-Sept. 1797; Sept. 1800-March 1802; June 1805-September 1806) and before the New Hampshire Court of Common Pleas for Hillsborough and Merrimack counties (March 1798-March 1805). The account book includes cases from Sept. 1791-July 1797.

Harvard College Lottery Book, 1794-1797

The long hardcover account book contains handwritten records of the Harvard College Lottery in the hand of College Treasurer Ebenezer Storer. The volume begins with a transcription of the Massachusetts General Court June 13, 1794 legislation sanctioning the lottery, and a note that the managers of the lottery gave security bonds to the Corporation. The bulk of the volume records the activities of the four classes of the lottery including lists of the individual tickets returned by the managers Benjamin Austin Jr., George R. Minot, Henry Warren, and John Kneeland, and the accounts of prizes drawn and tickets returned. The volume has a table of contents and there is a note pasted onto the third page calculating the sum raised if all tickets had been sold.

Library catalogue notes of Isaac Smith, ca. 1789

Thirteen slips of paper with fragments of handwritten alphabetical lists created by Isaac Smith presumably in his capacity as Harvard Librarian. Most of the entries are surnames or single-word subjects. For example, one slip with "M" entries includes: milway, miracles, miraculous, Mitchell, and Mitchell. Some of the lists have struck-through words or have entries annotated with numbers and the abbreviations "o" and "bk." The verso of one leaf has a brief, undated note regarding the transfer of books between Mr. Hilliard and Mr. Smith.

A book of miscellanies, 1770

A legal commonplace book by kept by Henry Wells of Worcester, Mass. Focuses on such topics as libel of a man to his wife, common recovery in writs and deeds, pleadings, trover, damages and costs, imprisonment, leases, mortgages, covenants, and ejectment. Also contains a number of miscellaneous entries touching on abridgements of law texts, minutes of court proceedings, kings of England, and biblical quotes. Five-page index located at the end of the work.

Plea in the case of Hamilton v. Saunders, 1763

Plea in response to the plaintiff's declaration. Signed: (Charles) Pinckney, defendant's attorney, and John Rutledge (plaintiff's attorney?). Note on verso: Filed 4th May 1763.

Law miscellany. 1782-1788

A lawyer's commonplace book of New Hampshire cases. Contains summaries of cases covering such topics as trespass, witnesses, injuries, bailbonds, and counterfeit money. Possibly kept by Jonathan Sewell.

Docket and fees book / 1791-1797

Records of cases heard in the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas (Middlesex Co.) in Cambridge, Mass., and the New Hampshire Inferior Court of Common Pleas (Hillsborough Co.) in Amherst, N.H and matters brought before justices of the peace. Records identify the litigants, with some notes on fees and settlements; many of the cases concern debts. Justices of the peace include: Israel Atherton (Lancaster, Mass.); Samuel Dana (Amherst, N.H.); Joshua Longley (Shirley, Mass.); Nathaniel Paine (Worcester, Mass.); James Prescott (Westford, Mass.); Jeremiah Stiles (Keene, N.H.); William Swan (Groton, Mass.); Sampson Tuttle (Littleton, Mass.); and Henry Woods (Pepperell, Mass.).

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.)