Interleaved almanac, 1742

The 1742 diary is interleaved in Nathaniel Ames’ An astronomical diary, or, An almanack for the year of our Lord Christ, 1742. The volume holds brief notes about Holyoke’s daily life, written on blank pages bound with the almanac. Each page, representing one month, is divided into three columns with a section for the weather, the direction of the wind, and finally notes on the day and Holyoke’s undeciphered shorthand. The diary begins before Holyoke’s admittance to Harvard and concludes in his freshman year. The earlier months have regular entries, he later stops recording the weather and makes only sporadic entries. Holyoke notes holidays, travel events, interactions with Harvard faculty, and infrequently, community events such as a burial or trial. On the last page, Holyoke provides "An account of our examination the 13 day of July 1742: viz: [Daniel] Foxcroft [Joseph] Green myself and [James] Putnam listing the specific examiners and the texts used for the exam.

Interleaved almanac, 1743

The 1743 diary is interleaved in Nathaniel Ames’ An Astronomical Diary, or, An almanack for the year of our Lord Christ, 1743. The thin paper-covered book holds brief notes about Holyoke’s daily life as an undergraduate, written on blank pages bound with the almanac. The pages of the diary are separated into two columns: the first to display symbols indicating when class recitations occurred, and the second for entries. Entries include information about student life, Harvard events such as Overseers’ meetings and individuals who preached and lectured, trips to Boston and surrounding towns, and occasional references to community deaths and illnesses.

Interleaved almanac, 1744

The 1744 diary is interleaved in Poor Richard's An almanack for the year of Christ 1744. The thin paper-covered book holds brief notes about Holyoke’s daily life as an undergraduate at Harvard, written on blank pages bound with the almanac. The entries focus on Holyoke’s life as a college student with mention of his professors and daily events. The months of May, July, October, November, and December have no entries. The diary records the outbreak of King George's War: "War with France Proclamed [sic]" (June 2), as well as his new hobby of painting.

Interleaved almanac, 1746

The 1746 diary is interleaved in Poor Richard's, An almanack for the year of Christ 1746. The thin paper-covered book holds brief notes about Holyoke’s daily life, written on blank pages bound with the almanac. More consistently filled out, the diary continues information about Holyoke’s senior year at Harvard, and his appointment as a schoolteacher in Lexington, Massachusetts. The September and October entries reference local military movements of King George’s War. The diary includes regular entries on individuals who preached and lectured at Harvard. Holyoke mentions an earthquake in February, and in March he notes that Harvard Professor John Winthrop "had a lecture: Solving ye Aurora Bor[ealis]."

Diary, 1747

The 1747 diary contains brief records (usually one or two a month) written in a small booklet of blank pages. The scattered entries focus on community news including local deaths and murder. The March 23 entry reads, "Will a Mulatto of Benj & Jno Walkers shot a negro of Jno Denny [Jun] he died on the spot." Entries in November recount the Boston Knowles Riot.

Interleaved almanac, 1748

John Holyoke’s diary is interleaved in Nathaniel Ames’ An astronomical diary, or, An almanack for the year of our Lord Christ, 1748 (Boston, 1747). The thin paper-covered book holds brief notes about Holyoke’s daily life as a Harvard undergraduate, written on blank pages bound with the almanac. Holyoke's diary offers a resource for information about the relational networks of the Holyoke family, travel in 18th century Massachusetts, and colonial dress.

Diary and account book, 1780-1786

Shapleigh explains on the first page that this account book contains "an accurate account of the several articles I've received from my Guardian since the first day of May Anno 1780, continuing from year to year." The book lists material goods and money given to Shapleigh by Samuel Leighton, as well as many goods and services which Shapleigh appears to have purchased independently. Among the items he received were "a pair [of] Silver Knee Buckles," "an outside coat, alias, a Rapper," "two pair worsted stockings," and multiple ferry crossings during travel. Entries detail expenses incurred while traveling, including those "at Mystick for a glass of anisseed" and "at Newell's for 3 glasses of wine;" the costs of attending both Dummer Academy and Harvard; and myriad other goods and services. The volume contains some brief diary entries, lists of "items wanted," and records of books borrowed from and loaned to fellow students.

Account book, 1786-1790

Entries in this volume record the costs of Shapleigh's purchases from the Harvard Buttery, expenses incurred while traveling, sundry goods and services (including dozens of visits to a barber, John Goodwin), payment for room and board in Cambridge, funds received from Samuel Leighton, and many other receipts and expenditures made over the course of several years.

Page of diary, Jan. 1-4, 1800

Contains very brief entries from the first four days of January. Verso contains numerical calculations labeled as "Recital del case from Oct. 1, [17]99."

C. Daily pocket journal of John and Hannah Winthrop, 1766-1779

Small printed daily pocket journal repurposed by both John and Hannah between 1766 and 1779 to record household accounts including livestock pasturing, income received, and payments to servants, merchants, and tradesmen for food, livestock, clothing, linen, etc. Many of the pages are unused. The January-April pages contain account records from 1766-1779, one page in June has a few accounting notes from September 1779, the rest of June-November is empty, and three books are listed on a November page. The last three calendar pages contain lists of books in Hannah's handwriting dated 1773 and August 1768.

A journall of our expedition agt. Canada ... : manuscript, 1711 and 1722-1723

1. Diary with entries dated 30 July-13 Oct. 1711; concerning the Quebec expedition (ff. 1r-16r) -- 2. Notes on books of the Bible (18r-92v).

Diary of John Page, 1757-1781

Manuscript volume. The first thirty-nine pages include diary entries from Page's years as an undergraduate student at Harvard College. Dated July 1757 through March 1761, entries includes short notes about daily activities. Topics covered include expenses, academics, clothing, and travel to and from Cambridge. Twenty-two pages covering 1764 through 1781 contain brief listings of items, generally foodstuffs, received from male and female Danville parishioners identified by name in Danville. The final twenty-six pages contain notes listing area deaths, as well as his own thoughts on topics such as "of light" and "jealousy." The concluding pages include rules "Concerning Grammar."

Notebook of Tristram Gilman, 1757-1761

The small volume holds the notebook of Tristram Gilman interleaved on unlined pages in a printed engagement calendar. The original leather cover accompanies the notebook, but is no longer attached. The inside covers of the original leather binding are filled with scribbled words and notes. The volume holds a variety of handwritten notes including account information, transcriptions of biblical passages and related observations, travel information, community news, weather, and astronomy. The volumes does not follow a chronological order, and instead seems to have been repurposed at various times.

Journal of Charles Coffin and David Gurney, 1781-1785

This diary appears to have been kept by two different students, both members of the Harvard College class of 1785. The first two pages contain entries made by a student named David, believed to be David Gurney because the entries relate to the freshman curriculum and Gurney was the only student named David who was a freshman in 1781. Gurney originally titled the volume "A Journal or Diary of my concerns in College of important matters." He made entries from August 28 through October 21, 1781, recording his lessons on Virgil, Tully, Homer, the Greek Testament, Hebrew grammar, English author John Ash's "Grammar," and a text called "The Art of Speaking." At the top of one of the pages recounting these studies, Gurney wrote in large, bold letters: "About how I misspent my precious time." Charles Coffin's entries begin on October 25, 1781 and fill the bulk of the journal. Coffin kept this diary while a student at Harvard College from 1781 to 1785. Although most of Coffin's entries are written in Latin, an account of his July 1781 examination for admission to the College is in English.

Diary and commonplace book of Peres Fobes, 1759-1760

The diary and commonplace book of Perez Fobes is written on unlined pages in a notebook with a sewn binding at the top of the pages; only the edge of the original leather softcover remain. The volume holds handwritten entries added irregularly from August 23, 1759 until December 1760 while Fobes was a student at Harvard College. The topics range from the irreverent, to the mundane, to the theological and scientific. The notebook serves to chronicle both his daily activities, such as books he read, lectures he attended, and travel, as well as a place to note humorous sayings, transcribe book passages, or ponder religious ideas such as original sin. In the volume, Fobes devotes considerable space to the subject of astronomy, and drew a picture of the "The Solar System Serundum Coper[nici] with the Or[bit] of 5 Remarkable Comets." At the back of the book, on unattached pages is a short personal dictionary for the letters A-K kept by Fobes.