Financial bills and receipts, 1781

One-page account between William and Joseph Croswell for board and supplies.

B. Miscellaneous accounting statements, 1781-1819

This subseries contains five one-page account statements consisting of "Col. Marshall's Account" for 1781 to 1790; washing charges in 1800; payments in 1807 and 1808 to "Mrs. C."; credits and debits for 1812-1813; and a statement of money received from the Pemberton Fund between 1812 and 1819.

Observations of Sun Spots, 1739-1743

Eleven-page notebook containing John Winthrop's handwritten observations and calculations. Titled by Winthrop "Observations of 'Spots' on ye Sun with ye Naked Eye," this is the first known record of his scientific observations and records what he saw while examining the sun "with an 8 foot telescope from 6 a.m. til sun set" on the Boston Commons and concluding with "a considerable aurora borealis" that night (April 20, 1739). It has been speculated that his reference to the aurora borealis in these observations may indicate that he recognized the interrelation of the aurora borealis and sun spots, a concept which was not definitively established until the mid-nineteenth century.

Payment order for Phillips Payson on behalf of his son, 1781 July 2

Handwritten order to John Sale to pay scholarship funds to Phillips Payson for use by his son, signed by Charles Chauncey, John Clarke, James Thwing, and Jonathan Williams.

Letter from Francis Dana to Samuel Langdon, 1780 January 19

This one-page letter from Harvard alumnus Francis Dana (1743-1811; Harvard AB 1762), in Bilbao, Spain, to Harvard President Samuel Langdon concerns the donation of a Spanish book by Dana to the College Library.

Letter from William Bentley to Edward Wigglesworth, [1780-1781]

This brief undated note from William Bentley (1759-1819; Harvard AB 1777) to Edward Wigglesworth concerns the need for paper book covers.

Letter from Thomas Crafts to Edward Wigglesworth, 1781 May 22

This brief letter from Thomas Crafts (1759-1819; Harvard AB 1783) to Professor Wigglesworth concerns Craft's work on the catalogue of pamphlets in the library.

Letter from Robert Bell to Edward Wigglesworth, 1781 June 16

This brief letter from Robert Bell in Boston, Massachusetts, to Professor Edward Wigglesworth concerns the donation of books to the College Library.

Requests for abatement of commons, November 13, 1781

Request from Tutor John Mellen (Harvard College Class of 1770) for an abatement of his commons for his absence from the College due to illness and request from Eleazer James (Harvard College Class of 1778) for an abatement of his commons due to absence from the College.

Ledger for the Classes of 1732-1743, 1728-1749

The volume, bound in a modern green leather binding, contains accounts for the Classes of 1732-1743. The Steward's accounts with Harvard College are interspersed throughout the volume.

Returns of Steward Caleb Gannett, 1781

Returns dated March 2, 1781 and June 6, 1781.

Mr. Gannett's Acct. for Commencement Dinner, 1781 July

Handwritten itemized list of costs for food and supplies purchased for the 1781 Commencement dinner. Signed by Caleb Gannett.

[Fragment of quarterly account], 1781-1790 July

One-page handwritten unidentified accounting with entries between August 1781 and August 1790 following the format: date, weeks, rate, and total. The first entry reads: "Aug. 28 1781 ... 761 weeks ... @ 3/6 ... 133.3.6."

Letter from Edward Wigglesworth to John Lowell, 1781 January 3

Four leaves containing a four-and-a-half-page letter in the hand of Professor Edward Wigglesworth to John Lowell dated January 3, 1781. In the letter, Professor Wigglesworth describes the issues related to the deprecating value of paper money and the salaries of Harvard officers, and he provides recommendations for the General Court's grants to the College.