Unidentified Episcopal minister supports pro-choice abortion demonstration in front of the Long Island Bill Baird Abortion Clinic

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Vote of Convention of Ministers in Boston,

Signed by Kirkland as "Scribe".

I. Sermons, 1709-1724

This series contains seventeen handwritten sermons composed by Nicholas Sever and delivered in the Boston area between 1709 and 1722. Following the completion of his Master's degree at Harvard in 1704, Sever preached in towns around New England including Haverhill in 1709, Dover, New Hampshire (where he was ordained in 1711 and remained until 1715), and in Cambridge as part of his duties as a Harvard Tutor between 1716 and 1728. During these years, Sever also filled in for ministers in nearby parishes. Sever's sermons reflect these engagements, and he occasionally noted the dates and locations where the sermons were delivered in the margin of the first page of the sermon.

III. Sermon notes, 1746-1747

This paper notebook contains abstracts of sermons attended between January 12, 1745/6 and November 15, 1747 in Kingston, Massachusetts, presumably by William Sever. The notebook lists the minister by last name, the location ("King." for Kingston), the date the sermon was delivered, the biblical passage used, and one-to-two-page entries on the sermon containing numbered notes and a section titled "Improvements and Applications." From the front of the volume, the pages contain entries for sermons attended between January 12 1745/6 through November 30, 1746, and there are no entries for June-September 1746. Sermon entries for December 7, 1746 to November 15, 1747 are written tête-bêche from the other end of the volume, and there are no entries for February-July 1747. Almost all of the sermons were delivered by Rev. William Rand, but there are sporadic sermons by additional ministers, who based on the last name are presumed to be John Angier (1701-1787; Harvard AB 1720), Ebenezer Gay (1696-1787; Harvard AB 1714), Nathaniel Eells (1678-1750; Harvard AB 1699), Josiah Torrey (1720-1783; Harvard AB 1741) and Daniel Shute (1722-1802; Harvard AB 1743).

Recommendation of Elisha Parmele as a candidate for ministry, July 3, 1781

This document describes Parmele's examination before an association of ministers in Berkshire County and records their subsequent decision to recommend him as a candidate for "the gospel ministry." Stephen West was the moderator of this meeting, and Daniel Collens was its scribe.

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."

Fleets pocket almanack for the year of our Lord, 1790

Annotated and interleaved almanac in marble-paper covers with minimal annotations to the calendar pages, generally "S" and "J." The interleaved pages contain sporadic handwritten entries noting deaths in the community, and ministers whose sermons Pearson attended.

Fleets’ pocket almanack for the year of our Lord, 1793

Annotated and interleaved almanac in marble-paper covers with minimal annotations to the calendar pages, generally "JB" and "SB." The interleaved pages contain sporadic handwritten entries including notes about Pearson's recovery from a broken leg, farming and a diagram of planted apple trees, Harvard staff hirings, deaths in the community, ministers whose sermons he attended, and Bible citations.

A Pocket almanack for the year of our Lord, 1796

Annotated and interleaved almanac in marble-paper covers with minimal annotations to the calendar pages, generally "J" and "S." The interleaved pages contain sporadic handwritten entries including brief notes about deaths in the community, ministers whose sermons Pearson attended, Corporation meetings, and student examinations. There are entries noting the deaths of Harvard undergraduates Isaac Wellington (who drowned) and Francis Brigham (who died of a fever). The almanac is the version printed and sold in Boston by T. & J. Fleet.

Fleets’ register, and pocket almanack for the year of our Lord, 1799

Annotated and interleaved almanac in marble-paper covers with minimal annotations to the calendar pages, generally "Jun" and "Sen." The interleaved pages contain sporadic handwritten entries including brief notes about ministers whose sermons Pearson attended, Bible citations, and student examinations.