Deed of feoffment for property in Cambridge, Massachusetts: from Thomas Sweetman to Michael Spencer, 1677 December 10

In this deed of feoffment, written on Dec. 10, 1677, Thomas Sweetman agreed to sell his dwelling house, barn, and orchard to his son-in-law, Michael Spencer, for the cost of eighty pounds sterling. The property was located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on what was then the northwest corner of the grounds of Harvard College, and was sold "together with the wood lot upon the rocks and cow commons belonging to it." The deed specifies that both Sweetman and his wife Isabel were to be allowed to occupy the property until their deaths, and further explains that Spencer and his family were already living in the dwelling house, occupying three rooms. The document was signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of Daniel Gookin, Jr. and John Bridgham. It was also signed by Thomas Sweetman.

Triennial Catalogue annotated by Jeremy Belknap, 1791

The collection holds a heavily interleaved 1791 Triennial Catalogue annotated, in part, by Jeremy Belknap. A note by Harvard Librarian John Langdon Sibley, on the verso of the flyleaf, indicates a second annotator: "It should be observed that this catalogue is in the handwriting of two persons, Dr. Belknap & probably interlineations & additions by Rev. Dr. [John] Eliot. The interlineing part should not be too confidently relied on for accuracy. J. L. Sibley, April 14, 1848." The volume contains biographical notes, newspaper clippings, excerpts from manuscript and printed sources such as New England's First Fruits, the manuscript memoirs of Charles Chauncey, and John Winthrop's Journal, and a 1795 letter from Isaac Mansfield. In the letter, Mansfield references an item he believed to be written by his grandfather, Ames Cheever (Harvard AB 1707), and briefly describes his grandfather. A list of election sermon orators with dates is also pasted into the inside back cover, along with an obituary of the Rev. John Wales (Harvard AB 1728) from the Boston Post-Boy, March 4, 1765.

The report of the committee about Harvard Coledge: presented to the Generall Court held the 3 of (3) month, 1654

Two folio-sized leaves with a handwritten draft of the May 3, 1654 report of a General Court Committee authorized to investigate the financial state of Harvard College. The report responds directly to eight questions raised in the September 10, 1653 Order of the General Court that established the Committee. The report provides summaries of Harvard's income sources and disbursements, offers recommendations regarding the President's salary and the allowances for the academic Fellows, steward, butler, and cook, and indicates specific contributions from local towns.

Alphabetical catalog of Harvard College graduates through 1767, 1767

This hard-bound manuscript catalog alphabetically lists the men who graduated from Harvard College between 1642 and 1767. It is believed to be the first such list compiled. Entries contain each graduate's surname (in English), given name (in Latin), year of graduation, and occasional additional information. Francis Foxcroft (A.B. 1712) compiled the catalog. Entries for those who graduated between 1764 and 1767 have been added at the end of each alphabetical section.

Diary of Henry Flynt, 1723-1747

This diary, effectively a commonplace book, documents Flynt's daily activities and personal reflections from 1723 to 1747. Many entries concern his dealings with family members, business associates, acquaintances, ministers, and political officials. The diary includes a list of books Flynt loaned to others from 1723 to 1743 and detailed financial entries from 1724 to 1747. These entries provide information about the costs of goods and services, as well as Flynt's consumption habits; they detail where he traveled, what he ate and drank (including, apparently, many pounds of almonds), what he read, and many other aspects of daily life. The diary also contains entries related to Flynt's land holdings and other investments, as well as copies of meeting minutes from several sessions of the Harvard Board of Overseers.

The petitioners for settling His Majesties lands and islands lying between Nova Scotia and the province of Main in New England in America : manuscript, [ca. 1720]

Written in an unidentified hand, signed by Barkstead.

Cases adjudged in the General Court of Virginia, 1733-1741

A copy of the reports by Edward Barradall of decisions of the general court of Virginia made by Gustavus A. Myers for William Green from a copy lent him by Conway Robinson.

Letter book : manuscript, 1764-1771

Tryon's official letter book containing copies of letters and documents relating to his work as colonial governor of North Carolina; with references concerning drawing a boundary between North Carolina and South Carolina; talks with the Cherokee Indians; the establishment of a postal service; working with the Propagation of the Gospels in Foreign Parts; establishing the Church of England in North Carolina; strengthening the defenses of the colony; maintaining better communication with Great Britain; and other events.

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.

Copy of the return of the writ of partition relating to the lands of Peter Weare & others of Casco Bay : manuscript, [1730]

Document concerns how certain lands around Casco Bay, York Co., Maine, were partitioned in accordance with an order of a writ.

Journal and orderly book : manuscript, 1758 May-Oct

Copied orders and narrative entries of a military expedition to Schenectady and the Oneida station.

Rice and the making of South Carolina : an introductory essay

Originally, Carolinians grew rice on dry land, but early in the eighteenth century, cultivation spread to swampy fresh water areas. Until the 1850s, rice reigned supreme. But large-scale rice production was limited to the tidal marshes and inland swamp, while cotton became profitable statewide after the invention of the cotton gin. In its heyday, however, rice made a few hundred planters extremely wealthy. It also contributed to cross culturation and the making of Carolina as a rich cultural hybrid. In this essay, it is this aspect of rice cultivation that Professor Littlefield describes.

Oath of allegiance to George II by Jews in American colonies

Digital image

A history of American manufactures from 1608 to 1860; exhibiting the origin and growth of the principal mechanic arts and manufactures, from the earliest colonial period to the adoption of the constitution; and comprising annals of the industry of the United States in machinery, manufactures and useful arts, with a notice of the important inventions, tariffs, and the results of each decennial census.

Mode of access: Internet.