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.

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.

Council's Proceedings on the petition of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1743 March 7

Handwritten copy, signed by Josiah Willard, of a March 7, 1743 Council vote ordering further work by a Committee considering a petition by the Harvard Corporation related to ferry fares, and a half-page response by Francis Foxcroft suggesting that the Committee recommend certain fare rates and ferryman percentages.

Draft of a petition to the General Court from the Corporation, 1743 October 26-27

Two-page handwritten draft of a petition to the General Court signed by President Edward Holyoke, and a half-page letter that accompanied the draft from President Holyoke to Tutor Flynt, a member of the Committee to draft the petition.

[Admittatur of William Lawrence (Harvard AB 1743)], 1739

Notebook with a handwritten copy of the 1735 College laws in English prepared by Harvard undergraduate William Lawrence and signed by President Edward Holyoke, Fellow Nathan Prince, and Tutor Daniel Rogers on September 9, 1739.

[Admittatur of Ebenezer Storer (Harvard AB 1747)], 1743

Marbled paper-covered notebook with a handwritten copy of the 1734 College laws in English prepared by Harvard undergraduate Ebenezer Storer and signed by President Edward Holyoke, Fellow Henry Flynt, Tutor Belcher Hancock, Fellow Joseph Mayhew, and Tutor Thomas Marsh on September 11, 1743.

Catalogue of freshmen, 1743

List of the matriculating members of the Harvard Class of 1747.

Annotated almanac, 1743

Almanac containing calendar pages with sporadic annotations of unidentified measurements and interleaved pages with short handwritten entries about Winthrop's daily activities, and astronomical and meteorological observations. The entries include personal notes about travel, the weather, occasional alcohol consumption, and deaths in the community including a Latin note of the death of Winthrop's father (October 2) . There is an entry listing burials and baptisms in Boston, and a note that "Fever & fluxes prevail this month & prove very mortal" (September).

Notebook on geography, navigation, mensuration, and other subjects, ca. 1723-1743

This heavily illustrated notebook contains entries on the following topics, among others: geography; mensuration; navigation and the history of navigation; "the use of Gunter's Scale in plain sailing;" compasses; quadrants and their use; "the refraction of the stars observed by the famous Tycho Brahe;" the latitude and longitude of coasts in America, Europe, and Africa; oceans and islands; mountains and "burning mountains" (volcanoes); rivers and lakes; forests and deserts; maps and sea charts; and the uses of geometry and other measurements by carpenters, joiners, painters, glaziers, masons, and bricklayers. Many pages contain navigational problems and their detailed solutions, as well as chronologies of global exploration and lists of all known rivers, mountains, and other geographic features across the world, many with vivid descriptions. The last pages of the notebook contain entries made in December of 1743 regarding celestial measurements Prince took in Stratford, Connecticut, where he was staying with his brother.

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.

An account of my quarter bills, charges &c from July 11th 1743 to July 13th 1748 at Harvard College

Handwritten account book kept while Storer was a student at Harvard College. The well-organized volume is arranged by expense type and then date and was updated periodically, usually quarterly. The information offers a glimpse at the expenses of a Harvard student and provides information about the larger community that supported student life. The precise entries indicate the lifelong habits of Storer as a careful and methodical financial manager that would prove so valuable when he served as Harvard's treasurer more than thirty years later. Storer documents accounts with the steward, butler, sweeper, glazier, barber, and lists these individuals by name. The volume also includes notes on expenses for boarding, transportation, wood, and pocket expenses. While most entries do not list specific purchases, Storer provides details on the cost of a Harvard Commencement in 1747 (including the cost of a diploma, money to the President, hiring a house, a boat, a woman, and "2 Negroes"), and a specific accounting of the different food purchased for the event; Storer also lists expenses for an 1748 "supper for the graduates."

Letter from James Otis, Jr. to James Otis, Sr., and portrait print of James Otis Jr., 1743 June 17

Letter from Otis in Boston to his father, James Otis Sr. on June 17, 1743. In the short, half-page letter, Otis asks his father for money to pay for expenses relating to Commencement including the printing of theses, shoes, buckles, and any entertainment. He mentions that he will share entertainment expenses with his classmate Lothrop Russell.