Financial bills and receipts, 1785-1786

This folder contains eight bills and receipts including five receipts for payment by William Croswell for the costs of boarding Croswell's brother Nathaniel.

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.

Letter of recommendation for Elisha Parmele and Reuben Parmele, May 17, 1784

This letter, signed by Stephen West, Ezra Stiles, and Josiah Sherman, attests to the reputable character of Elisha Parmele and his brother, Reuben, who was also a minister. The signers explain the health concerns motivating the brothers' travels southward and request that those who encounter them treat them with "kindness and brotherly love."

Letter from John Quincy Adams to his brother, Thomas Boylston Adams, 1786 July 2

This letter was written by John Quincy Adams on July 2, 1786 to his younger brother, Thomas Boylston Adams, who was then staying with their uncle, the Reverend John Shaw, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In the letter, John gives Thomas advice on life as a student at Harvard, instructing him to choose his friends carefully, to favor those who are virtuous and studious over those who are idle and prone to vice, to maintain an "unblemished moral reputation," and to spend as much as six hours each day studying in order to excel as a scholar.

Letters from Emma Tudor Gardiner to her brother, William Tudor,

Four letters written from Oaklands, the Gardiner family mansion. Emma details the family’s journey to Gardiner from Boston, and offers updates on her children’s activities and health. She also writes following the death of their father, William Tudor, expressing profound grief and reflecting on his character and good nature.

Letters from Emma Tudor Gardiner to her brother, William Tudor,

Four letters in which Emma further expresses grief over the loss of their father and gives a positive critique of a memoir of William Tudor that her brother had written. Other topics include literature, friends, and visitors to Oaklands, and various purchases her brother made on her behalf in Boston.

Letters from Emma Tudor Gardiner to her brother, William Tudor,

Four letters in which Emma writes instructions for Tudor to buy her a shawl and her children a tea-set. In one letter, she recommends changes to Tudor’s diet and exercise routine to improve his health.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters written during the Gardiner family’s journey through Maine and while they were settling in at Oaklands.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters in which Gardiner discusses progress of the church he was building on the estate and requests Tudor send him certain books from Boston.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters written from Oaklands. One letter from Emma expressing her grief and shock over the death of their father was finished by her husband, who described hearing the news from a friend, and Emma’s subsequent reaction. In other letters, Gardiner offers advice on resolving the elder William Tudor’s debts by selling off assets such as shares in the Boston Athenaeum and in a pew at Trinity Church. In one letter, Gardiner also offers his opinion regarding the prospects of Henry James (Harry) Tudor’s law career.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters regarding the Gardiner children as well as Delia Stewart’s constantly changing travel plans.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Five letters regarding topics such as Delia Stewart’s travel plans, local Maine politics, and progress in the construction of a church on the estate. In one letter, Gardiner writes about attending the funeral of Bowdoin College President Jesse Appleton.

Letters from Robert Hallowell Gardiner to his brother-in-law, William Tudor,

Four letters regarding topics such as local Maine politics and various household items and books Tudor acquired on the Gardiner family’s behalf.