Preaching Book, 1768-1777

Small soft-cover notebook containing handwritten entries made by Caleb Gannett between 1768 and 1777. The notebook consists of a one-page "An Account of my eating at the Steward's from August 7th, 1772" consisting of a short list kept between August 7 and September 21, 1772 of coffee, milk, tea, and meat consumed; twenty-two pages used as an accounting ledger for personal expenses between 1769 and 1775; and ten pages listing preaching fees received from 1768 to 1777. The entries listing ministerial fees generally follow the format: "April 3. Mr. Eliot to preaching at S. Cambridge 6..15..0."

[Letter from Andrew Eliot to Alexander Hill, Newbury, November-December 1777]

One-page letter providing news about the Revolutionary War, including General John Burgoyne's arrival in Watertown, Mass., rumors of General Howe's army being taken prisoner, the success of General Stark, and the failed Rhode-Island expedition of 1777. Eliot also mentions the role of divine direction in the war.

Letter from George Richards Minot to Daniel Kilham, 1777 December 1

Three-page handwritten letter from Harvard undergraduate George Richards Minot to his friend and Harvard graduate Daniel Kilham, dated December 1, 1777. The letter describes the discipline inflicted upon Minot and seven of his classmates by the Harvard government following a “Thanksgiving frolic,” and the retributions carried out by the students against a Tutor who recommended harsh measures for the accused students. The Early Faculty minutes for 1777 (UAIII 5.5, Volume 4, pages 75-76) describes the students’ crime as “making riotous & tumultuous noises in the Hall…committed in Presence of a number foreigners, & and on a day appointed by Authority for public Thanksgiving.”

William Blair Townsend letter and receipt books, 1743-1805, bulk 1744-1777

The collection consists of two volumes, which date from 1743 to 1805, spanning his whole career as a merchant. Volume one is a letter book containing Townsend's business correspondence from November 23, 1743 to December 12, 1774. Most of the letters were written to American (many in North Carolina) and British (predominately in London) merchants. His earliest letters document his efforts to establish himself as a trader. Over time his letters turn to illustrate the common problems faced by many merchants: damaged goods, overpriced goods, embargos, and high freight costs. Particularly enlightening are his comments on the challenges of doing business throughout the French and Indian War and the years leading up to the American Revolution. He most frequently corresponded with London merchants Champion & Hayley, Lane & Booth, Lane Son & Fraser, Harrison & Ansley, and Leeds merchant Samuel Elam. In addition he frequently corresponded with Eliakim Palmer, colonial agent and merchant in London, as well as Dr. Walley Chauncy of North Carolina. He dealt in a wide variety of goods including molasses, rum, tar, medicines, pitch, saddles, tallow, hides, skins, pickled beef and pork, and wine. The letters also document Townsend's involvement in the slave trade through his occasional purchases of slaves.