COLLECTION GUIDES

1609-1890; bulk: 1747-1776

Guide to the Microfilm Edition


Collection Summary

Abstract

The papers of John Thomas of Marshfield and Kingston, Mass., primarily dating from 1747-1760 and 1775-1776, contain materials related to his military service as a surgeon and officer in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War.

Biographical Sketch

John Thomas (1724-1776) was a physician in Kingston, Mass., and an army officer in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War.

Collection Description

The bulk of the John Thomas papers consists of letterbooks of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Among the correspondents are John Thomas's wife Hannah Thomas, Thomas Pownall, Jeffery Amherst, Jotham Gay, Abel Keen, William Shirley, Benedict Arnold, Horatio Gates, Philip Schuyler, Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, George Washington, Benjamin Lincoln, John Adams, Josiah Quincy, John Hancock, Mercy Otis Warren, and others. Many of the letters were written while Thomas was commander of a brigade at Roxbury and Dorchester Heights during the Siege of Boston, 1775-1776. Also included are commissions, returns, orders, receipts, and papers of Thomas family members.

The collection also contains John Thomas's diary for 1748-1760; a volume of regimental orders and rosters, 1759; and two orderly books, 1759-1760, which together document his activities as a military surgeon and soldier in the French and Indian War and his command of a regiment at Lunenburg, Halifax, and Crown Point.

One folder of newspaper clippings and programs related to the erection of a gravestone to Thomas in 1925 has not been microfilmed.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by the old shelf numbers for each individual volume in original page-number order within volumes. Most of the items in the collection are individually described in the manuscript catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society and refer to these numbers for location. The Detailed Description of the Collection below includes the old shelflist numbers for identification purposes. The dates on the reels overlap, and individual items within reels are not in strict chronological order.

Acquisition Information

Gift of William A. Thomas (estate), June 1904. Regimental orders and roster, 1759, given by Misses Sarah and Joanna Williams, 18 Sept. 1912.

Other Formats

Black and white digital images of this collection--produced from the microfilm edition--are available as part of History Vault: Revolutionary War and Early America, a digital resource from ProQuest. This resource is available at subscribing libraries; speak to your local librarian to determine if your library has access. The MHS also provides access onsite to the Society's contributions to this resource; see a reference librarian for more information.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Expand all

II. Military records, 1759-1760

For John Thomas's military commissions, see Series III.C. Letterbook, 1713-1844. For additional military papers, see Series III.D. Letterbook, 1609-1810.

Close II. Military records, 1759-1760

III. Letterbooks, 1609-1890

Note: The items in this collection are arranged by the old shelf numbers for each individual volume in original page-number order within volumes. Most of the items are individually described in the manuscript catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society and refer to these numbers for location. The descriptions below include the old shelflist numbers for identification purposes. The dates on the reels overlap, and individual items within reels are not in strict chronological order.

Close III. Letterbooks, 1609-1890

Preferred Citation

John Thomas papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Amherst, Jeffery Amherst, Baron, 1717-1797.
Gay, Jotham, 1733-1802.
Keen, Abel.
Pownall, Thomas, 1722-1805.
Sampson, Joseph.
Thomas, Anthony.
Thomas, Augustus.
Thomas, Hannah.
Thomas, John, d. 1855.
Thomas family.
Ward, Artemas, 1727-1800.
Warren, Mercy Otis, 1728-1814.
Washington, George, 1732-1799.

Organizations:

Brown University--Students.
Massachusetts. Provincial Forces. Regiment, John Thomas's (1755-1763).
United States. Continental Army. Brigade, John Thomas's.
United States. Continental Army--Officers.

Subjects:

Boston (Mass.)--History--Siege, 1775-1776.
Crown Point (N.Y.).
Diaries, 1748-1755, 1760.
Fort Chambly (Chambly, Québec).
Marshfield (Mass.)--History.
Orderly books.
Physicians--Massachusetts--Marshfield.
Soldiers--Diaries.
Surgeons--Massachusetts--Marshfield.
United States--History--French and Indian War, 1755-1763--Campaigns.
United States--History--French and Indian War, 1755-1763--Order-books.
United States--History--French and Indian War, 1755-1763--Personal narratives.
United States--History--French and Indian War, 1755-1763--Regimental histories--Massachusetts Provincial Forces, John Thomas's Regiment.
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Campaigns.
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Personal narratives.
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Regimental histories--Continental Army, John Thomas's Brigade.
Voyages and travels--Diaries.
Weather.

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