By Dan Hinchen

First up this week on the list of events here at the MHS is “Katherine, Grace, and Mary: Archaeological Revelations of 17th and 18th Century Women from Boston’s Big Dig.” Beginning at 6:00PM on Monday, 6 October, join us as Joe Bagley, Boston City Archaeologist, discusses the uncovering of mountains of historical data during the archaeological surveys conducted prior to the start of the Big Dig. The talk focuses primarily on three sites where evidence of the lives of three women – the late 17th century site of Katherine Nanny Naylor, the early 18th century site of Mary Long, and the mid-18th century site of Grace Parker – came to light. There is a $10 fee (no charge for Fellows and Members). Please call 617- 646-0560 or click here to register. A pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM. 

On Tuesday, 7 October, come by at 5:15PM for an Early American History seminar given by David Konig of Washington University in St. Louis. “Thomas Jefferson, Lawyer: Property and Personhood in the Law of Slavery” examines the complex relationship between Thomas Jefferson’s legal career and his ownership of slaves. Comment provided by Malick Ghachem of MIT. Seminars are free and open to the public; RSVP required. Subscribe to receive advance copies of the seminar papers.

Then, on Wednesday, 8 October, there is a special member event at the Society starting at 6:00PM. Members and Fellows are invited to hear John W. Tyler, editor of The Correspondence of Thomas Hutchinson: 1740-1766 (2014), as he presents “History Revealed: Thomas Hutchinson and the Stamp Act Riots.” The evening will feature a reception at 6:00PM and remarks by Mr. Tyler at 6:30PM followed by a presentation of items from the Society’s collections. Registration is required at no cost. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list, please call 617-646-0518.

And on Thursday, 9 October, please join us for an author talk featuring Adam Hochschild of the University of California, Berkeley. “1914-1918: The War Within the War,” Hochschild describes the battle between people who regarded the war as a noble and necessary crusade, and a brave minority who felt it was tragic madness and who refused to fight. In an illustrated talk, he focuses on the country where that tension was sharpest, Great Britain. Pre-talk reception begins at 5:30PM and the talk begins at 6:00PM. The talk is open to the public but registration is required. Please RSVP.