1814-1828
Guide to the Microfilm Edition
Microfilmed in cooperation with Library and Archives Canada, thanks to financial assistance provided by the Cultural Affairs office of the United States Embassy to Canada, June 2001.
Abstract
This collection consists of the papers of the commission created under Article 5 of the Treaty of Ghent to establish the northeast boundary between Canada and the U.S.
Historical Sketch
The Northeast Boundary Commission was created under Article 5 of the Treaty of Ghent (1814) to establish the northeast boundary between Canada and the United States. The commission operated from 1816 to 1822.
Sources
Hale, Richard W., Jr. "The Forgotten Maine Boundary Commission." Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Ed. Marjorie F. Gutheim. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1959. 147-155.
Collection Description
The Northeast Boundary Commission papers consist of reports, memorials, maps, and journals kept by surveyors and astronomers employed by British agent Ward Chipman and U.S. agent William C. Bradley; memorials of both agents; and accounts of expenses incurred by Chipman and Bradley. Also included are astronomer Ferdinand Hassler's treatise "Upon the Geocentric Latitude"; oaths of surveyors, astronomers, and commissioners; instructions to surveyors; commissions for the British commissioner Cornelius P. Van Ness, American commissioner Thomas Barclay, British agent Ward Chipman, and American agent W.C. Bradley; minutes of commission proceedings; a small amount of commission correspondence; and accounts of commission secretary Salma Hale.
Acquisition Information
Deposited by Robert S. Hale and Richard W. Hale, September 1904; deposited by Richard W. Hale, Jr., March 2, 1953.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Commissions, instructions, and oaths, 1814-1820
This series contains a copy of Article 5 of the Treaty of Ghent, which established the Northeast Boundary Commission, as well as various oaths, including the oaths of the commissioners, oaths of British and American surveyors and their assistants, and oaths of the astronomers and their assistants. Also included in this series are commissions for Thomas Barclay (the British commissioner) and C. P. Van Ness (the American commissioner), for Ward Chipman (the British agent), and for William C. Bradley (the American agent), as well as instructions issued to Ward Chipman and to the surveyors.
Treaty of Ghent, Article 5 (copy), 1814
Oaths of commissioners, 23 Sep. 1816
British oaths: surveyors and assistants, 1817
American oaths: surveyors and assistants, 1817-1820
Oaths: astronomers and assistants, 1818-1819
Commissions: Barclay, Van Ness, Chipman, Bradley, 1815-1817
Instructions to surveyors, 1819-1820
Instructions to Ward Chipman, 1815
II. Minutes and correspondence, 1816-1828
This series includes volume 1, a "journal" containing the minutes of commission meetings, as well as a page index to the volume. Also included in this series are loose pages of minutes and a small amount of commission correspondence.
Page index to volume 1, "Journal" (minutes), 23 Sep. 1816-13 Apr. 1822
"Journal" (minutes), 23 Sep. 1816-13 Apr. 1822
Miscellaneous undated minutes
Minutes, 1816-Apr. 1822
Correspondence, 1820-1828
III. Memorials and reports, 1818-1822
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains all of the reports, arguments, replies, and evidence for each agent's claims in the border debate, including reports by surveyors and their assistants, astronomers and their assistants, and "memorials" (arguments) by the agents Ward Chipman (Great Britain) and William C. Bradley (United States). In some cases, there are multiple drafts of a memorial. Volumes 2 and 3 consist of a memorial filed by Ward Chipman on 14 Aug. 1821 (vol. 2) with a bound appendix (vol. 3). Volumes 4 and 5 are the final reports issued by commissioners C. P. Van Ness and Thomas Barclay.
Surveyors' reports (Bouchette and Johnson), 22 May 1818
Memorials (Chipman and Bradley), filed 23 May 1818
Surveyors' reports (Bouchette and Johnson), filed 11 May 1819
F. R. Hassler's "Upon the Geocentric Latitude," 3 May 1819
Astronomers' reports, filed 11 May 1819
Memorial (Chipman), filed 13 May 1819
Memorial (Bradley), filed 18 May 1819
Memorial (Chipman), filed 19 May 1819
Surveyor's report (Burnham), filed May 1820
Astronomer's report (Tiarks), filed 16 May 1820
Surveyor's report (Odell), filed 19 May 1820
Surveyor's report (Partridge), filed 19 May 1820
Surveyors' reports (assistant U.S. surveyors), filed 19 May 1820
Memorial (Bradley), filed 22 May 1820
Memorial (Chipman), filed 25 May 1820
Memorial (Bradley), filed 29 May 1820
Memorial (Chipman), filed 23 Oct. 1820
"First Memorial."
Memorial (Chipman), filed 23 Oct. 1820
"First Memorial," a true copy.
Memorial (Chipman), filed 23 Oct. 1820
"First Memorial," possibly a draft.
Memorial (Chipman), filed 24 May 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 25 May 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 31 May 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 2 June 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 8 June 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 8 June 1821
"Second Memorial," with appended letters.
Memorial (Chipman), filed 8 June 1821
"Second Memorial," a true copy.
Memorial (Bradley), filed 8 June 1821
With appended documents.
Memorial (Bradley), filed 9 June 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 6 Aug. 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 10 Aug. 1821
With appended surveyor's letter.
Memorial (Bradley), filed 10 Aug. 1821
A true copy.
Memorial (Bradley), filed 10 Aug. 1821
Possibly a final draft version.
Memorial (Bradley), filed 10 Aug. 1821
Rougher draft version.
American surveyor's note, filed 13 Aug. 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 14 Aug. 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 14 Aug. 1821
Not in final form.
Documents annexed to Ward Chipman's memorial, filed 14 Aug. 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 14 Aug. 1821
With appended documents.
Additional memorial (Chipman), filed 14 Aug. 1821
"Appendix to British Agent's Reply" (Chipman), filed 14 Aug. 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 26 Sep. 1821
Memorial (Bradley), filed 27 Sep. 1821
Memorial (Bradley), dated 27 Sep. 1821
Longer than above, a draft version.
Memorial (Chipman), filed 27 Sep. 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 29 Sep. 1821
Surveyor's report (Partridge), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Loring), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Hunter), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Burnham), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Memorial (Chipman), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Loss), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Campbell), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's report (Odell), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Surveyor's reports (Carlisle), filed 2 Oct. 1821
Reports of Dr. Tiarks, filed 2 Oct. 1821
Report of commissioner C. P. Van Ness, 13 Apr. 1822
Report of commissioner Thomas Barclay, 13 Apr. 1822
IV. Financial records, 1817-1822
This series consists of accounts for expenses and is divided into three subseries: A. British accounts, by British agent Ward Chipman; B. American accounts, by American agent William C. Bradley; and C. Secretary's accounts, by commission secretary Salma Hale.
A. British accounts, 1817-1821
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains British agent Ward Chipman's accounts for supplies, travel expenses, and salaries for his exploring parties, surveying parties, and astronomers. The accounts include "schedules," or summaries of accounts; "abstracts," or lists of what is included in an account; and "vouchers," receipts or receipted bills for expenses. Note that accounts "passed"--accepted by the commission secretary--in a given year include expenses incurred the year before.
British accounts passed 21 May 1818
Account of expenditures, schedule A-N
Account A (Coolidge, Deblois & Co.)
Account B (Crookshank & Johnston), abstract and vouchers 1-56
Account C (Peter Fraser), abstract and vouchers 1-20
Account D (Colin Campbell), abstract; E (Richard Smith), abstract
Account F (pay to exploring party), abstract with receipts
Account G (pay to surveying party); H (Colin Campbell); I (William Whitney); K (W. Reynolds); L (J. Bremner); M (W. Pagan)
Account N (Col. Bouchette), abstract and vouchers 1-20
British accounts passed 20 May 1819
Account of expenditures, schedule I-VII
Account I (expenditures on exploring survey), schedules A, B, and C
Account I.A (pay of assistants and laborers on exploring survey), abstract and vouchers 1-26
Account I.B (Richard Powers), abstract and vouchers 1-9
Account I.C (W. Odell, contingent expenses), abstract and vouchers 1-8
Account II (expenditures by W. Chipman in operations on 45th parallel), schedule 1-13
Account II.1 (Dr. Tiark's assistants and laborers), abstract and vouchers 1-13
Account II.2 (Dyde & Martinant), abstract and vouchers 1-6
Account II.3 (Dyde & Martinant), abstract and vouchers 1-3
Accounts II.4-11 (miscellaneous expenses), vouchers
Accounts II.12, II.13 (traveling expenses)
Accounts III (N. Rossiter), IV (P. Fraser), V (Col. Bouchette), VI (W. Odell), VII (W. Odell)
British accounts passed May 1820
Expenditures, schedule of accounts I-IV, with account I (C. Satterthwaite) and II (W. Odell)
Account III (expenditures of exploring survey), schedule and account III.A (pay of assistants and laborers), abstract and unnumbered vouchers
Account III.B (Colin Campbell), abstract and vouchers 1-20
Account III.B, A-H (traveling expenses), with voucher subsets
Account IV (expenditures on the 45th parallel), schedule A-E
Account IV.A (J. Gallagher), abstract and unnumbered vouchers
Account IV.A, unnumbered vouchers
Account IV.A, Thomas Carlisle's unnumbered vouchers
Account IV.A, Peter Gazet's unnumbered vouchers
Account IV.B (Dr. Tiarks), abstract and mostly unnumbered vouchers
Accounts IV.C (E. Newell), D (T. Sous), E (J. Gallagher)
British accounts passed Sep. 1821
General account for commissioners (1821), schedule I-VI
Schedule I (expenditures on exploring surveys), A-K
Account I.B (Colin Campbell), abstract and vouchers 1-19
Account I.C (Colin Campbell's traveling expenses)
Account I.D (J. Watson), vouchers 1-13
Account II (Dr. Tiarks' survey expenses), schedule with accounts A and B (Thomas Carlisle's pay and expenditures)
Account II.B.1 (Thomas Carlisle 9 June-29 Sep. 1820), vouchers 1-40
Account II.B.2 (Thomas Carlisle 3 Oct.-15 Dec. 1820), vouchers 1-25
Account II.B.3 (Thomas Carlisle 20 Nov. 1820-10 May 1821), vouchers 1-32
Accounts II.C-D (Charles Loss's pay and expenses), with unnumbered vouchers
Accounts II.E (D. Canahie), F (N. Pilkington), G (J. Mazerole), H (D. Mardermont), I (M. Dicereau), K (M. Disarian), L (Postage)
Accounts III (Mrs. Delano), IV-V (Odell), VI (T. Stevenson)
B. American accounts, 1817-1821
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains American agent William C. Bradley's accounts for supplies, travel expenses, and salaries for his exploring parties, surveying parties, and astronomers.
American accounts passed 21 May 1818
Expenditures, schedule A-O
Accounts A (H. H. Orne), B (John Don & Co.), C (Richard Powers), D (John Johnson)
Account E (Charles Turner, Jr.), with unnumbered vouchers
Accounts F (J. Merryman), G (J. Jones, Jr. & Co.), H (H. Gates & Nephew), I (pay) with abstract and vouchers 1-14
Accounts K (pay of chainmen and laborers on survey party) with vouchers 1-15; L (C. Turner, Jr.), M (S. Appleby), N (L. Cummings), O (H. Fletcher)
American accounts passed 20 May 1819
Expenditures, schedule I-IX
Accounts I (N. Hayes), II (H. H. Orne)
Account III (expenditures for outfits), abstract A and vouchers 1-43
Account IV (pay of men under astronomers), abstract B and vouchers 1-14
Account V (pay of men in exploring survey), abstract C and vouchers 1-16
Account VI (R. Powers expenditures), vouchers 1-25
Account VI (R. Powers expenditures), vouchers 26-58
Account VII (E. Chamberlain)
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), abstract with unnumbered vouchers
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), vouchers 1-38
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), vouchers 39-89
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), voucher 90 (astronomical surveying party) with unnumbered subset vouchers
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), voucher 91 (J. S. Gallagher) with unnumbered subset vouchers
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), voucher 92 (Gaius Willard) with unnumbered subset vouchers
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), vouchers 93-98
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), voucher 99 (astronomical surveying parties account) with unnumbered subset vouchers
Account VIII (astronomer's expenses), vouchers 100-171
Account IX (H. Burnham and W. Lewis)
American accounts passed May 1820
Expenditures, schedule I-VII
Accounts I-II (R. Tillottson's pay and expenses), with unnumbered vouchers
Account III (outfits and transportation), abstract A and vouchers 1-14
Account IV (pay for assistants and laborers), abstract B and vouchers 1-20
Account V (Richard Powers), abstract C and vouchers 1-30
Account V (Richard Powers), vouchers 31-60
Account V (Richard Powers), vouchers 61-66, with subset vouchers for 62-64
Accounts VI (Captain Partridge), VII (N. Hays)
American accounts passed Sep. 1821
Expenditures, schedule I-VII
Accounts I-III (Salma Hale)
Account IV (Richard Powers), abstract and vouchers 1-45
Account IV, voucher 46-49 with subsets for 46, 48-49
Account V (Hiram Burnham), abstract and vouchers 1-25
Account V (Hiram Burnham), vouchers 26-55
Account VI (pay for assistants and laborers), abstract and vouchers 1-17
C. Secretary's accounts, 1820-1822
This subseries contains commission secretary Salma Hale's accounts, including vouchers and records for copying, postage, stationery, room rent, and contingent expenses.
Miscellaneous accounts with numbered vouchers
Schedule of account, with abstracts and miscellaneous vouchers
Ward Chipman's account, abstract with vouchers 1-21
Account A (copying), abstract with vouchers 1-46 and unnumbered vouchers
Account B (stationery), abstract and unnumbered vouchers
Account C (room rent and contingent expenses), abstract and unnumbered vouchers
Account D (Hiram Burnham), abstract with vouchers 1-17
Account E (Thomas Carlisle)
Account F (postage, etc.), abstract with unnumbered vouchers
Duplicate vouchers
Note: These vouchers have not been microfilmed.
V. Field journals and accounts, 1817-1819
This series of volumes contains two field journals (vol. 6-7) kept in 1817, one by British assistant surveyor Colin Campbell and the other by American assistant surveyor Charles Turner, Jr. Turner's field journal includes provision returns and a "chainmen's field-book of measurement." The series also contains two journals (vol. 8-9) kept by R. Powers, the commissary of the American party, with accounts and diary entries.
Field journal of Colin Campbell, 14 June-14 Oct. 1817, filed 22 May 1818
Field journal of Charles Turner, Jr., 30 June-7 Nov. 1817
Includes provision returns and chainmen's field-book of measurement.
Journal of R. Powers, 16 May 1818-3 Nov. 1818
Includes accounts, 16 May-2 Nov. 1818, and diary entries, 6 June-3 Nov. 1818.
Journal of R. Powers, 6 June-10 Dec. 1819
Includes account of expenditures.
Preferred Citation
Northeast Boundary Commission 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.