1537-1990; bulk: 1620-1900
Guide to the Microfilm Edition
Production of this microfilm edition has been assisted by a matching grant from the Bicentennial Commission of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Representative digitized documents from this collection:
Restrictions on Access
Portions of this collection are available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Where digital facsimiles are available, use of the originals is restricted.
Abstract
This collection consists of papers of the Winthrop family of Massachusetts and Connecticut, including Gov. John Winthrop, John Winthrop, Jr., Fitz-John Winthrop, Wait Still Winthrop, John Winthrop, F.R.S., Prof. John Winthrop, Thomas Lindall Winthrop, Robert C. Winthrop, Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., and their families. Also included are papers of the related Bowdoin and Temple families.
Biographical Sketches
Gov. John Winthrop (1588-1649) was born in Edwardstown, England, to Adam Winthrop (1548-1623) and Anne Browne Winthrop (1558-1629). Winthrop founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 and served as governor of the colony from 1630-1634, 1637-1640, 1642-1644, and 1646-1649. He married four times: in 1605 to Mary Forth (1584-1615); in 1615 to Thomasine Clopton (1583?-1616); in 1618 to Margaret Tyndal (1591-1647); and in 1647 to Martha Rainsborough Coytmore (1617?-1660).
John Winthrop, Jr. (1606-1676) was the oldest son of Gov. John Winthrop (1588-1649) and Mary Forth Winthrop (1584-1615). He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1631 and served for many years as colonial governor of Connecticut, beginning in 1635.
Fitz-John Winthrop (1638-1707) was born to John Winthrop, Jr. (1606-1676) and his second wife Elizabeth Reade Winthrop (1614-1672). He fought in military campaigns, held many political positions, and served as colonial governor of Connecticut from 1698 until his death.
Wait Still Winthrop (1643-1717) was the son of John Winthrop, Jr. (1606-1676) and brother of Fitz-John Winthrop (1638-1707).
James Bowdoin I (1676-1747) was one of the wealthiest merchants in Boston.
John Winthrop, F.R.S. (1681-1747) was born in Boston to Wait Still Winthrop (1643-1717) and Mary Browne Winthrop (1656-1690). He married Ann Dudley (1684-1776). After several years in Massachusetts and Connecticut, where he became embroiled in legal conflicts, he took up residence in London. He was a member of the Royal Society.
Prof. John Winthrop (1714-1779) was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Harvard.
Gov. James Bowdoin (1726-1790) was governor of Massachusetts from 1785 to 1787.
John (later Sir John) Temple (1732-1798), 8th Baronet, was born in Boston. He worked in the U.S. customs service and later as British consul to the U.S. In 1767, he married Elizabeth Bowdoin (1750?-1809), daughter of Gov. James Bowdoin (1726-1790).
James Bowdoin III (also called James Bowdoin, Jr.) (1752-1811) was the son of Gov. James Bowdoin (1726-1790).
Thomas Lindall Winthrop (1760-1841) was born to John Still Winthrop (1719-1776) and Jane Borland Winthrop (1732-1760). He married Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple (1769-1825), daughter of Sir John Temple (1732-1798) and Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple (1750?-1809).
Robert C. Winthrop (1809-1894) was born to Thomas Lindall Winthrop (1760-1841) and Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple Winthrop (1769-1825). A prominent member of Boston society, Winthrop served from 1834-1840 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He then entered national politics and was elected to Congress in 1840 and served as speaker of the House of Representatives from 1847-1849. After leaving politics, Winthrop became president of the Massachusetts Historical Society. In 1832, he married Eliza Cabot Blanchard (1809-1842), remarried in 1849 to Laura Derby Welles (1811-1861), and remarried in 1865 to Adele Granger Thayer (1819-1892).
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. (1834-1905) was born in Boston to Robert C. Winthrop (1809-1894) and Eliza Cabot Blanchard Winthrop (1809-1842). Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. attended Phillips Academy, Andover, and Harvard University, where he obtained his law degree. He married Frances Pickering Adams (1836-1860) and spent many years abroad in Europe. Winthrop remarried in 1869 to Elizabeth Mason (1844-1924) and eventually settled in Massachusetts, where he became an active member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Sources
Mayo, Lawrence Shaw. The Winthrop Family in America. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1948.
Winthrop, Robert C. Life and Letters of John Winthrop: Governor of the Massachusetts-Bay Company at Their Emigration to New England, 1630. 2 vols. Boston: Little, Brown, 1869.
Collection Description
This microfilm edition of the Winthrop family papers consists of both public and private papers of the Winthrop family and the related Bowdoin and Temple families. The collection includes correspondence; diaries and travel journals; deeds; account books; medical, legal, and genealogical records; diplomas and commissions; inventories and estate settlements; scrapbooks; speeches; autographs and portraits; and annotated books and publications. Winthrop family members most heavily represented in the collection are: Gov. John Winthrop; John Winthrop, Jr.; Fitz-John Winthrop; Wait Still Winthrop; John Winthrop, F.R.S.; Prof. John Winthrop; Thomas Lindall Winthrop; Robert C. Winthrop; and Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Papers from the 17th century relate primarily to the founding and early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and include two volumes of the journal of Gov. John Winthrop, 1630-1649.
The collection includes books and pamphlets written by or about members of the Winthrop family. Except where noted, only the annotated pages of these printed works have been microfilmed. The microfilm also contains a small collection of correspondence between John Adams and Prof. John Winthrop, 1775-1776, held at the Massachusetts Historical Society, as well as positive and negative microfilms of Winthrop papers at other institutions and in private hands. Some papers, including 20th-century Winthrop family correspondence and Clara Bowdoin Winthrop volumes, have not been microfilmed. See Materials Not Included on Microfilm for a detailed list.
The Bowdoin and Temple papers in this collection relate primarily to James Bowdoin I, Gov. James Bowdoin, James Bowdoin III (also called James Bowdoin, Jr.), and John (later Sir John) Temple.
Some of the items in the Winthrop family papers have been individually cataloged in the MHS card catalog and published in the Catalog of Manuscripts of the Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1969).
Acquisition Information
Most of the papers in this collection came from members of the Winthrop family over a period of a century and a half. In 1803, Francis Bayard Winthrop, at the urging of his brother Thomas Lindall Winthrop, gave to the Massachusetts Historical Society the first two volumes of the journal of Gov. John Winthrop. The third volume, when discovered in 1816 among the books of Thomas Prince, was added to the other two. (Unfortunately, the second volume was destroyed in a fire in 1825.) In 1860, Robert C. Winthrop acquired a collection of papers which had descended from the Connecticut Winthrops, added it to the papers he had inherited from his father Thomas Lindall Winthrop, and from time to time, over the next 30 years, presented to the MHS individual letters or small groups of papers. The rest of the Winthrop family papers, Robert C. Winthrop's own papers, and the Bowdoin and Temple papers were added following the death of Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. in 1905.
Other materials, mainly non-manuscript, came to the MHS following the deaths of Elizabeth Mason Winthrop and her daughter Clara Bowdoin Winthrop (1876-1969). Additional papers were given by descendants of Francis Bayard Winthrop, Jr. (1787-1841) in 1880; Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. in 1896; Mrs. Robert Ludlow Fowler (1893-1970) in 1967; Robert and Nathaniel Winthrop; and the heirs of Mrs. Fowler. Other papers were acquired by purchase or as gifts from individuals outside the Winthrop family.
For a detailed account of the Winthrop manuscripts, see Robert C. Winthrop Jr.'s memoranda about the Winthrop papers, located on Reel 1 of this microfilm edition. For additional information on the acquisition and custodial history of the Winthrop papers, see:
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 1st ser. Vol. 12. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1873. 233-245.
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 1st ser. Vol. 17. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1880. 101-103.
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 2nd ser. Vol. 7. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1892. 457-465.
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 2nd ser. Vol. 8. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1894. 139-143.
Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 2nd ser. Vol. 19. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1906. 304-307.
"Preface." The Winthrop Papers. Vol. 1. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1929. v-xi.
Freiberg, Malcolm. "The Winthrops and Their Papers." Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Vol. 80. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1969. 55-70.
Restrictions on Access
Portions of this collection are available as color digital facsimiles (see links below). Where digital facsimiles are available, use of the originals is restricted.
Other Formats
Portions of this collection are available as color digital facsimiles. See the Detailed Description of the Collection below for links to digital images.
Selections from the Winthrop family papers between 1498 and 1654 have been printed in: Mitchell, Stewart, Allyn Bailey Forbes, and Malcolm Freiberg, ed. The Winthrop Papers. 6 vols. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1929-1992. Digital editions of Vols. 1-4 are available at https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/.
The journal of John Winthrop has been printed in: Dunn, Richard S., James Savage, and Laetitia Yeandle, ed. The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630-1649. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1996.
Other selections from the Winthrop family papers have been printed in: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 4th series, Vol. 6 (1863); 4th series, Vol. 7 (1865); 5th series, Vol. 1 (1871); 5th series, Vol. 8 (1882); 6th series, Vol. 3 (1889); and 6th series, Vol. 5 (1892).
Selections from the Bowdoin and Temple papers have been printed in: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 6th series, Vol. 9 (1897); and 7th series, Vol. 6 (1907).
Correspondence between John Adams and Prof. John Winthrop, 1775-1776, has been printed in: Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 5th series, Vol. 4 (1878), pp. 291-313.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Loose manuscripts, 1537-1904
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains correspondence, including some letters of George William Erving; deeds, wills, and other legal papers; diary fragments; bills and receipts; membership certificates; news items and annotated newspaper clippings; and miscellaneous papers. Among the papers in this series are some copies of manuscripts no longer in existence or held at other repositories, presumably made by James Bowdoin (1794-1833) or by or for Robert C. Winthrop and Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. The series also includes a small number of letters between John Adams and Prof. John Winthrop about the American Revolution, the Siege of Boston, and politics in Philadelphia, 1775-1776.
NOTE: This series contains manuscripts previously bound in Vols. 1-20 (except 9a), 21-25a, 30a-31, 34, 35-36, 53, 59, 74a, and 79-80. These volumes have been disbound and the manuscripts filed chronologically here.
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. memoranda about Winthrop papers, 1889-1892?
Undated manuscripts
1537-1628
1629-1630
1631
1632-1636
1637-1638
1639-1640
1641-1646
1647-1649
1650-May 1653
June 1653
July 1653-1656
1657-June 1658
July 1658-Mar. 1659
Apr. 1659-Oct. 1660
Nov. 1660-Nov. 1661
Dec. 1661-June 1662
July 1662-Aug. 1664
Sep. 1664-Feb. 1665
Mar.-Dec. 1665
1666-Mar. 1667
Apr.-June 1667
July 1667-May 1669
June 1669-1670
1671
1672-Aug. 1673
Sep.-Dec. 1673
Jan.-Oct. 1674
Nov. 1674-Sep. 1675
Oct.-Nov. 1675
Dec. 1675-June 1680
July 1680-1685
1686-June 1690
July 1690-1693
1694
1695-June 1698
July 1698-June 1699
July-Dec. 1699
1700-Mar. 1701
Apr.-Dec. 1701
1702-Apr. 1703
May 1703-June 1704
July-Aug. 1704
Sep. 1704-June 1706
July 1706-1708
Jan.-June 1709
July 1709-1713
1714-Mar. 1717
Apr. 1717
May 1717-1720
1721-1738
1739-1743
1744-1791
1792-1803
1804-1816
1817-1819
1820-1838
1839-July 1840
Aug. 1840-Mar. 1842
Apr.-Dec. 1842
1843-July 1845
Aug. 1845-June 1846
July 1846-Mar. 1848
Apr.-Dec. 1848
1849-Mar. 1851
Apr.-June 1851
July 1851-1855
Jan.-Apr. 1856
May 1856-1858
1859
1860-Apr. 1862
May 1862-1865
1866-1869
1870-1873
1874
1875-1879
1880
1881-1886
1887-1888
1889-1904
II. Bound volumes, 1550-1909Digital Content
This series contains writings on alchemy and medicine; diaries and journals, including the journal of Gov. John Winthrop entitled "History of New England"; a volume of deeds, commissions, and miscellaneous papers; a volume of lead mine papers; three notebooks of proverbs; several volumes on Robert C. Winthrop's Congressional career; letterbooks; and miscellaneous writings of several generations of the Winthrop family.
"Latin and English tracts on alchemy," [ca. 1550-1600]
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Robert C. Winthrop in 1869.
This volume contains a number of writings on alchemy by different authors in both prose and poetry, probably collected and bound in the latter half of the 16th century. The volume, which most likely belonged to John Winthrop, Jr., was repaired and bound in its present form in 1933. Also included at the beginning of the microfilm are a typewritten article by C. A. Browne and a note by Robert C. Winthrop with further information on the volume and its contents.
Winthrop deeds, commissions, etc., [1577]-1901
The earliest document in this volume is a deed of William Winthrop (1529-1582), and the last is an article on Melford Hall. Other items include photographs, other deeds, mortgages, indentures (some with copies), maps and drawings, funeral elegies, military and civilian commissions, diplomas, and miscellaneous papers. For a complete listing, see the table of contents at the front of the volume.
"Medical recipes," undated
The first part of this volume consists of copies of remedies taken from a number of 16th-century sources, among them Jean Fernel's "booke of the generall methode of curinge of feavers," Christof Wirsung's Praxis Medicinae Universalis, Hugh Plat's The Jewell House of Art and Nature, John Banister's edition of Johann Wecker's A Compendious Chyrurgerie, and The Secrets of...Alexis of Piedmont. Interspersed among the medical recipes are instructions for preserving fruits and making tarts, gingerbread, and several kinds of cake. At the end of the volume, written in several different hands, are notes on religion and alchemy, some in English and others in Latin.
John Winthrop sermon notes, 1627-1628
Of this volume, Robert C. Winthrop, in Life and Letters of John Winthrop, writes: "An additional illustration of Winthrop's character and habits...is furnished by a little autograph volume, found among his papers, in which all the sermons which he heard on Sundays and on prayer-days, during a large part of the years 1627 and 1628, are noted, with the names of the preachers, the texts of their discourses, and the various heads and arguments carefully written out."
John Winthrop journal: "History of New England," 1630-1649
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Francis Bayard Winthrop in 1803 (vol. 1-2) and 1816 (vol. 3).
Gov. John Winthrop's journal describes events in the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from the sailing of the Arbella in Mar. 1630 until shortly before Winthrop's death. As the chief source of information on the colony's early history, Winthrop's journal was later used in the writings of historians such as William Hubbard, Cotton Mather, Thomas Prince, and Jeremy Belknap.
John Winthrop, Jr. memoranda book, 1631
The first part of this volume consists of notes and exercises in Latin, probably not written by John Winthrop, Jr. At the end of the volume are accounts and notes made by John Winthrop, Jr. at the time of his preparation for the voyage to New England in 1631.
Catalogs and papers related to Harvard graduates, 1773-1825
Copy of the catalog of Harvard College graduates for 1642-1798, [1798]
This manuscript list of Harvard graduates, with biographical notes, was presumably compiled by James Winthrop for Thomas Lindall Winthrop. James Winthrop was the Harvard College librarian from 1772-1787 and a founder of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
William Winthrop correspondence and notes, 1794-1825
Originals located at Harvard University archives.
Included are notes and correspondence of William Winthrop (1753-1825) related to the Harvard College triennials of 1773-1824.
Annotated Harvard College triennials, 1773-1824
Originals located at Harvard University archives.
Included are triennials for the years 1773, 1782, 1794-1800, and 1806-1824, annotated by William Winthrop (1753-1825).
"The Tale of Tantiusques," 1644-1909
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by the American Antiquarian Society in 1968.
Tantiusques was a black lead (graphite) mine in the vicinity of Sturbridge, Mass., originally granted to John Winthrop, Jr. in 1644 and later the property of his descendants. Both John Winthrop, Jr. and his grandson John Winthrop, F.R.S., attempted unsuccessfully to profit from the mine. In 1828, the mine passed into the hands of Frederic Tudor and, during the remainder of the 19th century, was worked sporadically by a number of companies.
Also included with this volume are seven letters, 1899-1903, related to Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s gift of the volume to the American Antiquarian Society; his comments on George H. Haynes's article about Tantiusques in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society in 1901; and copies of Frederic Tudor's diary entries dealing with his ownership and operation of the mine.
John Winthrop, Jr. medical records, 1657-1669Digital Content
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Robert C. Winthrop in 1869.
John Winthrop, Jr.'s record of his patients, their symptoms, and the remedies that he, as an amateur physician, prescribed or gave to them. Included are typewritten indexes pasted at the end of each volume. The volumes were bound and labeled as vol. 20a and vol. 20b in 1912. They have since been disbound.
Index
Front cover
Pages 1-24
Pages 25-52
Pages 53-82
Pages 83-112
Pages 107 and 108 are missing from the sequence.
Pages 113-136
Pages 137-162
Pages 149 and 150 are missing from the sequence.
Pages 163-186
Pages 187-210
Index
Pages 235-258
Pages 259-282
Pages 283-306
Pages 307-328
Pages 329-352
Pages 353-374
Pages 375-396
Pages 397-418
Pages 419-442
Pages 443-464
Pages 465-479
Index
Pages 487 and 488 are missing from the sequence.
Pages 481-502
Pages 503-526
Pages 527-550
Pages 551-572
Pages 573-596
Pages 597-618
Pages 619-642
Pages 643-666
Pages 667-690
Pages 691-714
Pages 715-738
Pages 739-762
Pages 763-786
Pages 787-810
Pages 811-834
Pages 835-858
Pages 859-882
Pages 883-908
Pages 909-932
Pages 933-934
[Adam Winthrop], "Arcana," [1690-1694]
This small notebook, thought to be in the hand of Adam Winthrop (1676-1743), contains reading or lecture notes in Latin, perhaps made while he was a student at Harvard College, 1690-1694.
Commonplace book, 1700-?
Acquired by Robert C. Winthrop in 1861.
This volume was first used by John Winthrop, F.R.S., who made miscellaneous notes on scattered pages throughout. Later, John Still Winthrop (1720-1776) recorded genealogical data taken from memoranda of Wait Winthrop and John Winthrop, F.R.S. Finally, Francis Bayard Winthrop added genealogical notes, copies of a few letters, and miscellaneous memoranda.
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop autograph collection, 1799-1875
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Thomas Lindall Winthrop (b. 1834), Elizabeth Winthrop Hooker, and Susan Winthrop Swett in June 1879.
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop collected 7 volumes of American and European autographs and photographs. Included in this microfilm are only those items written to or by a member of the Winthrop family--17 items in all from volumes 1, 2, and 4. The earliest document is a letter from Sir Grenville Temple to Thomas Lindall Winthrop, and the last is part of a letter from one of Charles Darwin's sons, enclosing an autograph of his father.
Vol. I: "Miscellaneous, chiefly American"
Vol. II: "Foreign and American"
Vol. IV: "British, miscellaneous"
William Winthrop journal, 1812-1824
The journal of William Winthrop (1753-1825), son of Prof. John Winthrop, consists of ten notebooks kept from 1 May 1812 to 15 Dec. 1824. Most of the entries relate to the operation of Winthrop's farm overlooking the Charles River in Cambridge, Mass., including notes on the weather, accounts, records of planting and cattle, and descriptions of work performed by his hired men. The first page of the first notebook contains notes in another hand, perhaps that of John Reed, whose name appears on the cover. Toward the end of his life, William Winthrop was almost blind, and entries for 1823 and 1824 are fewer and written in a different hand, presumably that of his housekeeper Nabby Allen. Also included are loose papers, scattered through several notebooks, including receipts and miscellaneous memoranda.
Robert C. Winthrop correspondence, diaries, and commonplace book, 1836-1894
These two bound volumes contain extracts from Robert C. Winthrop's letters to John P. Kennedy, John C. Lee, John H. Clifford, and Hugh Blair Grigsby; a few miscellaneous letters; and letters from John H. Clifford to Robert C. Winthrop. Also included, at the end of the second volume, are extracts from Winthrop's commonplace books and diaries. These copies were made by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
"Extracts from letters of Robert C. Winthrop to John H. Clifford, John P. Kennedy, & John C. Lee," 1836-1870
"Add.l correspondence of Robert C. Winthrop with John H. Clifford & others, -- with extracts from his diaries and commonplace books," 1849-1894
Robert C. Winthrop, "Account of the controversies growing out of the Mexican War Bill of 1846," 1872
While Robert C. Winthrop was a Congressman from Massachusetts in 1846, his vote on the controversial Mexican War Bill aroused strong opposition, and he was virulently criticized by Charles Sumner in the Boston Courier and in a private letter to Winthrop. Believing he had been misrepresented, Winthrop defended his vote. In 1872, when a new edition of Sumner's works appeared, Winthrop wrote his own account of the controversy, which appears in this volume.
Robert C. Winthrop European diary, 1847
Robert C. Winthrop made a number of trips to Europe and kept a journal of each, detailing his activities, impressions, and people he met. This volume describes his first trip to Europe, Apr.-Sep. 1847, with his son Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Winthrop arrived in England with letters of introduction from Edward Everett and Daniel Webster and met most of the men prominent in politics, literature, and religion, with many of whom he formed lasting friendships. After more than a month in London, father and son spent June and part of July in France, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium before returning to England. There they visited the ancestral home in Groton and nearby towns, as well as Scotland and Ireland.
Robert C. Winthrop's election as speaker of the House in Dec. 1847, 1847-1890
In this volume, Robert C. Winthrop describes his election as speaker of the House of Representatives in Dec. 1847 and his defeat for the same office in Dec. 1849. The volume also contains several related printed items, including a letter from E. Carrington Cabell of Florida to the National Intelligencer; correspondence between Robert C. Winthrop and John G. Palfrey of Massachusetts, 1848; a letter from Isaac E. Holmes of South Carolina to the Charleston Mercury, Jan. 1848; John P. Kennedy's sketch of Robert C. Winthrop in the American Review, Mar. 1848, with Winthrop's speech on taking the House chair; an 1883 newspaper clipping entitled "Winthrop, Toombs and Stephens"; and Robert C. Winthrop's remarks on Jeremiah Morrow and Samuel F. Vinton at the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1890. Inserted at page 67, in Robert C. Winthrop's hand, is a statement by George Ashmun of Springfield, Mass.
Robert C. Winthrop account books as speaker of the House, 1847-1849
These two volumes, one for each session of the 30th Congress, contain the accounts kept by Robert C. Winthrop between Dec. 1847 and Mar. 1849. Accounts include payments to members of the House of Representatives and the total each received for per diem pay and mileage allowance.
30th Congress, 1st session
30th Congress, 2nd session
Members of the House of Representatives, 31st Congress, 1849
This list of representatives from each state, with party affiliation, was compiled for Robert C. Winthrop by J. H. Clay Mudd, assistant clerk of the House, at the time of Winthrop's unsuccessful bid for re-election as speaker in Dec. 1849.
Robert C. Winthrop papers related to the Fugitive Slave Bill, 1850
In July 1850, Robert C. Winthrop was chosen as Massachusetts senator to replace Daniel Webster, who had resigned to become secretary of state. Winthrop served in the Senate until Feb. 1851. This volume contains copies of extracts from letters to Winthrop about his work in the Senate; one from Winthrop to John P. Kennedy; and a pamphlet of Proceedings of the United States Senate on the Fugitive Slave Bill..., with a speech Winthrop made at the time.
William Winthrop proverbs, 1848
These three small notebooks contain proverbs collected by William Winthrop (born William Winthrop Andrews) (1809?-1869), great-grandson of Prof. John Winthrop and U.S. consul at Malta from 1834-1869. The bulk of the proverbs are English, although the third notebook includes proverbs translated from foreign languages. The numbers on the pages of the first two volumes are not page numbers, but represent the number of proverbs collected to that point.
"Selected English proverbs," 1848
"English proverbs," 1848
"English proverbs," undated
George Derby Welles autograph book, 1850-1860
George Derby Welles was the son of Laura Welles Winthrop, second wife of Robert C. Winthrop. This volume contains autographs of a number of Robert C. Winthrop's well-known friends, some written directly onto the pages, others taken from letters to his mother or stepfather and pasted into the book.
Robert C. Winthrop European diary, 1859-1860
This diary consists of ten small notebooks bound together and describes Robert C. Winthrop's second European trip. After renewing acquaintances in London, Winthrop and his family traveled to Paris and witnessed the celebrations following the successful Italian war against Austria. Winthrop met and visited with many notable people: at Vienna, he was presented to Emperor Franz Josef and visited old Prince Esterhazy, whom he had known earlier in London; in Rome, he had a private audience with Pope Pius IX, met Cardinal Antonelli and other Catholic church leaders, and visited the studios of American sculptors; he spent an hour with Prime Minister Cavour at Turin; and he saw the Genoa birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
During this trip, however, the Winthrop family suffered many misfortunes. Winthrop's wife Laura Welles Winthrop developed an eye infection and needed surgery in Berlin in July 1860. His stepson George Derby Welles contracted typhoid fever while in Vienna, and his recovery was slow. And in Apr. 1860, Fanny Winthrop, wife of Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., died in Rome.
William Winthrop, "Christian and Moslem slavery with historical sketches of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in the Holy Land, Cyprus, Rhodes, and Malta," 1860-?
William Winthrop (born William Winthrop Andrews) (1809?-1869) was U.S. consul at Malta, 1834-1869, and a knight commander of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. In this volume, he describes the origin and development of the Order of St. John, battles between Christian and Muslim fleets, the treatment of Christian prisoners by Muslims and vice versa, the battle for Rhodes, the intermittent wars against Mediterranean pirates, and the end of Christian slavery with Lord Exmouth's victory over the dey of Algiers in 1816.
Robert C. Winthrop European diary, 1867-1868
This diary details Robert C. Winthrop's third European journey, June 1867-Oct. 1868. After visiting old friends in England and sightseeing in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, the Winthrops traveled to Paris, where they saw the Paris Exposition and where Winthrop heard the debates in the Chamber of Deputies on the German and Italian questions. The family spent the winter months in the south of France and in Italy; in Rome, Winthrop sat for a bust by Hiram Powers. During the following spring and summer, the Winthrops were again in France and England. Back in the United States in the fall, they spent several weeks in Canandaigua, N.Y., before returning to Brookline, Mass.
Robert C. Winthrop European diary, 1874-1875
In this diary, Robert C. Winthrop describes his fourth European trip. Because of the delicate health of his third wife Adele Thayer Winthrop and her daughter Adele Thayer, the family decided to spend the winter and spring in a warmer climate. After several months in Cannes, they traveled to Rome, Florence, Paris, and London. Winthrop missed the Lexington and Bunker Hill centennial celebrations, at both of which he'd been invited to speak. In the spring of 1875, the family visited Suffolk County, England, to see the newly completed Winthrop memorial window in the church at Groton, then toured northern England and Scotland and made a final shopping trip to Paris before returning home.
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., "Reference list of my communications to the Massachusetts Historical Society," 1879-1901
This volume contains a list of Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s communications to the Massachusetts Historical Society from the time of his election as a resident member in 1879 to 1901. Also included are memoranda on his activities at the MHS and on its building, opened in 1899.
Robert C. Winthrop European diary, 1882
This diary describes Robert C. Winthrop's final trip to Europe with his wife Adele and her daughter Adele Thayer, Mar.-Nov. 1882. Highlights include: the unveiling of a memorial window to Sir Walter Raleigh at St. Margaret's Church in London, for which Winthrop had raised more than half the money; Winthrop's visit of several days to the Chateau de Rochambeau in France, where he was assigned "the grand state chamber in which the old Marquis slept, with his state bed, and with the original portrait of Washington, by Peale, which Washington himself had sent to Rochambeau"; and the Winthrops' brief visit with the Duc d'Aumale at Chantilly.
Letters and notices concerning Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s memoir of Robert C. Winthrop, 1897-1898
Robert C. Winthrop served as president of the Massachusetts Historical Society from 1855 to 1885. After his death in 1894, Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. was appointed by the MHS to write a memoir of his father. This manuscript volume contains some of the letters written to Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. in response to the memoir, as well as newspaper and periodical reviews.
III. Genealogical material, 1818-1949
This series contains both bound volumes and loose papers related to the genealogy of the Winthrop family.
Accounts of the Winthrop family, 1862-1887
This volume includes A Short Account of the Winthrop Family (Cambridge, 1887) and Some Account of the Early Generations of the Winthrop Family in Ireland (Cambridge, 1883), bound together and annotated by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., as well as the section of George Adlard's The Sutton-Dudleys of England dealing with the family of John Still Winthrop (1720-1776). Only annotated pages and facing printed pages have been microfilmed. Adlard's book has been microfilmed from another copy (Vol. 74b), more fully annotated, at the beginning of Reel 43.
Joseph James Muskett, Evidences of the Winthrops of Groton..., privately printed, 1894-1896
This volume consists of the first section of the first volume of a two-volume work by Muskett entitled Suffolk Manorial Families (Exeter, 1900). Part of the research for this first section was financed by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., who had this copy (No. 1) interleaved and bound for his own use in order to make additions and corrections. Only annotated pages and facing printed pages have been microfilmed. Scattered throughout the volume are letters, obituaries, and miscellaneous genealogical notes.
Three manuscript genealogies, undated
The latter two of these three handwritten genealogies seem to have been copied from the first, with differing (and later) additions.
Genealogy of Winthrop family from Adam Winthrop (b. 1848)
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Robert Winthrop in 1952.
The bulk of this volume was written by Francis Bayard Winthrop, with additions in a different hand.
Genealogy of Winthrop family from Adam Winthrop (b. 1848)
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Mrs. Robert Ludlow Fowler in 1967.
This volume includes additional information about John Still Winthrop (1785-1855), son of Francis Bayard Winthrop, on loose sheets inserted into the volume.
Genealogy of Winthrop family from Adam Winthrop (b. 1848)
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Henry Fowler, Pamela Purse, and Mr. and Mrs. Craig Wylie in 1974.
This volume contains information on several other children of Francis Bayard Winthrop.
Family register, 1841-?
This printed family register, filled in by hand, was begun by Robert C. Winthrop in 1841 as a record of his own ancestry. Part 1 contains completed or partially completed genealogical charts. Part 2 contains miscellaneous information written by Robert C. Winthrop and Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. and a number of newspaper obituaries. Scattered throughout the volume are letters, copies of sermons, obituaries, lists of family portraits, and miscellaneous genealogical memoranda.
George Adlard, The Sutton-Dudleys of England and the Dudleys of Massachusetts in New England, New York, 1862
Only the annotated portions of this volume dealing directly with Winthrop-Dudley connections have been microfilmed. These portions include information about Samuel Dudley and Mary Winthrop (1612?-1643); Ann Dudley Winthrop and John Winthrop, F.R.S.; and John Still Winthrop (1720-1776) and his family.
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. family memorials, undated
John Still Winthrop and his descendants
This manuscript genealogy contains information on the various branches of the family descended from John Still Winthrop (1720-1776), 1720-1904. This information was collected and compiled by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
Family of Thomas Lindall Winthrop
This notebook contains letters, diary and sermon extracts, and obituaries related to Thomas Lindall Winthrop and his family, 1812-1875, copied by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
Miscellaneous memoranda, undated
Included in this volume are genealogical data, lists of portraits and heirlooms, notes about land ownership, memoranda from tombstones, and extracts from diaries and court records, compiled by (and many in the hand of) Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
Unbound genealogical material, 1818-1949
Winthrop family charts given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Sidvin Frank Tucker in 1949-1950.
This miscellaneous genealogical material includes: Winthrop family charts, prepared by Sidvin Frank Tucker of Winthrop, Mass.; the Tyndall pedigree; extracts from the diary of Adam Winthrop (1548-1623) related to his brother John (1547-1613); copies of Chancery proceedings on the sale of Groton Manor, 1595-1624; memoranda about Sir George Downing and his family; the Lechmere pedigree and memoranda; and genealogical memoirs of families related to the Winthrops by marriage, collected by Lemuel Shattuck.
IV. Miscellaneous papers, 1582-1901
This series contains annotated almanacs, books, pamphlets, scrapbooks, school and college records, obituary notices, and clippings. Only the annotated pages of most of these volumes have been included in this microfilm.
[Hieronymus Osorius], Hieronymi Osorii, LV, Sitani, Episcopi Algarbiensis, de Vera Sapientia, Libri V, 1582
This small Latin volume belonged to and was annotated by Adam Winthrop (1548-1623). Because of the number of annotated pages, the entire volume has been microfilmed.
[John Foxe], De Christo Gratis Iustificante, London, 1583
Written in 1583 by John Foxe the Martyrologist to refute the view of Hieronymus Osorius on justification by faith, this Latin volume has the signature of Adam Winthrop (1548-1623) on the verso of the flyleaf. Only this and the title page have been microfilmed.
William Lambarde, A Perambulation of Kent..., London, 1596
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Thomas Lindall Winthrop in 1811.
First published in London in 1576, Lambarde's book, "conteining the Description, Hystorie, and Customs" of Kent, was the earliest of the English county histories. Adam Winthrop (1548-1623) owned and annotated this copy of the 1596 edition. Because of the number of annotated pages, the entire volume has been microfilmed.
Winthrop family annotated almanacs, 1599-1666
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by the heirs of William Winthrop (1753-1825) in 1826.
These two volumes contain almanacs for the years 1599, 1606, 1609, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1617, 1618, 1620, 1628, 1631, 1662, and 1666. Only annotated pages have been microfilmed. The 1599 almanac was annotated by John Forth (1560-1613), the 1617 and 1620 almanacs by Adam Winthrop (1548-1623), the 1631 almanac by Gov. John Winthrop, and the 1662 almanac by John Winthrop, Jr. Annotators of the other almanacs have not been identified. The 1618, 1628, and 1666 almanacs contain no annotations and have not been included in this microfilm.
Vol. I, 1599-1618
Vol. II, 1620-1666
Adam Winthrop annotated almanacs, 1603-1621
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Miss Clara Bowdoin Winthrop in 1924.
These three almanacs, annotated by Adam Winthrop, have been microfilmed in chronological order with the Winthrop family annotated almanacs above.
1603
1614
1621
Francisco Kiesero, Cabala Chymica, 1606
This 1606 chemistry book was owned by John Winthrop, F.R.S. Only the two pages containing his signatures and one page of manuscript notes on nature have been included in this microfilm.
Michael Maier, Arcana Arcanissima hoc est Hieroglyphica..., 1614
Michael Maier, considered the most learned chemist of his day, was an alchemist, a defender of the Rosicrucians, the physician and private secretary to Emperor Rudolf II, the physician to Landgrave Moritz of Hesse, and a voluminous writer. This copy of Arcana Arcanissima includes, on its title page, the signature of John Winthrop, F.R.S., and John Dee's "hieroglyphic monad" (a composite of the alchemical symbols for mercury, gold, and silver), adopted by John Winthrop, Jr. and later used by John Winthrop, F.R.S. Because of the number of annotated pages, the entire volume has been microfilmed.
Winthrop Bibles, 1611-1682
Acquired by Robert C. Winthrop in July 1873. Deposited at the Massachusetts Historical Society by Mrs. Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. in 1920.
Only the notes and annotated pages in each volume have been microfilmed.
Adam Winthrop Bible, [1611-1619]
For the history of this Bible, once owned by Adam Winthrop (1548-1623), see the notes by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. inside its front cover. In 1855, Robert C. Winthrop attempted to purchase this Bible from George Livermore, whose letter of refusal follows Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s notes.
"Silver" Bible, 1680-1682
Bound together within the 16th-century cover of this "Silver" Bible (so called because of its silver cover) are the Old Testament of 1680 and the New Testament of 1682, both printed at Oxford. For the history of this Bible, see Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s notes at the end of the volume.
Petrus Cunaeus, Encomium Moriae, 1617
This small Latin volume belonged to John Winthrop, F.R.S., but also has other names written on its title page. Only this page and a brief note by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. have been microfilmed. A number of marginal annotations (Latin translations of Greek phrases) in an unknown hand have not been microfilmed.
Book of Common Prayer, Greek New Testament, and Psalms, 1625-1626
Bound together in this volume are The Booke of Common Prayer (London, 1625), the New Testament in Greek (without title page or date), and The Whole Book of Psalmes: Collected into English Meeter (London, 1626). Included on the flyleaf are Greek words and the signature of Forth Winthrop. Robert C. Winthrop has added a note inside the front cover. Only this note and the few annotated pages have been microfilmed.
William Alabaster, Roxana Tragaedia, London, 1632
This book is not a Winthrop heirloom, but was purchased by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. in 1880. Only his bookplate and notes at the beginning of the volume have been microfilmed. A few underlined passages and several brief annotations in an unknown hand have not been microfilmed.
A Sacred Vow and Covenant Taken by the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament..., London, 1643
This 6-page pamphlet contains the "Vow and Covenant" against Popish plots taken by members of Parliament on 6 June 1643; a list of those who took the oath; and the "Vow and Covenant" to be taken by the armies and kingdoms. Robert C. Winthrop wrote an introduction to the pamphlet. Only Winthrop's notes and the title page have been microfilmed.
George Hutcheson, A Brief Exposition of the Prophecies of Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, London, 1654
Only the title page of this volume, with the name of John Winthrop, F.R.S., has been microfilmed.
John Flavell, Husbandry Spiritualized: or, The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things, London, 1678
This volume belonged to John Winthrop, F.R.S., whose signature appears on the flyleaf. Only this page, the title page, and two loose scraps of papers with annotations have been microfilmed.
Cotton Mather funeral sermons, 1710-1717
Winthropi Justa, Boston, 1710
This volume is a reprint of the sermon preached by Cotton Mather at the funeral of Fitz-John Winthrop, Dec. 1707. Only the signature of Robert C. Winthrop, the bookplate and note of Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., a letter from Gov. Joseph Dudley to Wait Winthrop about the funeral, and the title page have been included in this microfilm.
Hades Look'd Into, Boston, 1717
This sermon was preached by Cotton Mather at the funeral of Wait Winthrop. Only the bookplate and signatures of Robert C. Winthrop and the title page have been microfilmed.
Roger Wolcott, Poetical Meditations, New-London, 1725
Poetical Meditations by Roger Wolcott, later deputy governor and governor of Connecticut, was the first volume of verse published in Connecticut. The longest of the poems is entitled "A Brief Account of the Agency of the Honourable John Winthrop, Esq; in the Court of King Charles the Second, Anno. Dom. 1662. When he Obtained for the Colony of Connecticut His Majesty's Gracious Charter." Only brief notes by Robert C. Winthrop and Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. and the title page have been microfilmed.
[James Bowdoin], A Paraphrase on Part of the Oeconomy of Human Life, Boston, 1759
This copy of Gov. James Bowdoin's book was presented to Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple Winthrop by her aunt Sarah (Bowdoin) Bowdoin in 1812. Only her inscription on the flyleaf and the title page have been microfilmed.
Prof. John Winthrop papers, 1759-1779
Prof. John Winthrop, Two Lectures on Comets, Boston, 1759
This lecture was given by Prof. John Winthrop at Harvard College in Apr. 1759 shortly after the appearance of Halley's Comet. Only the page with his inscription and the title page have been microfilmed.
Funeral sermons, 1779
Once owned by William Winthrop (1753-1825). Presented by Hugh Blair Grigsby to Robert C. Winthrop in 1860.
Bound together in this volume are a number of tributes and sermons occasioned by the death of Prof. John Winthrop. Included are Samuel Langdon's The High Value of a Great and Good Name, Edward Wigglesworth's The Hope of Immortality, Simeon Howard's Christians No Cause to be Ashamed of Their Religion, and Stephen Sewall's A Funeral Oration. The entire volume has been microfilmed.
"The Croakers," [1819-1833]
From 10 Mar.-24 July 1819, the New York Evening Post published a series of poems signed "Croaker," "Croaker, Jr.," or "Croaker & Co." The poems were written by Joseph Rodman Drake and Fitz-Greene Halleck and copied by a friend, the apothecary Dr. Langstaff. In order to conceal the authors' identities, they were sent to the paper by mail or delivered by Benjamin R. Winthrop (1804-1879), Halleck's fellow clerk in Jacob Barker's counting house. This manuscript copy of the poems is written in an unidentified hand.
Robert C. Winthrop scrapbooks, 1833-1890s
These three scrapbooks, bound as two, contain newspaper clippings and other papers documenting the career of Robert C. Winthrop. The first scrapbook consists primarily of clippings from his years in the Massachusetts General Court, 1834-1840, and the U.S. Congress, 1840-1851. Winthrop copied several of his early political speeches into the first part of this volume and made annotations throughout.
The second scrapbook contains a variety of clippings in no particular order, many undated. Included are clippings related to Winthrop's public career or political associations, as well as others reporting his numerous speeches; printing letters he wrote to newspapers, individuals, or institutions; marking his birthdays or other family occasions; and reviewing his book Life and Letters of John Winthrop.
1833-1858
ca. 1850s-1890s
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. scrapbooks, [ca. 1837-1900]
The first of these three scrapbooks kept by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. contains clippings related to his father, obituaries of members of the family, reviews of books, and miscellaneous materials. The other two scrapbooks contain newspaper pictures; photographs and engravings; programs of concerts, plays, balls, college exhibitions, and commencements; and a number of invitations and miscellaneous clippings.
"Miscellaneous scrapbook, begun in my childhood, continued at intervals..."
Clippings and other memorabilia/ephemera
"Miscellaneous clippings for reference"
Pamphlets, 1837-1895
These pamphlets, some of them rare, were bound together in three volumes by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Two volumes contain pamphlets written by Robert C. Winthrop or related to his public career. The third volume consists of a group of miscellaneous pamphlets related to the Winthrop family. For information on specific pamphlets included, see the table of contents at the beginning of each volume, written by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Only the tables of contents, Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s notes, and scattered annotated pages have been included in this microfilm.
Pamphlets by or about Robert C. Winthrop, 1837-1894
Pamphlets by or about Robert C. Winthrop, 1848-1895
Pamphlets related to the Winthrop family and its connections, 1844-1895
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. papers related to Phillips Academy and Harvard College, 1847-1855
These two volumes document the years spent by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. at Phillips Academy, Andover, 1847-1850, and Harvard College, 1850-1855.
Miscellaneous printed matter related to Phillips Academy and Harvard College
Bound together in this volume are catalogs, exhibition and commencement programs, and a list of classes. Only annotated pages have been microfilmed.
Harvard College photograph album
Removed to MHS Photo Archives.
This volume contains pictures of the Harvard College president and faculty members, Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.'s classmates, and friends in other classes. Also included are clippings or obituaries, reunion programs and dinner menus, and letters from classmates. The entire volume has been microfilmed.
Zachary Taylor inaugural address, 1849-1889
Given to the Massachusetts Historical Society by Robert C. Winthrop in Mar. 1877.
On 5 Mar. 1849, Robert C. Winthrop accompanied Gen. Zachary Taylor to the Capitol for his inauguration as president of the United States. On the ride back to the White House after the ceremony, Taylor gave Winthrop the printer's proof sheets of his inaugural address, with his corrections. Winthrop had the address bound in its present form in 1877.
Included with this volume are papers inserted at a later date, including an 1876 letter from Taylor's son Richard to Robert C. Winthrop and two pages from the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1889, both referring to a letter from Zachary Taylor to James Buchanan vindicating his conduct in the Mexican War.
Mount Pleasant Academy programs, 1856-1857
Included are the 12th and 13th anniversary programs of Mount Pleasant Academy, Sing Sing, N.Y. Benjamin R. Winthrop, Jr. (b. 1843) attended Mount Pleasant Academy in 1857 (and perhaps also in 1856) and had a speaking part in the 13th anniversary exercises. Only the page with Winthrop's signature and notes and the title pages of the two programs have been microfilmed.
Catalogue of the Winthrop Library, 1861, annotated in 1874
Before his death, Francis Bayard Winthrop gave to the New York Society library a collection of books, most of which had belonged to John Winthrop, Jr. In 1861, the New York Society published this catalog, which Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. annotated in 1874. The volume also contains several later notes on Winthrop books.
John R. Bartlett, History of the Wanton family of Newport, Rhode Island, Providence, 1878
Mary Winthrop (1708-1767), daughter of John Winthrop, F.R.S., married Joseph Wanton. This history of the Wanton family by John Russell Bartlett was published in the Rhode Island Historical Tracts and presented to Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Only his bookplate, the title pages, and two pages annotated by him have been microfilmed.
Robert C. Winthrop obituary notices, 1894-1901
Clippings in Vol. 42 and a few in Vol. 43 were assembled and arranged for Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. by a New York news agent; others in Vol. 43 he added himself.
Vol. I, 17-29 Nov. 1894
Vol. II, 1894-1901
This volume contains tributes to Robert C. Winthrop, resolutions of societies to which he belonged, and several non-obituary clippings. Other papers relate to his son John Winthrop (1841-1895) of Stockbridge, Mass., including one page of obituary notices and a tribute by the Lenox Club.
Unbound miscellaneous material, 1706-1889
This miscellaneous material includes bookplates, photographs, copies of inscriptions, printed articles, and drawings related to several generations of the Winthrop family, as well as newspaper clippings reporting events of 1880 connected with the 250th anniversary of the founding of Boston.
V. Bowdoin and Temple papers, 1580-1900
A. Loose manuscripts, 1580-1900
1580-Sep. 1768
Oct.-Dec. 1768
1769-1771
1772-1775
1776-Apr. 1778
May 1778-1782
1783
1784-June 1786
July 1786-1787
1788-1793
1794-1806
1807-1840
1841-1900
B. Bound volumes, 1748-1813
This subseries contains letterbooks, accounts, estate settlements, genealogical information, and miscellaneous memoranda.
"Bowdoin memoranda," undated
This volume contains miscellaneous memoranda, compiled at different times by James Winthrop Bowdoin, Robert C. Winthrop, and Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Memoranda relate primarily to Pierre Baudouin, James Bowdoin I, Gov. James Bowdoin, James Bowdoin III, and their families, although the volume also includes a few notes on other American Bowdoins and Baudouins of France. The table of contents was created by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
"Miscellaneous memoranda concerning John Temple," undated
This volume consists primarily of excerpts from various printed works about the career of Sir John Temple. The volume was compiled by Robert C. Winthrop, with a table of contents by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.
"Memorandum of public events," 1760-1769
This volume lists important public events of the years 1760-1769, compiled by Rev. Amos Adams of Roxbury for James Bowdoin III from the records of the Massachusetts General Court.
Bowdoin letterbook, 1748-1797
In this book, Gov. James Bowdoin kept copies of his business and official letters from 1759-1790, most of them written in his own hand. His son James Bowdoin III used the letterbook from 1790-1797. The volume also contains a few accounts, 1748-1751, and a rough index.
Gov. James Bowdoin cash book, 1765-1781
This volume contains Gov. James Bowdoin's accounts of money spent and received from 1765-1781.
"Temple papers," 1762-1768
This volume contains copies of the correspondence of John Temple, as surveyor-general of customs for the Northern District, with other customs commissioners and the home government, as well as a list of the "Establishment of the Northern District," 1 Nov. 1766. Also included are miscellaneous papers of the same period and two manuscript notebooks entitled: "Mr. Cockles Suspension with the whole of his, & Governor Bernards proceedings relating to the Anguilla Forgeries..." (1764) and "Governor Bernards Conduct Relating to the Riot & Robbery at Taunton..." (1765).
"Temple papers," 1767-1770
This volume consists of 11 notebooks bound together, with a table of contents by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. Included are copies of letters of John Temple as surveyor-general of customs, as well as copies of proceedings and other papers related to the Board of Customs Commissioners, Northern District.
Papers related to Gov. James Bowdoin's estate, 1790-1798
This volume contains accounts related to the settlement of Gov. James Bowdoin's estate, with original signatures of the legatees on some of the receipts.
Papers related to Elizabeth Erving Bowdoin's estate, 1803-1805
This volume contains a memorandum of the real estate holdings of James Bowdoin III, 1 Jan. 1805; a copy of the will of Elizabeth Erving Bowdoin, wife of Gov. James Bowdoin; and accounts related to the settlement of her estate, with the signatures of James Bowdoin III and Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple as executors.
Papers related to Lady Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple's estate, 1809-1812 [2 copies]
These two volumes contain copies of the will of Sir John Temple's wife, Elizabeth Bowdoin Temple, and accounts related to the division of her estate. The volumes are essentially the same, with only a few differences: the first volume contains a detailed inventory of the contents of Lady Temple's house; signatures of the legatees on receipts for division of the estate; penciled notes, in the hand of Thomas L. Winthrop, on the division and disposition of certain pieces of real estate; and a note by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. on the Temple farm at Pulling Point (the present Winthrop, Mass.). The second volume contains the appraisers' memorandum of Lady Temple's Suffolk County real estate. The pagination of the volumes does not match.
Papers related to Hon. James Bowdoin's estate, 1811-1813
This volume contains a copy of the will of James Bowdoin III and accounts related to the division of his estate. Loose papers inserted into the volume include the executors' account, 8 Nov. 1813, and an inventory of real estate, household furnishings, and books.
C. Miscellaneous papers, 1682-1899
These miscellaneous papers consist primarily of genealogical information on the American members of the Temple family from Temple Prime's Some Account of the Temple Family (1887-1899), annotated by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., and a small group of related Winthrop family papers. These items include: "Bowdoin Pedigree: Notes Concerning the Supposed Ancestry of Pierre Baudouin," by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.; a photograph of the coverlet, ca. 1682, brought from LaRochelle by Pierre Baudouin and now located at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; a photograph and notes by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. on the Bowdoin vault in the Granary Burying Ground, Boston; copies of memoranda in the Bowdoin and Temple Bibles; material related to Capt. Robert Temple; notes on members of the Temple family in the time of Charles I; and a Bowdoin College bookplate.
Materials Not Included on Microfilm
Listed below are items in the Winthrop family papers that have not been included on the microfilm of the collection.
Miscellaneous 20th-century Winthrop correspondence
"Copies, from different sources, -- of Bowdoin & Temple papers, 1772-1792, and Bowdoin papers, 1804-1808"
Joseph James Muskett, Evidences of the Winthrops of Groton..., privately printed, 1894-1896
Joseph James Muskett, Suffolk Manorial Families
Vol. 44b is missing from this collection.
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop autograph collection, Vol. III: "British Sovereigns, Princes, etc."
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop autograph collection, Vol. V: "Sovereigns of France, Continental, miscellaneous"
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop autograph collection, Vol. VI: "The Bonapartes, French marshals, etc."
Mrs. Grenville Temple Winthrop autograph collection, Vol. VII: "French and Continental"
[Cotton Mather], Winthropi Justa, Boston, 1708
Joseph James Muskett, Evidences of the Winthrops of Groton..., privately printed, 1894-1896
Vol. 72a is missing from this collection.
[Robert C. Winthrop, Jr.], A Difference of Opinion Concerning the Reasons Why Katharine Winthrop Refused to Marry Chief Justice Sewall, Boston, 1885
Memoirs of Sir Robert Naunton, Knt., London, 1814
James Bowdoin's copies of John Winthrop, Jr. correspondence
Governor Trumbull's copy of John Winthrop journal
"Savage's manuscript copy of John Winthrop's Journal"
"Maltese Antiquities" broadside advertising a book by William Winthrop
G. Owen writings on Welsh families
"Welsh pedigrees or genealogy of Welsh families"
John Winthrop, Letters to a Son, undated
Robert C. Winthrop's copies of John Winthrop/Peter Stuyvesant correspondence
This volume was prepared by Robert C. Winthrop for his cousin Benjamin Winthrop.
Robert C. Winthrop, Jr., "Memoranda connected with the settlement of my father's estate"
This volume is blank, with some pages torn out.
Photograph album, Winthrop's Cove, New London
Mrs. Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. recipe book, Boston
Inventory of Lanthorne Hill
[Clara B. Winthrop], "The Alibi" guestbook/autograph book
Clara B. Winthrop, "Flights of Pegasus" poetry book
Clara B. Winthrop poetry book
[Clara B. Winthrop] postcard album
Clara B. Winthrop postcard album
Clara B. Winthrop scrapbook
Clara B. Winthrop passports (2)
[Clara B. Winthrop] postcard/photograph album
Clara B. Winthrop postcard/photograph/memorabilia album
Preferred Citation
Winthrop family 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:
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Materials Removed from the Collection
Photographs from this collection have been removed to the MHS Photo Archives.