William Parker legal daybooks, and an account book of an unidentified lawyer
Scope and Contents
Three daybooks of William Parker (1703-1781), an attorney and justice in New Hampshire, and one account book kept by an unidentified lawyer, possibly in Framingham, Massachusetts, recording charges for legal services from 1720 to 1767. Volume one, in an unknown hand, includes charges for issuing writs and summons, and representing individuals and businesses in court cases, dating from 1720 to 1722. Volumes two, three, and four belonged to William Parker. Volume two, dated 1739-1743, contains charges for creating deeds to lands and wharves, drawing bills of sale for ships, issuing writs and certificates, arbitration, and representation in lawsuits. Volume three, dated 1743-1748, contains charges for drawing writs, deeds, wills, and bills of sale, taking depositions, and arguing cases in court. Volume four, dated 1765-1767, primarily contains memoranda of payments received from clients and debts outstanding for William Parker's services; he accepted cash or payment-in-kind. The volume also includes diary entries recording the activity of the superior court of New Hampshire Province, and his transmission of sets of printed laws to his son, William, also an attorney, and other citizens. His clients included merchant Nathaniel Sparhawk (1715-1776), of Boston and Portsmouth, merchants Mark Hunking Wentworth (1709-1789) and Jotham Odiorne (1703-1751), also of Portsmouth, and William Pepperell (1696-1759), of Kittery, Maine, a merchant, soldier, and member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council. The volume includes several pages filled with unidentified symbols, possibly a cipher.
Dates
- Creation: 1720-1767
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials stored onsite. Please contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
.75 linear feet (4 volumes)Biographical / Historical
William Parker (1703-1781) was an attorney and judge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was admitted to the bar in 1732, and practiced law in Portsmouth. He was later appointed surrogate judge of admiralty, and in 1771, he was appointed to the superior court of judicature for the province of New Hampshire. William Parker also served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1765 to 1774. In 1763, he received an honorary A.M. from Harvard College.
Physical Location
MANU
Digitization Funding
Collections and items have been digitized with the generous support of The Polonsky Foundation.
Processing Information
Processed: February 2019 By: Brooke McManus
- Title
- Parker, William, -1781. William Parker Legal Daybooks, and an Account Book of an Unidentified Lawyer, 1720-1767: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00823
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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