Annotated almanac, 1745 Digital
Scope and Contents
Almanac containing calendar pages with sporadic annotations of unidentified measurements and interleaved pages with short handwritten entries about Winthrop's daily activities, and astronomical and meteorological observations. The entries include personal notes about travel, the weather, deaths in the community, notes of public fasts for the Louisbourg expedition (February 28) and the "Indian war" (September 19), and a note of the surrender of Louisbourg (June 17). There is an entry listing the burials and baptisms in Boston by month, with the deaths subdivided for white and black individuals, and notes of "French prisoners" for July and "Fever & flux" for September.
Scientific observations include notes about:
- "Pendlm lengthnd...turn of y screw" (January 31),
- telescope measurements (January)
- planetary observations for January through April (June-July)
The title page is no longer extant.
Dates
- Creation: 1745
Researcher Access
The Papers of John and Hannah Winthrop are open for research.
Extent
.3 cubic feet (30 volumes)Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received by exchange from the Dartmouth College Library in 1950.
General note
Almanac publication information: Ames, Nathaniel, 1708-1764. Astronomical diary, or, An almanack for the year of our Lord Christ, 1745.
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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