Research memoranda, 1794-1825

This series holds correspondence and notes reflecting approximately thirty years of biographical research on Harvard alumni by Winthrop. The papers are contained in one volume and separated into two section. The first section holds correspondence, arranged chronologically, between Winthrop and individuals with information on Harvard graduates , and is followed by notes and transcriptions from manuscripts and published histories. Regular correspondents include Benjamin Pickman (1740-1819 Harvard, AB 1759), William Bentley (1759-1819, Harvard AB 1777), and William Clark (1740-1815, Harvard AB 1759). The items are pasted to unlined sheets and numbered, and referenced in the Tolman Index card catalog in the Harvard University Archives reading room. A second section of loose papers is preceded by the note, "This envelope contains materials from the William Winthrop Manuscripts. Not indexed because they add nothing to Sibley." This section includes biographical entries, small scraps of papers with biographical notes, and checklists, with minimal correspondence. While the correspondence is arranged chronologically, there does not appear to be any organization among the loose papers or pasted notes. Both the notes and the correspondence focus almost entirely on biographical data, though the scattered correspondence by Winthrop does include descriptions of his research interest and efforts. The memoranda also reveals the fellowship of individuals interested in recording the history of Harvard's alumni.