Ledger for the Classes of 1650-1663, 1649-1660 Digital
Scope and Contents
The leather-bound volume contains accounts for the Classes of 1650-1663 and Fellows. Many of the student bills were settled with payment in kind, often in the form of grain, apples, or livestock. The Steward's accounts with the College from 1656-1659 were entered on pages 295-303 and listed as "The steward is Creditor" and "The steward is Debitor." Credit entries include food, fuel, corn, and wages; debit entries list purchases and often identify the sellers.
Written in tête-bêche orientation on the two final pages of the volume are the Steward's "Cuntrey stock" accounts that list fellowship disbursements and payments in the first column, and in the second column, contributions made to the College, including food supplies such as wheat and sugar.
The volume was repurposed in the 1830s as a notebook with entries on various topics including extracts from Hints for the Improvements of Early Education and Nursery Discipline, the Biblical parable of the prodigal son, and a copy of an indenture from February 1830 between Samuel Mason of Cambridge and George Saunderson, regarding "a bill of sale of certain fixtures in and apothecaries shop in Roxbury."
Written on an unattached page: "Thomas Chesholme is the owner of this book purcd 3-05 November the 26th, 1651." The volume includes an unattached front cover and tabbed name index.
Pages 34-35, 49-51, 174-175, 178-181, 186-187, 198-201, 258-261, 276-279, 324-327, 330-331, 352-355, 362-363, 378-379, 384-387, 392-395, and 400-401 have been torn out of the volume. The published transcription of the item in the Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts Volume 31 indicates the pages were missing by 1935.
Dates
- Creation: 1649-1660
Researcher Access
The Early records of the Steward are open for research.
Extent
2.7 cubic feet (16 volumes, 1 document box, and 22 folders)Biographical / Historical
Thomas Chesholme, Steward from 1649 to 1660, was born in England and arrived in Massachusetts in 1636 where he quickly became an active member of the Cambridge community. He worked as a tailor, was a church deacon, and kept a "house of entertainment." He died on August 18, 1671.
Former call number
Formerly classified as UAI.70.15.75 Steward's Ledgers, 1650-1804
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to Harvard College by Lucius R. Paige, D.D. in 1860 after being found in the library of a deceased neighbor.
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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