Scope and Contents
This series contains indentures recording leases between Hopkinton tenants and the Trustees.
Dates
- Creation: 1720-1768
Physical Description
2.85 cubic feet (15 flat boxes)
Researcher Access
The Records of the Trustees of the Charity of Edward Hopkins are open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records in this collection are restricted for 50 years from the date of creation. Personnel and student records in this collection are closed for research through 80 years from the date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted in the inventory.
Extent
12.77 cubic feet (20 flat boxes, 14 volumes, 3 document boxes, 13 legal document boxes, 2 half legal document boxes, and 6 oversized folders)Biographical / Historical
Beginning in 1720, the Trustees entered into 99-year leases with Hopkinton tenants at an annual rate of no more than nine pence an acre. The leases stated that the Province tax on the land would be paid by the Trustees. In 1740, the Trustees revised the leases and in return for a reduction of rent to one penny per acre annually for the duration of their 99-year leases, and three pence afterwards, the tenants agreed to pay their own Province taxes on the land. The General Court approved the terms of the new leases in 1741, and in 1742 a new indenture form was printed and used for more than twenty years.
Arrangement
Indentures are arranged alphabetically by surname. There is one unidentified lease described at the end of the subseries.
Creator
- From the Collection: Trustees of the Charity of Edward Hopkins. (Organization)
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.
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461
archives_reference@harvard.edu