John Hancock Collection

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Letter written to his sister, Mary Hancock Perkins (1735-1779), while Hancock was a senior at Harvard College asking her to write more often. This personal letter by Hancock offers one of the earliest examples of his signature.

Scope and Contents Letter requesting Sewall’s intervention in the disciplinary case of Jonathan Williams Austin (Harvard AB 1769). In response to the disciplinary repercussions of the “Great Rebellion of 1768” in which Harvard students engaged in riotous behavior in April of 1768, Austin and two others renounced their relationship with the college. Their subsequent attempts to gain reentry to Harvard were twice denied by the faculty. In June 1768, the claim was taken to the Corporation who allowed them to...

Scope and Contents Address of the Harvard Corporation to John Hancock congratulating him on his election as governor of Massachusetts. Hancock was elected in September 1780 and in a speech on October 31 before both houses of the Massachusetts state government he noted, “The public schools, and our university at Cambridge, very early founded by them, have been no small support to the cause of liberty, and given no dishonourable distinction to our country; the advantage they are still capable of affording to the...

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Written in Latin, Hancock delivered his speech at the Reverend Joseph Willard’s public inauguration as president of Harvard. A translation is available in Brandes, Paul D. John Hancock’s Life and Speeches, (Lanham, Md.: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.), pp. 259-263.

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Draft of a letter from Hancock to President Willard offering to build a fence around the College buildings; signed with Hancock’s initials. Hancock begins the letter with mention of his “illiberal” treatment by “former & present Governors of the College.”

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President Willard’s reply to Hancock accepting Hancock’s offer to build a fence around the College buildings.

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Letter from President Willard to John Hancock regarding seating precedence at a dinner given in honor of Marquis de Lafayette at Harvard College. Willard gives specific details on proper seating etiquette and offers his condolences over Hancock’s poor health and resignation from the governorship.

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Letter from Hancock to the new Governor of Massachusetts, James Bowdoin declining an unspecified invitation, likely to the Harvard Commencement, based on the "Treatment I met at the Overseers Meeting two years past." The letter is attached to a letter of donation to Justin Winsor from R. Winthrop, Jr., dated 1893 January 13.

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Accounting of various monies equaling £78 collected by Samuel Moody "towards a Fund for the support of a writing master for Dummer Scholars."

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Record of debits and credits from 1766 through 1772 related to the Dummer Scholars writing master fund including money to Samuel Reed and George Thimbal, and money collected from Samuel Moody and interest.

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The note also mentions money advanced to "Deacon Thomas and the other Indian Catechists the year past."

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Copy of debits and credits settled by Steward Hastings from December 30, 1773 and August 31, 1774. Statements are signed “errors excepted John Hancock” [not in his hand]. There is also an August 30, 1778 note of income incorrectly held by the Steward instead of being received by the College.

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Receipt acknowledging money given to Kirkland from the Corporation for his support as a missionary with the Oneida Indians.

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Receipt signed by President Langdon listing the charges owed him by the Harvard Corporation for moving his family to Cambridge.

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Directive to pay the librarian John Winthrop to settle the account of James Furnivall for clock repair. Memorandum is signed on verso by Winthrop with the date 1775 January 28

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Memorandum to Hancock instructing him to pay Boston bookseller James Foster Condy; an account of the amount owed for magazines from 1772-1775 is on the verso. Memorandum is signed on recto by Condy.

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Memorandum directing Hancock to pay Samuel Kirkland, with copy of the vote of the President and Fellows to continue funding Kirkland's missionary work among the Oneida Indians. Payment acknowledged on verso by Kirkland in Philadelphia, November 2, 1775.

Scope and Contents A copy made by Tutor Stephen Hall of the list of bonds brought from Hancock's treasurer's records in Baltimore and delivered to President Langdon, February 4, 1777. The eleven-page accounting is arranged into columns and organized alphabetically by "Men's names" and includes "Date of the Bonds," "The time the interest is paid to," and "By whom received." An addendum on the last page notes the receipt of "the bonds, notes and papers contained in the foregoing Schedule" from Hancock by his...

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Cover title: “Acct. of bonds, 1777.” Marked “No. 50.” Contains corrections in the hand of Ebenezer Storer. The multi-page accounting is arranged alphabetically by "Men's names" and includes columns for "Date of the Bonds," "Int[erest] Time paid to," "Int[erest] Recd. by Mr. Hancock," and "Value of Bonds."

Scope and Contents The documents include a cover page with the item title and two unattached pages of accounting records. The first note lists interest on a bond from November 14, 1772 through May 17, 1773, and rents noted from the Charlestown Ferry and farms from 1774-1775, with incomplete list titled "H. College to J.H. marked out on the verso. The second item lists bonds "Recd of Mr. Bant June 13, 1778" regarding the "Steward's bond to the Treasurer" and entries regarding Jonathan Hasting beginning on...

Scope and Contents The letter requests Ebenezer Storer to investigate the state of the Dummer School Writing Master fund. Attached to the letter are three receipts for the fund: one from October 15, 1773 for a donation from John Bannister by the hand of Col. Folsom to Samuel Moody, signed by John Hancock; one from July 17, 1770 signed by Harvard treasurer Thomas Hubbard promising Moody the interest on donations for the Dummer Writing School; and a copy of compiled notes regarding donations from Boston merchant...

Scope and Contents Collection of copied records in Storer's hand, including: "Copy of Jona John & Samuel Hasting's note of hand, August 31 1771;" "Copy of sums endors'd" from August 29, 1772 signed by Thomas Hubbard, and from September 10, 1773, December 30, 1773, and 1774 signed by John Hancock; "Copy of Endorsement [broh] over" from January 24, 1775 signed by Hancock and March 9, 1779 signed by Edward Storer; "Acct. of the Interest due on Messr Hastings's Note" totaled for August 28, 1779; and a note of...

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Storer’s memorandum of the balance due on the Hancock account to the College including funds for the Dummer School and interest, given to Simeon Howard, secretary to the Board of Overseers.