Records of land and property owned by Harvard University

The Records of land and property owned by Harvard University document the Harvard Corporation's management and oversight of the University's land and property holdings from the mid seventeenth century into the nineteenth century. These properties extended across New England, in what is now Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine, and also included revenue generated from the lease of an estate in England. Records include correspondence; leases, bonds, deeds, wills, and other legal documents; surveyors' plans and assessments of various lands; bills; statements of account; and memoranda. The records provide insight into land settlement in colonial New England; the challenges of marking boundaries and establishing legal ownership of land; economic difficulties in the colonies; and the legal, interpersonal, and financial challenges of managing extensive property holdings. Many of the records were created by these Harvard Treasurers: Thomas Danforth, Thomas Brattle, John White, Edward Hutchinson, Thomas Hubbard, John Hancock, Ebenezer Storer, Jonathan Jackson, John Davis, Ebenezer Francis, and Thomas Wren Ward.

It should be noted that some documents whose dates are between January 1 and March 25 in the years prior to 1752 have been cited with the double date convention, e.g. February 27, 1658/9. This convention has been followed only when the document itself indicates the date in such a manner. This convention was used in England and the North American colonies between 1582 and 1752. The first date refers to the year according to the Julian calendar, which began on March 25, while the second refers to the year according to the Gregorian calendar, which began on January 1.