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Manuscripts

Samuel Cooper papers

Description

This collection contains the letters, manuscripts (including sermons, 4 diaries, and 1 poem), and documents. Includes 195 sermons by William Cooper and Samuel Cooper, 1718-1783 (strongest for the period 1740-1759) and correspondence, covering international politics in relation to the American colonies (1769-1783), French officers in North America (1778-1783), and the Cooper family affairs (1759-1798). Some pieces are in French. Among the correspondents are John Adams (3 pieces), Charles Hector d'Estaing (3 pieces), Benjamin Franklin (5 pieces), Gideon Hawley (2 pieces), Anne César de la Luzerne (6 pieces), Charles Gravier de Vergennes (2 pieces). There are two letters (1771, Feb. 25 and 1776, Jan. 8) from Gideon Hawley describing his life among the Indians. There are 177 pieces of Samuel Cooper and 43 pieces of William Cooper.

The John Adams items include two autograph letters signed to Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes, 1779 February 16 and 27 (CO 7, CO 13) and one letterpress copy of a letter to Benjamin Franklin, 1783 September 13 (CO 36), not in Adams' hand.

Some notable items include:

Cooper, Samuel. Letter to the Corporation of Harvard, declining the presidency of the college. [February 10, 1774] Hawley, Gideon. Two letters to Dr. Cooper, describing his life among the Indians. February 25, 1771 and January 8, 1776 Lee, Arthur. Letter to Dr. Cooper, regarding the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line. Jan. 18, 1781 Lovell, James. Letter discussing the neutrality of Russia and Denmark and the possible action of Holland; also, Virginia's relinquishment of [UNK]to western territory. February 1, 1781

The diaries cover the periods 1764 January 1 - 1765 February 2; 1769 October 22 - December 31; 1775 April 18 - September 23; and 1775 April 19 - May 17, 1776. The 1769 diary was published in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 55 (1901), pp. 145-149, and the 1775-1776 diary was published in The American Historical Review, vol. 6 (Jan. 1901), pp. 301-341.

Type
Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date
1718-1798
Call number
mssCO
Creator
Cooper, Samuel (1725-1783)(Opens in new tab)
Additional description
Sermons by William and Samuel Cooper, 1718-1783 (strongest for the period 1740-1759) and correspondence, covering international politics in relation to the American colonies (1769-1783), French officers in North America (1778-1783), and the Cooper family affairs. Among the correspondents are John Adams, Charles Hector d'Estaing, Benjamin Franklin, Gideon Hawley, Anne C ́esare de la Luzerne, Charles Gravier de Vergennes. Also included are two letters (1771, Feb. 25 and 1776, Jan. 8) from Gideon Hawley describing his life among the Indians. The John Adams items include two autograph letters signed to Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes, 1779 February 16 and 27 (CO 7, CO 13) and one letterpress copy of a letter to Benjamin Franklin, 1783 September 13 (CO 36), not in Adams' hand. The diaries cover the periods 1764, Jan. 1-1765, Feb. 2; 1769, Oct. 22-Dec. 31; 1775, 1775, Apr. 18-Sept. 23, and 1775, Ap. 19-May 17, 1776.
Provenance
Purchased from Marvin C. Taylor, 1926.
purchased from Mary O'Neal, Nov. 1, 2010.
Restrictions
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Associated people
Cooper, William, (1694-1743.)
Adams, John, (1735-1826.)
La Luzerne, Anne-César, (1741-1791.)
Estaing, Charles Henri, (1729-1794.)
Hawley, Gideon, (1727-1807.)
Vergennes, Charles Gravier, (1719-1787.)
Find out more
View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)
View in the Online Archive of California(Opens in new tab)

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